So-Called Chaos [ENHANCED]

Alanis Morissette

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 18, 2004)
• Original Release Date: May 18, 2004
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Enhanced
• Label: Maverick
• ASIN: B0001MDP40
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (269 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #41,455 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
It's been a long time in coming, but with So Called Chaos Alanis Morisette has finally produced a worthy follow up to her globe-conquering debut. Calmer and more focused, the songs exude a new, mature woman, firmly in control of her life. "I'm not threatened by every pair of legs you watch go by," she sings with Zen-like serenity on "I Doth Protest Too Much" (as if she'd have said that on Jagged Little Pill). Time mellows--leave the angst to Avril Lavigne.

Overexposure once made her fantastic voice grate, but now it's like welcoming back an old friend--that distinctive little warble, that softness…it's her most valuable asset and the simple, clean production wisely allows it to breathe freely. Most of the songs follow a slow, quiet verse/loud sucker chorus pattern and there's nothing on here that rivals anything from her debut, but everybody (including herself) has accepted that now. The absence of a world-class co-songwriter plays a part, but it's a refreshing change to see no external involvement. Accept Morisette for what she is--a female singer/songwriter with an exceptional, original voice and you won't be disappointed. --Ben Johncock

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Like Chanté Moore said, "Love's taken over", August 25, 2004

By	Anthony Rupert "shut up, Shut Up, SHUT UP!!!" (Milwaukee, WI) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

I remember seeing the video for "Everything" on VH1 and I asked, "This is Alanis Morissette?" Not that it's a bad song, but I was surprised not to hear any yelling (for lack of a better term). And there really isn't any loud singing on the album, except maybe on the song she has out now, "Eight Easy Steps". Apparently a lot of reviewers feel the same way I did, saying that the old Alanis was more entertaining than the new Alanis. Yes, if you have all of her other albums and enjoy them, you may not feel the same --at least, at first listen -- about So-Called Chaos.

This album was written in the midst of her relationship with her now fiancé, Ryan Reynolds (best known from playing the title role of National Lampoon's Van Wilder; or didn't anyone else see that movie either?). That probably explains why many of the songs on here are romantic. But these songs aren't sappy or anything. There are lovely songs like "Out Is Through" and the aforementioned "Everything". And when Alanis gets innovative with the subject matter, it's still impressive, as evidenced by "This Grudge" (some think it's a response to "You Oughta Know") and "Not All Me".

With a slim ten tracks totaling just over 40 minutes, So-Called Chaos is an album that's just right for a quick listen. The only real flaw is that I have no idea what she's talking about on "Knees of My Bees". But love Alanis' new style or hate it, you should still add this to your collection. Who knows, you might like it after a while.

Anthony Rupert

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars BEST CD since Jagged Little Pill, May 18, 2004

By	Jim Lubell (Mechanicsville, MD United States) - See all my reviews

The CD, overall, does not depart from her signature styles too much. Her sound has evolved, obviously, but the most important change is the tone of her lyrics. At least 4 of the 10 tracks are love songs, and not bitter ones, like she is so good at writing. This takes away from the album slightly...but is a fine change in some ways too.

Her lyrics, yet again, are excellent. She is one of the wittiest, most ironic, and best songwriters alive. Though the album is slightly overproduced, the music is pretty good too.

Track by track:

1. Eight Easy Steps - 9/10 - An under 3-minute beginning track that just WORKS. This song reminds me most on the album of something from Jagged Little Pill. This may be the next single...the verses go from a "How to" book on be a bad person...to the chorus saying she will "teach you all this, in eight easy steps". Catchy poprock!

2. Out Is Through - 7/10 - She likes doing this...the second time in two songs that she runs the end of the verse into the beginning of the chorus. Oh well. A catchy song, with a sad tint to it. More like something from her last album, Under Rug Swept.

3. Excuses - 9/10 - The beginning of this song is just beautiful...again, a sad tint...her voice is pretty here. The chorus reflects the verse, as a good song should. Catchy! At this point, this album is seeming almost better than Jagged Little Pill!

4. Doth I Protest Too Much - 10/10 - I love this song. Period. It's about jealousy...from a woman's point of view of a guy who likes to look around *winks*. It's my favorite on the album. "I'm not jealous, I don't get moved by much...I'm not enraged, not insecure as such...and doth I protest too much?"

5. Knees Of My Bees - 9/10 - The song starts off with a Norwegian Wood-ish sitar, and goes right into a poprock love song with a WEIRD but original theme. It's refreshing to hear love songs with actual GOOD lyrics. It's a bit funny too, as suggested by the title!

6. Not All Me - 6/10 - "I don't mind helping you out, but I want you to remember my name..." this song has some good lines, but the chorus is a bit corny for Alanis, and it's a bit slow. Too normal for her. However, it's pretty, and many people might like it.

7. So-Called Chaos - 8/10 - The seventh straight song with an explosive chorus to a soft verse. Try varying it some, girl! That said, although this song doesn't have a definite good hook, it is catchy, well written, and fun to listen to.

8. This Grudge - 9/10 - The longest song on the album...a slower ballad. Very pretty, and one you can fall in love with slowly. "I want to be big and let go of this grudge that's grown old, all this time...I've not know how to rest this bygone...I want to be soft and resolved...I want to forgive for both of us"

9. Spineless - 10/10 - My other favourite song here. This one is almost a feminine speak-out song...about women who just give in to men. It's a great, catchy song.

10. Everything - 5/10 - The first single, and my least favorite track on the album. More of a corny love song, without any true Alanis in it.

OVERALL - 9/10

VERY good CD, with only two weak tracks, in my opinion. And even those tracks are quite listenable and possibly liked in the future. The best release besides Five For Fighting's new CD from this year, so far. DEFINITELY a solid album all the way through, and one to pick up or download very soon.

37 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Masterpiece In The Morissette Collection!, May 26, 2004

By	Busy Body (London, England) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

She's done it again. Alanis Morissette has completely blown me away with her latest album. I shouldn't really be surprised considering the amazing music she consistently releases, but "So-Called Chaos" not only confirms this further, but has made Alanis a major player in my life. I don't just listen to her music: I idolize her, her voice is the voice of God to me, she is a completely amazing and fantastically beautiful (both physically and emotionally) woman, and blows the socks off any other female singer/songwriter of the past ten years. It's an understatement to say she's changed my life. She's completely revolutionized it! I've learnt so much from her music and lyrics, from the breakthrough "Jagged Little Pill" and the underrated masterpiece "Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie," and through onto more melodic gems such as "Under Rug Swept."

I was actually rather surprised when I heard late last year that Alanis would be releasing a new album in the spring of 2004, as it was only two years since the predecessor and she usually takes a good three or fours to get another album out. I wasn't complaining though, and as soon as So-Called Chaos was released I raced out to buy it. What I found was a different Alanis - one who is definitely more relaxed and taking a more positive approach on life. It's brilliant to see Alanis finally so happy with life (and who wouldn't be with a hottie boyfriend like Ryan?!) and this definitely reflects in her music. People are comparing this album to JLP - forget that, it's nothing like it. JLP was totally singular and nothing now or in the future will come close to its genius and impact.

What So-Called Chaos has, though, is amazing vocals and stunning melodies that totally breathe new life into the music industry. The opening track, "Eight Easy Steps," is a fast-paced rocker with catchy verse and head-banging choruses! Alanis really lets go on this amazing song which incorporates Oriental and Asian influences that work a treat. This is also a recurring theme throughout the album. "Out Is Through" is a fantastic mid-tempo pop/rock gem that was totally made for radio. The lyrics are positive, Alanis' voice radiant and the melody powerful and very relatable. Many have said that "Excuses" sounds very similar to "Precious Illusions" from the last album and in a way it does, but this is much better! The beat is fantastic, the lyrics inspirational, the melody incredibly catchy and Alanis' voice absolutely mind-blowing. It almost makes me cry at the chorus and when she sings, "No one can have it all." This song is best experienced driving down a motorway!

"Doth I Protest Too Much" is a haunting, if familiar, kind of song in which Alanis exclaims that she isn't jealous that her man stares at other women, when really, she's raging with jealously and anger inside. It's her comedic take on trying to fit into a relationship, and it works a treat. "Knees Of My Bees" is an amazing song just from the title! The song itself is an extremely catchy and loved-up song that Alanis wrote about Mr. Reynolds, the man currently dominating her life, and what an impact he's made! The Oriental theme is evident here with a beautiful sitar and some superb lyrics. "So-Called Chaos," the album's title track, is a total monster. It starts off a bit shaky with stop-start vocals, but once the chorus kicks in, you know you're onto something special, especially as she screeches, "I wanna be naked, running through the streets!" Alanis-zilla hits New York City, oh yes! "Not All Me" is not instantly loveable, but definitely grows on you. It opens amazingly with a stunning synth intro and some really sweet vocals from Alanis.

"This Grudge" is the album's main ballad and what a total cracker it is! Alanis sings of a grudge that she holds, not with a past-lover, but with herself. The lyrics are powerfully honest as she sings, "But who's it hurting now? Who's the one that's stuck? Who's it torturing now, with an antique knot in her stomach?" She attacks the woman scorned from 1995, and it's as if she's finally letting go. "Spineless" is a fantastic and humorous rocker in which Alanis vows to change herself to be subservient to her new lover - to be opinionless to everything he says and does. Of course, this isn't the Alanis we know and could never imagine evolving into and therein lies (no, not 'the problem', Mr. Sympathetic Character) the comedy! The album closes superbly with the album's lead single "Everything." I actually wasn't too sure when I first heard this song a few months ago, but since then it has totally grown on me. I love the brave and brazen honesty in the lyrics and the bridge where she sings, "What I resist persists and speaks louder than I know. What I resist you love no matter how low or high I go!"

OVERALL GRADE: 10/10

I praise Alanis for standing up for what she believes in at that awards show earlier on the year - you GO GIRL! I also admire her greatly for not making music that the masses want and just making music that comes naturally to her. It is a total bonus that die-hard fans such as myself worship it, because this is truly fantastic music. It might not to be everyone's taste, but Alanis fans will adore it. The album only peaked at No.8 in the UK and No.5 in the US upon release, and should have been No.1, but it's alright: washaway Usher can keep his No.1, because releasing records of Alanis' calibre is much more worthy than a disappointing, overhyped multi-million seller! Alanis has changed my life and I realise I'm waffling now, so I'll close it up. Basically, this is the album of 2004 for me. Buy this now!

P.S. Loving the hair, Alanis!