Customer Reviews

Whip-Smart

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The good thing about Liz Phair's CD's is that you can't justifiably compare them. Saying "It's not as good as Guyville" or whitechocolatespaceegg wouldn't work, simply because they are so different. Totally different styles. If you want another Guyville then you are not going to get it. If you want something different, a little quirky but heartfelt and very accessable then you'll like this CD. I like all of her songs best, depending on my mood. I admit I didn't like it that much when I first heard it cause the first Liz CD I had was whitechocolatespaceegg and secretly I wanted a different version of that. Suffice to say I didn't get it and after the shock wares off that this isn't what you expected, you can really begin to enjoy it in it's own right.

If you want to know what Liz Phair is all about, get Exile in Guyville, her first album. It is a lot more passionate and groundbreaking. This is also a great album, but it is more mainstream and repetitive than her last songs. "Supernova" is her MTV debut, so it is great but not exactly an inspired original. I love every second of Exile and there are a couple of songs I skip over on this one.

This album is absolutely incredible. I first heard it about 3 years ago, and there has not been a period of time where I have listened to it less than once a week since. She seemed to have beared so much of her soul in making this album that it seriously makes her irresistable! I'm not sure if I'd say that this album is better than Exile or Whitechocolate but there is no way I could give it anything less than 5 stars. Liz, keep the albums coming....

Disciples of "Exile in Guyville" will agree with the four star rating, newcomers might say it's more of a 3.5 kinda party, but that's still not bad. In an interview, LP once cited a Pavement album as one of her faves. This is no wonder to me, since her first two albums mirrored the characteristics of her Matador contemporaries' first two albums as well. Both respective firsts were raw, instant classics with undeniable charm and unlimited potential. Both follow-ups realized that potential.

"Whip-Smart" shows that Liz's song writing abilities run deeper than which some may have given her credit. This album has it all: Austere melodies that dance on the fringe between polyphonic bliss and drab monotones (chopsticks most notably)but still stir up your insides. Pop-hooks that'll reel you in like a prized marlin (Supernova, Whip-Smart) and still manage to distinguish themselves from the garden variety which live on FM radio. And...all the smut you can handle. A LP tradition that's continued in rich fashion. You've gotta love her honesty if nothing else. This woman makes talking dirty sound smart.

Spanning a broad spectrum of musical landscapes, slick production (not too slick though), and anthemic vocal melodies, Whip-Smart leaves you wanting more, and wondering why Liz Phair never married Steve Malkmus (former Pavement frontman)

After the spectacular acclaim for "Exile In Guyville," many critics wondered if Liz Phair had more left in her. The triumph of "Guyville" and her rep. as a somewhat less-than-imposing live performer almost began a Liz backlash in some places. I'm very happy to report that "Whip Smart" contains the same intelligence, intensity, and imagination of the first CD.

I agree that it's just a cut below "Exile." For example, the opening "Chopsticks" seems almost obligatory... the stereotyped ingredients of a "LIZ PHAIR SONG" are there: The ennui, the frank sexuality, the droning guitars, the dropped last word. It works despite all these Phairisms, but it risks self-parody. On the next track though, Ms. Phair rocks with abandon, and the sound is exciting and intense.

Throughout the CD, the technology is more advanced than "Exile." On Track 2 and 3, for example, background vocals bring more texture to the sound, but they don't sacrifice her minimalist, instrument-focused approach. "X-Ray Man" is superb storytelling a la Joni Mitchell with great 60's-style vocal overdubs and an instinct for just the right words:

"You're an X-Ray man/whitewall tire. . .iodine tan/ cheap unpleasant desires."

"Shane" is one of her most brilliant tracks on any album. It's a devastating parody of the leftist male poseur, indulging in Che fantasies to feel superior (and attract grrls), and then finding out he's gotten in over his head. "Go West" explores another familiar motif, the necessity of departures and the yearning, seeking allure of the road. A great tune, an instant soundtrack for the open road. The title track is simply puzzling, but "jealousy" is vintage Phair...honest, sexual, and personal. Her voice gets louder with the increasing intensity of jealousy expressed.

The last three songs are an interesting juxtaposition to "Jealousy." She celebrates independent, sensitive but strong, and ultimately triumphant persona. "I want to throw my fears away . . .Well, look at me, I'm frightening my friends, you better roll me home, you better roll me home."

This is a must-have for Phair fans, and for almost any fan of rock. Not quite as all-around excellent as "Exile," but this (and her next album) prove she's one of the best of the nineties. A superb album.

I find Liz's music to be good fun and entertaining. Since there are plenty of persons out there happy to be wordy about it, I'll keep this brief. Love it!

This album just rocks. Period. Liz sounds so vintage on here. You could have sworn this was recorded in the '70s. This is one of the few records I own where I don't have to skip a single song. Standouts include Supernova, Nashville, Cinco De Mayo, Whip-Smart, Jealousy, and May Queen. May Queen I think is my favorite, though. I love how it builds and builds. Especially the part where Liz sings "...and a friend of MINE!' It's too bad that Liz Phair went mainstream pop. She was good at doing what she did before. Buy this beautiful gem of a record. You will not be disappointed.

I bought this album about three years ago and to this day whip-smart is still my favorite album. Liz Phair is a genius. Her song-writing is incredible, her voice a relentless pitbull, and her image, a true reniassance. All the songs I love, especially Nashville, Go West, and the album closer, May Queen.

A lot of people think she sold out with her later albums but hey a girl's gotta get paid. Exile in Guyville is considered her masterpiece, and i think it's a great album but for me, whip-smart is her masterpiece. Totally under-rated, this album has smart lyrics and great guitar playing. You can decide for yourself but Whip-smart is one cd that will never be used as a coaster.

How does that saying go -- an artist's first record is about their whole life, and the follow-up album is about the next six months? Given that "Exile in Guyville" changed my life forever, I was fully prepared to be disappointed in the second album by Liz Phair. However, "Whip-Smart" came through with another stunning lineup of songs whose lyrics sounded like she'd raided my brain (such as "Jealousy").

The melodies are a little more catchy in a "pop" way than on "Exile", but are just as addictive. There are more radio-friendly songs on "Whip-Smart" than on her debut effort. However, these do not overshadow or outshine those songs on the album that are less "single" in nature. Rather, they are equal contributors to an incredibly satisfying whole.

Liz's sophomore effort doesn't measure up to either her debut -- "Exile in Guyville" -- or her latest album -- "whitechocolatespaceegg" -- but it's a grab bag of good tunes and shows her beginning to progress from the sometimes awkward musician she was to the accomplished professional she is now.

Her songwriting skills remain top-notch here, but as she's not drawing on a lifetime of experience as she was with EIG or the years of marriage and motherhood she had before creating WCSE, her songs never have the richness of the first or third albums.

Still, Liz shows that, when all else fails, she can rock out ("Supernova") and just get weird and goofy ("Crater Lake"). More of an album to mine for mix tape tracks than something worth listening to straight through, "Whip-Smart" contains a selection of solid songs and some vintage Liz moments, from the not-for-prudes opening to the rocking and willfully opaque closing tune.

Not the first Liz album to buy -- grab EIG or WCSE, based on where you are in your life -- but one to buy after those two have taken up permanent residence in your CD player and mind.