Somebody's Miracle

Liz Phair

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 4, 2005)
• Original Release Date: October 4, 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Capitol
• ASIN: B000AV2G2O
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (92 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #89,398 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Is Liz Phair apologizing? It would be easy to get that impression from the title track of Somebody's Miracle. Suddenly the singer who was once known for her jaded lyrics and liberal use of the "f" word, is throwing around different kinds of "f" words altogether. "Faith?" "Fairytale?" Once, a generation of young women turned to Phair to express their collective rage at emotionally unavailable men. Now it's all about frogs with princes inside, and her regret over fleeing relationships with a few good men. My, how times have changed.

Some tracks on this album, including "Got My Own Thing," "Why I Lie," and "Can't Get Out of What I'm into," go back to Phair's more cynical roots. (In fact, "Can't Get Out," dates back to the singer's early demos.) But it seems clear that her overall trend towards pop (exhibited on her self-titled CD from 2003) is continuing. And who can blame her? Exile in Guyville was a breakthrough, but it left her in a real bind. A decade plus later, a still-bitter Liz would probably seem tiresome and immature. A happier, hopeful Liz could be accused of going soft. Phair doesn't need her angry-girl persona to prove she has talent, but she may still need it to stand out from the crowd. After all, do we really need another pop song like "Stars and Planets" telling us "we all shine, shine, shine?" The question Somebody's Miracle raises is: can Liz Phair drop some of her attitude without losing all of her edge? --Leah Weathersby

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Buyer Beware!, October 20, 2005

By	Polly Scott (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

Do to the unexpectedly poor sales of this album, Capitol is rereleasing it on December 20th, with four extra track, and a new lower price. So you might want to wait to pick up a copy.

56 of 71 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Phair's Most Well-Rounded Outing Yet, October 4, 2005

By	Rudy Palma "The Writing Fiend" (NJ) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

With her new album ,"Somebody's Miracle," singer/songwriter Liz Phair has assembled her most well-rounded release yet. One of the most celebrated indie sweethearts of the 90's, her 2003 self-titled mainstream makeover paralyzed a great faction of her fanbase, who could not accept Phair's broadening her horizons. However, what made her so endearing and unique in the 90's and later brought her into Top 40 territory meld together exceptionally well this time around.

Lead single "Everything to Me," was a wise choice to lead the collection, and although it has not made the splash that "Why Can't I?" did two years ago, it has proven she can craft radio friendly fare perfectly without the aid of hitmaking machine the Matrix, thank you very much. Still, it is the least interesting track on the collection. "Leap Of Innocence" and "Closer to You," for instance, will delight longtime fans, as they are sonically reminiscent of 1998's underrated "Whitechocolatespaceegg." Most importantly, her lyrical bite and delightful sense of humor are as potent as ever, but with sharper wisdom and insight than she had to offer in the 90's, which the former track displays.

"Everything about us had an innocence/But everything around us was changing/And my mistake was being already married/I want to make a leap of innocence to you."

The pop songs are still present, however, but they don't plead for radio play as much as they did on the self-titled record. "Stars and Planets" is the finest such example, with Phair proclaiming "we all shine, shine shine," much to the chagrin of listeners who abhor pop music clichés. However, the lyrics delve much deeper than that, revealing a triumphant ode to individuality in a world of monotony and mass consumerism. Also, "Count On My Love" and "Lost Tonight" are as romantic as they are undeniably infectious.

The philosophic title track finds Phair in a new state of mind. Almost an act of atonement, it is indeed eye-popping that the angsty siren behind "Exile In Guyville" could even muster the words "every frog has a prince just waiting inside of him." She does, however, make a return to her roots in following that with "Got My Own Thing," a budding fan favorite where she cheekily chants "Oh boy, I'd love to help/Give you enough rope to hang yourself/And watch the silly things you do."

Furthermore, "Lazy Dreamer" is a deliciously-produced protest of a young man who slacks off so much that he ultimately becomes a societal outcast, while "Table For One" is a melodious condemnation of those who enabled a now-recovered alcoholic. Also, "Wind and the Mountain" is an ingenious track where Phair makes splendid use of metaphor and ultimately conquers her ordeal by asking for God's intervention, and "Everything (Between Us)," a tale of unconditional love, has the sharpest hook on the album.

"Let your body move real slow/Tell your body we left yesterday/Let your body hold me close/Let your body move you/We have everything we need here/We have everything between us."

Ultimately, "Somebody's Miracle" serves as a perfect mirror for Phair's astounding talent, and it deserves much more spotlight than it has received.

41 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Rather middle of the road., October 4, 2005

By	Michael Stack (North Chelmsford, MA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

I seem to be in the minority of people who enjoyed both Liz Phair's early work and her more recent self-titled effort. Yeah, "Liz Phair" was a pop album, but it was an awfully good one, and I'm the type who grows bored with an artist who stands still. And certainly that album made sense in the context of "whitechocolatespaceegg". Its followup, "Somebody's Miracle", continues not the pop sheen of the self-titled album, but rather takes its starting point from the adult alternative sounds of "whitechocolatespaceegg" and "Liz Phair". The result is pretty mixed-- it's not a bad album by any stretch, it just doesn't go anywhere, and there's really not a whole lot on here that grabs your attention.

The best material on the album manages to fuse the lo-fi indie rock songs of her youth with clever arrangements, feeling both detailed and stripped down-- moving from the chugging, lo-fi "Wind and the Mountain" to bouncy pop (a la "Polyester Bride") of "Somebody's Miracle" and "Got My Own Thing" and moody ruminations on "Table For One". But for everything that's worth hearing there's a bunch of middling pop songs that sound like a thin Aimee Mann impression ("Lazy Dreamer") and occasionally it can't get out of the way of its own cliches ("Stars and Planets").

Again, it's not a bad album, but it's certainly not great either, and it's unlikely to please anyone-- old fans will deplore that it continues the sellout, new fans will wonder where the gloss went. Speaking personally, much as I'd hoped for better, it's about what I expected, some of it's worth hearing, but I've never found Phair to excel at following up any of her great efforts.