Alanis and Her "Acoustic" Jagged Little Pill
Nov 08 '05 (Updated Nov 08 '05)
Pros
Some great songs including Right Through You, Forgiven, and Ironic...
Cons
Some unimpressive remakes, a completely unnecessary album...
The Bottom Line
If you already love Alanis Morissette then you need Acoustic. If you don't, then you need the original Jagged Little Pill.
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In the mid-1990s young women everywhere were finally given an outlet. Brash, disenchanted, and evocative Canadian Alanis Morissette made her outstanding major label debut with what would become one of the best selling albums of all time. Jagged Little Pill wasn’t just appealing to young women—it struck a chord in teens, men, and even middle aged housewives. Everybody had the album and everybody (or nearly everybody) loved it.
Despite her stellar early success and her subsequent Grammy awards, Morissette has yet to return to her early glory. What made Jagged Little Pill stand out was the singer-songwriter’s venomous honesty. She seemed like a seasoned pro even in her early twenties. Following the incredible success of her debut, Morissette has continued to make music. Her sophomore release, Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie, also received wide acclaim but the contemplative religious slant turned off listeners who wanted her to return to the anger that dominated Jagged Little Pill. From that album forward Morissette’s career has been hit and miss and her singles have been mostly “miss.”
One thing that Morissette has time and time again proven she’s good at is acoustic performance. She released a decent Unplugged album in 1999 that covered material from her first two albums in addition to the heart wrenching Uninvited. She readily admits that her early material was her most emotionally difficult and that she didn’t used to enjoy performing it on stage. Things have changed and Morissette has come to terms with her songs and is comfortable with the material. In 2005 she took this to the next level and released a musical anomaly—Jagged Little Pill Acoustic.
With a completely new outlook on her early material, Morissette has recorded each of the original twelve tracks. She is a more controlled, more mature, and more reflective artist than the one who originally recorded Jagged Little Pill a decade ago. Glen Ballard, who produced the original material, is also back to lend a heavy hand to the effort. I enjoy listening to this new Acoustic version of the classic album but I still don’t quite understand the use. Morissette has proven she can sing with a stripped down arrangement many times and it seems like overkill to completely remake an album. It could also be perceived as a last grab at stardom. Whatever the intent, there is no question that the material here is still outstanding. I guess I just prefer my Jagged Little Pill plugged in and bitter.
The track listing to Jagged Little Pill Acoustic is identical to the original. As such, it begins with the expected All I Really Want. Stripped of the majority of the original fire, the meaning becomes more longing and reflective. Morissette’s voice is enveloped by an arrangement of strings, light percussion, and acoustic guitars. She still sings with the uneasy energy of the original but the delivery is somehow also more mature. I love her performance, but the strings are repetitive and unnecessary. All I Really Want would have been much better had it been stripped back even further. This is certainly not an acoustic track.
Voted “least like the original” is You Oughta Know which catapulted Morissette to the apex of fame during the summer of 1995. Our first glance of the singer-songwriter was with her face obscured by her unruly mop of hair, wearing a white outfit, and angrily yelping out her early trademark song (Jagged Little Pill would yield five more hit singles in the months and years that followed). Whereas that song oozed sensuality, anger, and shattered innocence this version is purposefully more mature and understanding. While I appreciate this new direction, I still yearn for Morissette’s raunchy delivery. I can’t help but reflect that this remake is pale in comparison to the original.
The songs that fare the best are those that were originally more delicate. Perfect was always a personal and introspective song. In a way, the new version is less personal. Morissette’s vocals are much more confident and steady. What I really enjoy about the “Acoustic” remake is that it remains beautiful and delicate. I love that the Canadian songstress so effortlessly sings the track. I wouldn’t say that Ballard’s reworking is all that different than the original but that is what I like so much about Perfect. It is understated and emotional. Hand in My Pocket also attempts a similar feat but is much less successful in the attempt. Morissette sings the same words but when paired with a slower tempo and less forceful instrumentation her personal examination of her complementary and conflicting sides is less obvious. She does get back to the harmonica toward the end but I’m left unimpressed.
Right Through You is fortunately outstanding. Morissette wails with her patented and strange voice. The song always featured a lighter, pensive, and more controlled arrangement so this stripped back and re-imagined collaboration still works nicely. Similarly, Forgiven always struck a chord in me with the moving delivery. It works beautifully in this Acoustic format. Clearly Jagged Little Pill Acoustic is best when the songs aren’t tweaked to the point that they lose their original cynical, angst-ridden, and confrontational intention.
The happiest, most optimistic song on Jagged Little Pill is You Learn. Morissette seems to have come to realization that every experience regardless of how positive or negative helps you to grow. The pop melody of the original is stripped back to the basics with just an acoustic guitar and drums alongside the much more controlled vocals. Once again, the new arrangement works nicely. Unfortunately this positive direction really doesn’t continue. Head Over Feet made me smile when it was originally released. Reflecting on blind and innocent love, Morissette did precisely what she should have with the song in 1995. The Acoustic version is very milquetoast and lacks the joy that made the original so special.
As Jagged Little Pill Acoustic begins to come to a close I find myself unimpressed by Mary Jane (which, in this case, is emotionally hollow). Morissette’s vocals still shine but it feels weighed down by the production and instruments. Ironic was the singer-songwriter’s most popular crossover hit. It is with this song that she went from an alternative rock star to a pop goddess. In the context of this album it also marks a stellar moment. The vocals sparkle with a complex pureness that wasn’t reflected on the original. I also like that Morissette tweaked her lyrics to be slightly more, well, ironic:
It’s like meeting the man of my dreams
and then meeting his beautiful husband.
I have always thought that Jagged Little Pill’s power wanes as it draws to a close. This new version isn’t any different. Neither Not the Doctor nor Wake Up is particularly impressive. Fortunately they are positioned at the end of the album so it is easy to just hit stop before getting to these comparatively unimpressive offerings.
Jagged Little Pill Acoustic still features some outstanding material and some really incredible performances. Unfortunately it is not a necessary purchase except for fans of the original album and Morissette. If you’re looking for a good place to start with your journey into Alanis’ discography, I very highly suggest you begin with her 1995 debut. It is sensual, angry, forceful, and introspective and well worth a full-price purchase. If you really, really enjoy that album only then should you even consider picking up Acoustic.
Rating: 3/5 stars
Track Listing:
01. All I Really Want
02. You Oughta Know
03. Perfect
04. Hand in My Pocket
05. Right Through You
06. Forgiven
07. You Learn
08. Head Over Feet
09. Mary Jane
10. Ironic
11. Not the Doctor
12. Wake Up
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Related Reviews:
Jagged Little Pill (1995)
http://www.epinions.com/content_101501406852
Under Rug Swept (2002)
http://www.epinions.com/content_63227727492
VH1 Storytellers DVD (2005)
http://www.epinions.com/content_182121238148
Recommended:
Yes
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