lambchops's Full Review: Under Rug Swept by Alanis Morissette
I remember Alanis Morissette’s first video and my first exposure to her music. It was in the form of an angry little rock track with great bass guitars called You Oughta Know. After hearing that track, I knew I immediately had to buy the CD. Thus went my ongoing infatuation with the Canadian singer/songwriter.
After her amazingly popular breakthrough album Jagged Little Pill and no fewer than six hit singles, Morissette’s rock debut earned her an impressive four Grammy awards. The most extraordinary of these awards were Best Rock Album and Album of the Year. Morissette could have turned into a one hit wonder. On the album, I was always drawn to You Oughta Know, Hand In My Pocket, and Head Over Feet.
Like I said, she could have been a one hit wonder. Instead, she came back with a less angry album called Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie and a new attitude gained while meditating on mountain tops for a year or two. The album also featured one of her most essential tracks Thank U. Yet, the album of the whole was pretty inaccessible to many fans. In the meantime, Morissette added her talents to a mushy-yet-spiritual love movie called City of Angels. Her song, Uninvited, earned the artist two more Grammy awards.
So when Morissette released her eagerly awaited third album, I hoped for a good mix of her first two outings. What I got was almost completely unoriginal and uninteresting pop. Sure there are some outstanding tracks, but there are all too many truly forgettable ones. Morissette has a unique voice that she uses well. But, it’s really quite difficult to sound really great if you’re singing along to tritely programmed and completely lackluster musical elements.
What I’m left with is a wish that Glen Ballard (Morissette’s past right hand man, producer) instead of the talented Canadian at the helm. I miss Morissette’s early leanings towards rock and seriousness. Sure, she yelps out her distaste for males throughout Under Rug Swept, but squealing about how deeply your problems with men goes isn’t enough. I want context and content and good music. Under Rug Swept at times accomplishes this but at others fails miserably.
It would be easiest to dismiss this entire album as crap. I can’t do that. In the overall musical scheme it ranks as average. In the Morissette repertoire it is certainly below average with both of her studio releases and her MTV Unplugged album all placing easily above this one.
Of the eleven tracks on this album (amounting to a staggering fifty minutes), few speak to me. I do enjoy the first single Hands Clean. The song speaks to the heart about coming to terms with love and life. It’s triumphant and emotional, and a sure-fire bid by Morissette to reclaim her position at the top of the charts. With light acoustic guitars, the song would be perfect. But, the addition of simplistic programming makes the song less desirable than it really should be.
I also can appreciate the delicate emotion of Precious Illusions, but again once the programming kicks in I find the song to be less useful than it could have been if real instruments had been used throughout. Other tracks that are at least moderately interesting are So Unsexy, Narcissus and the dreamy You Owe Me Nothing In Return.
But what really sinks this album is the first song. It leaves a bad taste in my mouth and taints the entire picture. 21 Things I Want In A Lover is a pseudo-emotional track. It seems that Morissette was going for the anger she expressed on Jagged Little Pill. But the problem is that she isn’t nearly as troubled as she was seven years ago. The song also seems to be too slickly produced with electric guitars drowning out the vocals and drum machines thickening the song to the point that it proves nearly impossible for me to listen to. In fact, I find that the track is almost impossible to listen to from beginning to end.
Other tracks that also make my blood boil and my index finger hit the skip button include the overlong Flinch, the forcibly melodramatic That Particular Time, and the over produced Surrendering.
Under Rug Swept is certainly still better than the majority of albums from pop/rock artists. Morissette is a bigger talent than this album indicates. For fans of the singer/songwriter/producer the album is a disappointing must own. For people just become acquainted with her work, I’d suggest buying her albums in the order they were released. It’s interesting to see Morissette’s journey from angry rock princess to tidy pop queen.
If I had to choose just one word to describe Under Rug Swept it would be disappointing. The songs aren’t as driving, introspective, intelligent, or raw as her past releases. The album as a whole seems to lack cohesion. In the future, I’d simply like to see Morissette rely on others to produce her work. I recommend the album, but can only give it 3/5 stars.
Track Listing:
1. 21 Things I Want in a Lover
2. Narcissus
3. Hands Clean
4. Flinch
5. So Unsexy
6. Precious Illusions
7. That Particular Time
8. A Man
9. You Owe Me Nothing In Return
10. Surrendering
11. Utopia
With Under Rug Swept, Alanis Morissette returns to the rockin , raw emotion that has made her one of music s most popular and recognizable artists. He...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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