From: owner-support-system-digest@smoe.org (support-system-digest) To: support-system-digest@smoe.org Subject: support-system-digest V8 #130 Reply-To: support-system@smoe.org Sender: owner-support-system-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-support-system-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk support-system-digest Sunday, October 9 2005 Volume 08 : Number 130 Today's Subjects: ----------------- [support-system] Somebody's Miracle reviews (allmusic / Bradenton Herald) [Kenneth Lee ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 07 Oct 2005 22:51:12 -0700 From: Kenneth Lee Subject: [support-system] Somebody's Miracle reviews (allmusic / Bradenton Herald) Two more SM reviews: From allmusic: (http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&uid=CAW030510041602&sql=10:fu8gtq0zxu46~T1) "Somebody's Miracle" Liz Phair 3 stars (out of 5) Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine Liz Phair alienated a large portion of her audience with her 2003 extreme pop makeover, where she didn't just go pop, she went teen pop, collaborating with the Matrix and winding up sounding something like Avril Lavigne's aunt. It wasn't exactly what fans raised on "Exile in Guyville" either wanted or expected and they were vocal in their displeasure, yet Phair made it very clear in her supporting press for the album that she didn't care that they were upset: she was no longer the woman who made "Exile", and had no interest in trying to write or sound that way anymore, which was pretty evident from the album at hand. She wanted to cash in that indie cred and become a star, and "Liz Phair" did indeed bring her success, including her first Top 40 hit with "Why Can't I?," which tended to diminish the sniping of her critics, even if it didn't necessarily dismiss their criticisms. Most of the criticisms were focused on the Matrix-fueled pop singles, since they were flashy, ostentatious examples of how Phair wanted to play on a bigger field, but apart from those singles, "Liz Phair" concentrated on tasteful, well-polished, sturdy adult alternative pop that was not dissimilar to work by such peers as Michael Penn and Aimee Mann. That, not the desperate teen pop, is the touchstone for "Somebody's Miracle", her sequel to the 2003 affair. Now that she's made a clean break from indie rock, severing herself from her past to such an extent that she will never be judged alongside such 1993 peers as PJ Harvey, Tanya Donelly, and Stephen Malkmus, she's content to make a full-fledged, unabashed adult alternative album, one that's so scrubbed and polished, transitions between songs are nearly imperceptible. If the last album was her attempt to be Avril, this is her Sheryl Crow album, pitched halfway between the bright surfaces of "C'mon, C'mon" and the laid-back, classy Globe Sessions, and while that's a maturer vibe, it doesn't necessarily always fit Phair well. There are two main, interrelated problems here: the production, largely credited to John Alagma but there are four other producers here, is so smooth and polished, the album winds up sounding kind of dull, particularly because Phair's thin, reedy voice just isn't suited for big, overblown productions like this. As soon as "Leap of Innocence" kicks off the album, she sounds diminished by the immaculate recording and then she starts going flat toward the end of her phrases. She not only sounds overwhelmed by the music, but she can't command attention to either her words or melodies, so the entire album becomes a wash of sound. Since it's well produced and professional, it's a pleasing wash of sound, but it's nevertheless kind of boring, which is unfortunate because Phair has a pretty good batch of songs here, ranging from the stark first-person tale of alcoholism "Table for One" to catchy pop tunes like "Stars and Planets" and "Got My Own Thing." These are good adult pop tunes and if they were given a production that wasn't so inflated, this would be quite an appealing record. But that record wouldn't be a mainstream album that would place Phair on a level with Sheryl Crow. It would be for a niche audience, and after her experience as a '90s indie rock queen, she is no longer interested in a niche audience, as this album and its predecessor make clear. But Phair isn't particularly good as an artist for a wide audience -- not only is her voice too small for this kind of production, her songs sound better when they're not given inflated productions. Plus, her best material is either too risky or literary or quirky to be radio hits -- and there's no greater proof of that than the pleasant but dull "Somebody's Miracle". ***** From Bradenton Herald: (http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/entertainment/12828540.htm) Exile in happyville Liz Phair continues down road to ruin (but she's all smiles) WADE TATANGELO Herald Staff Writer Liz Phair is looking good. She's sporting a short silver dress and an ingenue's come hither smile in the video for her new single "Everything to Me." In fact, the 37-year-old actually appears to be peaking in terms of attractiveness. It's important that Phair looks good these days. It's promo time for her latest album "Somebody's Miracle". And she's competing for airplay with women like Kelly Clarkson who are almost the same age as the tweeners paying $18 for the pop hit of the weak. One must wonder what an eighth-grade girl thinks when she sees a woman her mom's age pleading in a chipper teenager's voice "Do you really know me at all," while cocking her head and flashing a cheap, come hither smile? Poor Liz Phair has lost her way. Perhaps it's that the woman is so rich and happy these days that she simply can't get to that place where quality records are made. Remember, Phair is the indie rock princess who blew critics and college radio deejays away with her staggering debut, "Exile in Guyville", which, incidentally, is playing on my headset right now and sounds as crude, raw, nasty and satisfying as it did when released in 1993. Phair's self-titled 2003 foray into generic pop was panned by virtually every major publication on the globe save for the celebrity worshippers at "Entertainment Weekly" and "Blender". Phair offers more of the same on "Somebody's Miracle", which, like its predecessor, might land her another Top 40 single but will surely only further alienate her from fans of "Exile in Guyville" - an album spilling over with misandry and self-loathing and lines like "I woke up in your arms and almost immediately I felt sorry . . . I didn't think this would happen again . . . Whatever happened to a boyfriend . . . I want a boyfriend . . . I'm gonna spend another year alone." Well, here's to hoping Phair is happy. - -Ken kenmlee@ix.netcom.com MeSmErIzInG - AnOtHeR LiZ PhAiR WeBsItE http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Club/2471/ ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 07 Oct 2005 23:19:06 -0700 From: Kenneth Lee Subject: [support-system] Somebody's Miracle reviews (Stylus Magazine / St. Petersburg Times) From Stylus Magazine: (http://www.stylusmagazine.com/review.php?ID=3436): Liz Phair "Somebodys Miracle" Capitol 2005 B+ loved Liz Phairs 2003 eponymous album. Sure, the vocals were ProTooled within an inch of their lives, the guitars too emphatic, the attempt at outrage misplaced and just plain odd (lets hum that ode to hot white cum). But listen to the songs again: Rock Me, Its Sweet, and Extraordinary were revelations, with hints of self-doubt nibbling at the bravado projected by The Matrixs big bam boom production. I suspect that the guys whove always wanted her to remain their blowjob queen-as long as they didnt have to do something emotionally complicated, like, you know, date intelligent women like her-were repulsed by Phairs ease with the teen argot and clichid sentiments they thought shed long outgrown. They heard surrender. Hearing Phair admit she wanted to play with her boy toys X-box made one cringe at first, but it was such an honest admission I can understand if this guy bolted out the door; its not often a thirtysomething woman meets you on your terms and dares you to match her. The ickily-titled "Somebodys Miracle" offers nothing as insistent as "Why Cant I?" and it will probably cost her in the marketplace; the Avril Lavigne fans who made Why Cant I her first gold-certified single are a fickle bunch. Now Phair, a performer whose protean skills go unremarked by almost everyone, is going after the John Mayer and Stevie Nicks bread. Foregrounding the self-doubt that was a quiet but insistent subtext on the eponymous album, producer John Shanks provides unobtrusive arrangements and lets Phair strum more electric guitar; this is a singer-songwriter record, like "Exile On Guyville". Its also warmer than its predecessor. Since warm often congeals into bland, "Somebodys Miracle" lacks moments like Michael Penns guitar picking the unresolved melody line at the conclusion of Its Sweet-moments of instrumental or lyrical spontaneity, if not vulgarity, all of which are anathema to singer-songwriter rock. But true Phair fans have come to expect sacrifices. Abandoning lo-fi values when she needed a sound bold enough to match her increasingly meticulous songwriting, shes now eschewed the responsibilities expected of a thirtysomething woman with a Clear Channel hit single. The best songs on "Somebodys Miracle" are at once ruminative and pop-friendly; with subtext as text, your songs better be unambiguous. And they are: the chiming guitars belie the weariness of Wind and the Mountains (with its I am so tired refrain) and Everything (Between Us); the latter in particular suggests gulfs of misunderstanding between the two lovers that Phairs breathy, girlishly high vocals-which have an air of insincerity about them-cannot bridge. The narrative strain she perfected on "Whitechocolatespaceegg"s Uncle Alvarez reaches new heights in Table For One, in which an alcoholic observes, with the chilling flatness Phair usually saves for her lovestruck heroines: there will always be some kind of crisis for me. If "Somebodys Miracle" had included more songs as good as Wind and the Mountains or Got My Own Thing (a ringer for a track on Sheryl Crows "The Globe Sessions", her own peak as a trad singer-songwriter), it would have approached the near-greatness of "Whitechocolatespaceegg", an uneven collection of songs whose multiplicity of perspectives was refracted by Phairs cold watchful eye. But a near-deadly string of interchangeable rockers in the middle stretch reinforces the perception-by now a reality for a lot of "Guyville" fans-that her fondness for Michelle Branch is commensurate with her avarice. Luckily the tension between commerce and privacy-the true polarity, not the bullshit commerce-versus-art thing with which indie fuhrers still condemn me and other Kelly Osbourne fans-fascinates Phair almost as much as dissecting her romantic travails. How long could we expect an artist of Phairs caliber to record 4-track demos in her room? Instead of dreaming about dick, shes going out to get it. Shes still comfortable inviting Amy Rigby over for a cup of tea, but only if the hunk downstairs doesnt return her text messages. Who said friends have to be sincere? Reviewed by: Alfred Soto ***** From The St. Petersburg Times: (http://www.sptimes.com/2005/10/08/Floridian/Mercurial_singer_grow.shtml) Mercurial singer grows up By BRIAN ORLOFF Review Liz Phair, "Somebody's Miracle" (Capitol). Grade: B- Remember all the hubbub when Liz Phair released her self-titled pop album in 2003? The disc gleamed with the kind of prefab shine that rankled longtime Phair fans who bellyached over her blatant grab for mainstream acceptance. And the album polarized critics, some of whom appreciated her explorations of sexuality while others called it pathetic and pandering. There's some good news for longtime fans on "Somebody's Miracle", the provocative singer's fifth album. While not exactly classic Phair, gone thankfully are many of the sunny platitudes and big, easy hooks. "Somebody's Miracle" goes for mostly mid-tempo grooves that offset and carry her more mature observations about relationships in mostly winning directions. This time, Phair longs for intimacy and sustained relationships. There's the pleasant title track, in which Phair pines for a lasting relationship with plenty of self-awareness and self-deprecation. "Once upon a time I was so restless in love/when things were fine I changed my mind just because/now I see how wrong and restless I've been," she sings over a radio-friendly tune. The similarly acoustic "Leap of Innocence" also contains an infectious swagger and a melody tuneful enough to redeem Phair's unwieldy warble. She's a notoriously frail singer and in some moments comes unhinged in the higher register, like with high-pitched shrieking in the otherwise inoffensive "Wind and the Mountain". Unlike "Liz Phair", there's hardly anything outrageous here. In fact, with John Alagia's bland production work, Phair's distinctiveness, her sass and grit, get buried under all the adult contemporary moments. It's fitting, though, that the album most succeeds when she's emotionally and sonically bare. On "Table for One", which opens with a finger-picked, flamencolike acoustic riff, Phair narrates a physical journey through her house. But the narrative suddenly travels internally, transforming into a wistful and contemplative interior search. "I want to bring down all of those demons who drank with me/feasting gleefully on my desperation," she sings as strings bloom behind her. That's what passion should sound like. - -Ken kenmlee@ix.netcom.com MeSmErIzInG - AnOtHeR LiZ PhAiR WeBsItE http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Club/2471/ ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 08 Oct 2005 15:19:05 -0700 From: Kenneth Lee Subject: [support-system] Somebody's Miracle review (Spin) From Spin (October 2005): Liz Phair Somebody's Miracle Capitol Former fellatio princess gets on her knees... to pray Liz Phair may never make another smart-sexy classic like "Exile in Guyville". But two years ago, when the former indie vixen took a shot at teen pop, lots of old-time devotees, especially those of the graying male variety, were apoplectic about her new direction. Feigning offense at her jag into radio cheesecake, they were mostly stung by the idea of her drooling over a young hottie with better Xbox skills. She still wanted to be somebody's blowjob queen, but not theirs. Phair has mostly dropped the cradle-robbing MILF shtick on her new record, but it's no return to exile. The album is closer to 1998's "whitechocolatespaceegg": mature and complicated. Working with the producers behind John Mayer and Michelle Branch, she flirts with a sound that wouldn't be out of place on CMT. The honky-tonkish "Got My Own Thing" even has a Shania-style breakdown rap. But, of course, it'll never make the country airwaves, Phair's quavering voice is way too tenuous for that. And if her melodic sense has become increasingly formalist, these songs still sound like undercooked demos from an off Opry-mill. So, once again, she's made a record that slips through the cracks. Last time her dirty-30s desire was too adult for the kiddies; this time, despite the jam-band filigree she's added for distraction, her lyrics are too self-involved for mainstream sing-along. One of the catchiest bits, the chorus of "Leap of Innocence", is weighed down by its confusing multiple perspectives: "Anyone could tell you were my instrument / You said I understand you / You wanna play me". And the record-industry blast "Can't Get Out of What I'm Into" groans with details like "It's a steady job / And it's the only thing that makes me money". At least it packs some sassy sacrilege: "Oh, oh Lord / Why have you forsaken me?" Or maybe it's not meant as sacrilege at all. This record's got a whiff of a 12-step Christian spirituality about it. The title track, a candid party girl's cosmic plea to settle down, ends with the line "You know I'm praying for it". Unfortunately, no amount of praying is going to make this yuppie-folksy production quirky enough for fans who still adore her four-track mind. Jesus died for somebody's miracle, but not this one. B- - --LAURA SINAGRA - -Ken kenmlee@ix.netcom.com MeSmErIzInG - AnOtHeR LiZ PhAiR WeBsItE http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Club/2471/ ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 8 Oct 2005 16:06:06 -0700 (PDT) From: Easter Subject: [support-system] Orlando concert review If someone is able to ask Liz why she hardly ever sings songs from Whip-Smart, I will ever be so grateful! She sang a good variety of songs, but only sang two from this album! What gives?! I yelled for Jealousy just for the sake of hearing a WS song. The concert was great, but I was annoyed with the crowd. They're stupid enough to request for Fuck & Run and Flower, when we all know she'll sing them! The songs from the fourth album got the best reception, while there was a crowd right in the front that went wild during EIG songs. Before Liz came on, some guy asked me about my Liz tank top and was impressed that I traveled to Chicago six years ago to see her live and buy the shirt. What irritated me with this guy is he had NO idea that she had just released a cd this week! Liz didn't do any shameless plug to advertise the new album. She came on at 8:45 and finished at 11:15. She didn't bother with going off stage and came back for encore because she didn't see any point in it. She obviously was enjoying herself on the stage and interacted with the crowd. There was a group of ladies in the front where someone yelled something and Liz said, "Girls' night out?" In trying to interpret what they're saying, she had her arms in the air as though she's a gymnast landing from a vault. As for songs, I don't remember the order, but easily remembered them according to album. I was surprised to hear some songs, since I couldn't recall if she sang them they last time I saw her two years ago. EIG: Soap Star Joe, Mesmerizing, F&R, Flower, Divorce Song ("Can I play a song I like?"), Stratford, Glory, 6'1" WS: Supernova, Cinco de Mayo WCSE: Polyester Bride, Perfect World, Shitloads of $$, Girls' Room, Baby Got Going LP: Rock Me, HWC ("sing along!"), Extraordinary, Bionic Eyes, Why Can't I SM: Lazy Dreamer, Somebody's Miracle, Everything to Me I also yelled for Blood Keeper, but no luck. I wasn't the only one either! It was a great show and I'm glad my mom got the chance to see her. I asked her about the look on her face while she sang Flower, thinking she was shocked or something. "No, I was just wondering how my Bible study leader would react if she heard the song!" Katie (); ) ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ "Beatles and children first." George Harrison ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ __________________________________ Yahoo! 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