From: owner-support-system-digest@smoe.org (support-system-digest) To: support-system-digest@smoe.org Subject: support-system-digest V8 #164 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 Wednesday, November 16 2005 Volume 08 : Number 164 Today's Subjects: ----------------- [support-system] Somebody's Miracle review (The StarPhoenix) [Kenneth Lee] [support-system] Somebody's Miracle review (EOM Entertainment) [Kenneth L] [support-system] Somebody's Miracle review (Boulder Dirt) [Kenneth Lee ] [support-system] Re:Lip Synching [Mariam Hamou ] [support-system] Somebody's Miracle review (In Newsweekly) [Kenneth Lee <] [support-system] Somebody's Miracle review (FilmZeus) [Kenneth Lee Subject: [support-system] Somebody's Miracle review (The StarPhoenix) From The StarPhoenix: (http://www.canada.com/saskatoon/starphoenix/news/lifestyle/story.html?id=63c0d7b1-bd7f-4ca5-80b0-57ed7e5ef822) Phair combines brutal honesty with catchy melodies By Carl Fuller of the StarPhoenix Liz Phair "Somebody's Miracle" Capitol Is there room in pop-rock for someone who can't write songs about nothing, who sings every worth with measured precision, who joins often brutally truthful words with humor and insanely catchy melodies? Of course there isn't. But Liz Phair is doing fine in whatever category she might fit. The shades here run from acerbic to romantic. You laugh out loud at "Why I Lie", a stubbornly unrepentant tune with a Rolling Stone vibe in which Phair traces her cruelty to a "special combination of predatory instinct and simple ill will." There's more regret in "Table For One" which deals with the guilt of alcoholism. "It's morning and I pour myself coffee. I drink it 'til the kitchen stops shaking." For sweetener, try the dreamily sad title track, Ms. Phair at her most wistful, looking at happy couples on the street and wondering if she'll ever experience the same miracle. You want to give her a hug and tell her it'll be OK. For bluesy Bonnie Raitt grooves, there's "Got My Own Thing". And for the retirement fund, there's the first single "Everything To Me", sure to be a on a slew of teen romance film soundtracks in the weeks and months to come. - -Ken kenmlee@ix.netcom.com MeSmErIzInG - AnOtHeR LiZ PhAiR WeBsItE http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Club/2471/ ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Nov 2005 22:24:00 -0800 From: Kenneth Lee Subject: [support-system] Somebody's Miracle review (EOM Entertainment) From EOM Entertainment: (http://www.eomentertainment.com/reviews/Liz_Phair/Somebody_s_Miracle.shtml) Artist: Liz Phair Album: "Somebody's Miracle" In 1993, with the release of "Exile In Guyville", Liz Phair became the indie rock It girl. Ten years down the line, after two more critically liked but commercially malnourished albums, Phair switched gears and released Liz Phair -- a shameless bid for pop stardom. On that record, she wanted to be Avril Lavigne -- right down to the mock rock contributions of hit production team, the Matrix. "Somebody's Miracle" continues Phair's mainstream makeover, but with a few tweaks in the formula. This time, rather than chasing the kiddie pop rainbow (which, not surprisingly, alienated much of her audience), she's walking a tightrope between Adult Pop rocker and watered down Alt-rock. Believe it or not, this is a big improvement over "Liz Phair": songs like "Leap Of Innocence", "Somebody's Miracle" and "Lost Tonight" are as good as anything Sheryl Crow has done lately. Elsewhere, "Everything To Me" wouldn't sound out of place on a Lisa Loeb record, which is a compliment. Then there's the more alt-rock material "Stars and Planets", "Got My Own Thing", "Count On My Love", "Lazy Dreamer" and "Why I Live", which all sound like Liz's attempt to win back her old fans. Whatever, all of these rock with craft and conviction. Hey, at least she's trying to make amends; the least we can do is meet her halfway and give "Somebody's Miracle" a chance. There's no crime in wanting to sell more records; it all in how one goes about it. 4.0 STARS Reviewed By Gina - -Ken kenmlee@ix.netcom.com MeSmErIzInG - AnOtHeR LiZ PhAiR WeBsItE http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Club/2471/ ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Nov 2005 22:41:29 -0800 From: Kenneth Lee Subject: [support-system] Somebody's Miracle review (Boulder Dirt) From Boulder Dirt: (http://boulderdirt.com/columns/article.cfm/4878) Liz Phair, "Somebody's Miracle" (Capitol) By Tim Grierson One of the great inconsistent careers continues. Her Capitol years have been critically beleaguered, although many fools failed to acknowledge how deeply felt the songs have been, how complicated the emotions were, how representative they are of a thirtysomething divorcie trying to convince herself she's still hot while trying to raise a child. This one isn't as sharp as the first "sell-out" record; it's sheen is so high it neuters her less-insightful moments, of which there are a few too many. But she is still tons better than Sheryl Crow will ever be. - -Ken kenmlee@ix.netcom.com MeSmErIzInG - AnOtHeR LiZ PhAiR WeBsItE http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Club/2471/ ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 15 Nov 2005 03:34:47 -0500 From: "Jim" Subject: Re: [support-system] Liz on Charmed I think she looked great! Just wish the clip was a little longer. Jim - ----- Original Message ----- From: "Easter" To: Sent: Monday, November 14, 2005 5:46 PM Subject: [support-system] Liz on Charmed > Liz was on the WB show, Charmed last night. > > It was a surprise for me, considering I was about to > fall asleep at the moment. She looked really out of > place IMO. I'd much rather her a Liz song during the > show instead of seeing Liz perform a song. > > Katie (); ) > > ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ > "Beatles and children first." > George Harrison > ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ > > > > __________________________________ > Yahoo! FareChase: Search multiple travel sites in one click. > http://farechase.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 15 Nov 2005 07:10:56 -0500 From: Mariam Hamou Subject: [support-system] Re:Lip Synching I'm talking about A&E...it was a little off. I watched it again last night, and there was definate lip synching action. What did she do on Charmed? Is that show still running??? - -- Mariam Hamou Sometimes a Dream Makes you a Slave Liz Phair ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 15 Nov 2005 14:51:59 -0800 From: Kenneth Lee Subject: [support-system] Somebody's Miracle review (In Newsweekly) From In Newsweekly: (http://www.innewsweekly.com/innews/?class_code=Mr&article_code=732) Liz Phair "Somebody's Miracle", Capitol by Christopher John Treacy I don't want to hear any more bitching about "Somebody's Miracle". Rage is easy to muster - contentedness and calm are actually much more tricky. Liz Phair has already showed us she can articulate her anger and pepper her feminine perspective with blasi boredom - she's just chosen to pursue making ear candy for the time being. And with the help of a pedigreed pop production team, she's really not too bad at it either. Why is it that we feel the need to put her down because she's not channeling misery right now? I'm not sure what that's all about. After all, while Phair's newer material may at times sound suspiciously like something Kelly Clarkson might cough up, Clarkson won't be putting down anything like "Fuck and Run" or "Hot White Cum" anytime soon; the parallel that so many writers have tried to draw doesn't really exist. "Somebody's Miracle" is no musical mover and shaker, but it also doesn't require several Anacin to get through. Instead it's just a buoyant bubble-gummy jaunt brimming with classic rock references. Phair makes the best of what little voice she's got on infectious ditties like the title track and "Leap Of Innocence". The producers have actually left some vocal blemishes intact, a surprising glimmer of musical honesty in what many consider to be the biggest pop-chart sham in recent memory. Some of the songwriting is trite for sure, but if you're willing to look beyond those blunders, "Somebody's Miracle" is really the sound of Liz Phair growing a little older. Sometimes people grow weary of feeling weary; maybe Liz Phair knows something we don't and she's trying to tell us about it. So, while everyone pisses and moans about how Phair has sold out, isn't living up to her potential, is having a colossal Prozac moment, etc, I feel really lucky that I can enjoy this disc for the fun ride that it is. Sorry gang, but this one is everybody else's loss. - -Ken kenmlee@ix.netcom.com MeSmErIzInG - AnOtHeR LiZ PhAiR WeBsItE http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Club/2471/ ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 15 Nov 2005 15:14:38 -0800 From: Kenneth Lee Subject: [support-system] Somebody's Miracle review (FilmZeus) From FilmZeus: (http://filmzeus.pressbin.com/archives/000778.php) "Somebody's Miracle" -- Liz Phair Capitol 2005 Rating: 1-1/2 stars (out of 4) It's impossible to tell who the "somebody" in Liz Phair's "Somebody's Miracle" refers to. It certainly isn't the Liz Phair fan who lost faith after her 2003 self-titled LP. Liz Phair wasn't quite as bad as the critics said -- anyone who advocates facial-facials hasn't completely sold out -- but even Phair's worst critics will agree that the 2003 album is daring by comparison to this. So this isn't Phair's miracle either. The new album shows Phair completely selling her soul to the Capitol company store. If she could even manage a level of pop-rock equal to the surprising splendidness of Kelly Clarkson's "Since You've Been Gone", all would be forgiven. Phair has crafted something much worse than the kind of music that plays on TRL -- produced by the likes of John Alagia and John Shanks, who gave Dave Matthews Band, John Mayer and Celine Dion their distinct flavor of bland, "Somebody's Miracle" is the kind of music that plays in doctor's offices. "Get My Own Thing", about loving the one you're with, and "Why I Lie", another "Exile on Main St." dig that's an intentionally half-hearted apology, prevent the album from being a complete waste. If Phair could somehow find her way back to Guyville, that would be everybody's miracle. - -Ken kenmlee@ix.netcom.com MeSmErIzInG - AnOtHeR LiZ PhAiR WeBsItE http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Club/2471/ ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 15 Nov 2005 15:45:23 -0800 From: Kenneth Lee Subject: [support-system] Somebody's Miracle review (Here Magazine) From Here Magazine: (http://www.herenb.com/saintjohn/issues/0643/musicreviews.html) Liz Phair - "Somebody's Miracle" (EMI Music Canada) After having suffered a critical backlash and relative commercial failure on 2003's self-titled effort, Phair faced a backlash from fans and critics when she teamed up with songwriters The Matrix (responsible for Avril Lavigne's Complicated among other songs) for select songs on that record. Longtime supporters screamed that she had sold out and was not staying true to her roots. To me, that's a matter of opinion and is sure to continue to divide loyal fans as this new record that seems to stay on the path of her previous album. Frankly, the first couple of songs on "Somebody's Miracle" are terrible. They seem to suffer from poor, repetitive lyrics and awkward song structure. (Sample lyrics from opener "Leap Of Innocence": "I saw John. He looked so sad. I want you to know that I feel bad."). I'm not a lyrical genius myself, however Phair seems as though she should be capable of so much better. Luckily for the listener, the album picks up with track three, "Stars and Planets" and continues its positive trajectory from there. Phair's guitarbased rock (or perhaps some would now consider pop) shines on tracks like "Lazy Dreamer", ballad "Closer To You", "Why I Lie" and "Everything To Me". Aside from those first two tracks, "Somebody's Miracle" is a terrific followup that might finally get Phair the commercial success she deserves. Fans of her early work might not jump all over this record, however it seems as though she is ready to move past being a critical darling for something greater. - - Ken Kelley - -Ken kenmlee@ix.netcom.com MeSmErIzInG - AnOtHeR LiZ PhAiR WeBsItE http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Club/2471/ ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 15 Nov 2005 15:51:36 -0800 From: Kenneth Lee Subject: [support-system] Somebody's Miracle review (Atomicduster) From Atomicduster: (http://www.atomicduster.com/albumreviews/albums11_05/index.php) Liz Phair - "Somebody's Miracle" (Capitol) Nick James: My "relationship" with this artist has been a long and enriching one, kicking off with her fantastic reworking of "Chopsticks", a song whose lyrics were certainly on the cusp (do hunt out this song of you're unfamiliar). Later albums may have become a little less bitter but Liz has always remained a consistent artist - her storytelling a rare talent, and one in which you feel connected with the eponymous protagonist. This again might appear less bitter and a little - only a little mind - venturing into Sheryl Crow territory. It's missing the Parental Advisory label that her last few albums have sported, but that said, is an enjoyable listen and would most certainly urge reader to hunt out any of this artist's quite vast catalogue - see link below. This girl's a winner in any shade. Tone E: Her latest stuff's not a million miles away from local Leicester songstress Emma Chamberlain, although I actually prefer the latter's work than Ms. Phair's present output. I think what I'm saying is that I prefer Liz's playful teenager as a bedfellow than her mature, serious side. Not that I'm advocating sleeping with teenage girls, you understand! Plus the badly strummed acoustic guitar over track 4 was quite horrendous... Nick James: That'll be me then (puts down acoustic guitar). 7/10 - -Ken kenmlee@ix.netcom.com MeSmErIzInG - AnOtHeR LiZ PhAiR WeBsItE http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Club/2471/ ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 15 Nov 2005 19:41:16 -0500 From: biskinikill@aol.com Subject: [support-system] liz on charmed damnit, i wanted to see liz on charmed. why didn't her capitol mailing list or whatever send out an e-mail reminder? argh. does anybody know if it was captured and put on the web somewhere? i'd be very interested in seeing it. sounds amusing, at the least. allison ------------------------------ End of support-system-digest V8 #164 ************************************