"Liz Phair", is that fair??
You may have heard the stories, how supposedly Liz told people in her circle and/or critics that she had a new album full of beautiful, dark songs that she was very proud of. And that the prez. of her record co. would not release it. And that she was made to work with the Matrix, three production hacks - two guys and one Lauren Christy. Rumored to have worked on Avril Lavigne's first album, they were supposed to make the album more commercial. Lauren Christy has not hit it big, but for a sample of her better work, see the b movie Wild Things for the song "I Want What I Want." When she is good, she is good. But anyway, the album was said to be reworked, revamped, songs rewritten and/or dropped. Liz was later quoted as saying, "This was the album I always wanted to make." Yea or neigh, it is what it is. And it is pretty darn good. Flawed, yes, but very good. Some things stick out like a sore thumb, like the harmonica outro on HWC. An occasional "I,m too sexy" lyric or vibe can seem silly at times, but really, the way she looks, and sings, all is forgiven.:) I have the recording, I listen to it often. I do wish Liz great success, and it would be nice if she hit it bigger, surely women far less talented have sold more records and tickets, that is too bad. If 'she gives me a boner' a la Christina or Britney is a measure of success in all things careerwise, perhaps it is better that Liz is where she is. Don't get me wrong. I am very pro-boner. And Liz is more boner inducing than any of today's crop. But anyway, I digress. Get this cd for what it is. Could it have been better? Probably. Is there a pre-national release bootleg or whatever of the original? Who Knows? I would like to hear it. For now, what we have is her older material and this new recording. All told, it is good. For that matter, if you were told if in what you were doing, if you continued on your current course of action, you would be paid/compensated less,and be less successful by any measure, what would you do?? Fact from fiction is not clear, but the album Liz Phair is. Enjoy it for what it is. A release in time.Read full review
