Alanis Morissette - Flavors Of Entanglement
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Free Music Notes for Flavors Of Entanglement
Free Music Review: Evergreen
Hit: 5 Stars
Great Cd!!!! The bonus tracks (except for" On The Tequila ") realy worth the extra $$.Free Music Review: Deluxe Edition Makes Things More Flavorful
Hit: 4 Stars
I was slightly annoyed and rather dumfounded when first buying the "standard"(I guess that's what one would call it)edition of Flavors of Entanglement and then purchasing the deluxe edition featuring five additional tracks. When I reviewed Flavors of Entanglement only a day after it's release, I wanted to give it more than 3 stars and ended up suggesting 3 1/2 due to liking much of the CD, but there was definitely something missing the whole time, something incomplete and now I can see it was the absence of these songs. First, the original containing eleven tracks mounts to only 46 minutes and feels very short. Surely all sixteen tracks could fit on one CD, so I have to question the marketing stragedy, especially since the five additional tracks were originally chosen as part of the collection. A few months back, the track listing was changed as they were preparing for the release and the five additonal songs were taken off, and adding instead songs like "In Praise of the Vulnerable Man," "Giggling Again For No Reason," and "Incomplete," which along with "Torch," are the two weakest tracks(not lyrically)and should have been left for something like a bonus addition. The five tracks on this deluxe edition are all terrific songs and help complete the latest journey of self-discovery Alanis has written about. First, "Orchid," should have been the opening song. Like "Citizen of the Planet," "Orchid," is very self-descriptive and has Alanis writing a snapshot of her whole journey from childhood to the present, but the wording in "Orchid" is much more poetic and not as obscure as in "Citizen of the Planet." The perfect, mellow pop feel of "Orchid" would have served as a perfect way for Morissette to reintorduce herself. I do like "Citizen of the Planet," and think it will sound great live, but I think it would have been best suited as one of those hidden treasures on a bonus edition. "The Guy Who Leaves" would have worked great as a contrast to "In Praise of the Vulnerable Man," and "Madness" is one of the deepest and most powerful songs Alanis has ever done, so much so that I ask what idiot at the record company felt it was more appropriate for a bonus edition. "Limbo No More," is another great track with Alanis' emotional take as she views herself and her present circumstances, while "On The Tequlia" is the needed party track missing from the original edition. If you catch my drift, then I'm sure you know by now that buying the deluxe edition is well worth the money and will satisfy any Alanis fan.
As for what I had written in my original review, most of what I thought holds true. Morissette is autobiographical and shows her most introspective work in a long time. Her words are deeply poetic with a beautiful sense of language, very concise on her word choices with lots of powerful metaphors. Her heart and intelligence as a lyricist and songwriter are stronger than ever. Sonically, Guy Sigsworth produces a new sound for Alanis. I never thought his efforts were terrible because I did like the sound in most of the songs, but while they're good, they could be even better. Sigsworth could have pushed the envelope a little further with a little less of the swirling synthesizers at times and a little more guitar jams or even a more danceable beat. "Giggling Again For No Reason," is a good example because it's a great tune but could have been just a little more upbeat with an extended length within the groove to create a greater feeling of freedom and bliss that's conveyed in the song. But I wouldn't dare argue with great songs like "Underneath," in which Alanis gives us her metaphysical worldview by explaning the way we live personally plays a role in how things work globally, while "Versions of Violence," "Moratorium," and "Tapes," have also become personal favorites. In Conclusion, I'm happy to say that Flavors of Entanglement is much better than 2004's dissapointing So-Called Chaos, and even happier with having listened to the additonal tracks that this release gets the higher rating it deserves. Welcome Back Alanis.
Free Music Review: Solid, but unremarkable.
Hit: 4 Stars
Alanis fans like myself who cruelly grew excited about her latest break-up (from former fiance Ryan Reynolds, an actor currently engaged to actress Scarlett Johansson) in hopes that it would inspire another wave of angry songs that hearkened back to her golden Jagged Little Pill years can't help but emerge slightly disappointed after a first listen to this latest CD. Here we find Alanis not really angry -- just very, very sad. This is her first album to incorporate honest-to-goodness, straight-up ballads, and you can hear the emotion in every word she sings. None of these songs make it clear what caused the break-up, or who is really to blame, if anyone. (Though "Straitjacket" and "Versions of Violence" come closest, and are definitely the angriest of the lot.) However, considering the fact that Reynolds got engaged to a new chick less than two years after their relationship ended, it's not hard to understand where that throb of pain in her voice is coming from.
The pain is most evident in the songs "Not As We" and "Torch". I would give the latter four stars out of five; it's one of my favorite tracks on the album. However "Not As We" doesn't really suit Alanis' voice, and she seems to strain herself on a few of the notes. Another four-star number is the unexpected "Giggling Again For No Reason", a song that probably ISN'T about Reynolds, since the lyrics suggest that she's met a new man, or at least come to terms with her new life as a single person. My other favorite song on the album is "Madness". I wrote it off as pretty filler until I realized almost five minutes into it that it was still going on. It's so nice when an artist is comfortable enough to let the music of a song carry on for awhile on the CD. It makes the CD more like a concert experience, and allows the listener to really revel in the music and not feel as though you're being rushed through the album at a breakneck pace.
Standout tracks that are good candidates to become favorites later on include "Orchid" (one of the bonus tracks), "Incomplete" and "On The Tequila", another bonus track that recalls "Unsent" from Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie in its narrative-set-to-music style. It's a quirky song that seems to be written about a high school reunion. Most of the other songs are three stars at best, but they may grow on me as I listen to the album over and over again over time. They are by no means bad; they simply failed to distinguish themselves at first listen. Production-wise, this is hands-down Alanis' best album yet. Gone is the bare-bones, stipped-away sound of her previous albums. Here, there are synthesizers and electronic backing of all kinds in play, and it definitely makes for a very different sort of Alanis experience. It also makes for the first album she's made that can truly be called a Pop album, and nothing else. I don't mean that as an insult, but it's certainly a surprise.
I actually regret downloading the CD instead of buying the hard copy. I never realized what an essential part of listening to an Alanis CD reading along with the lyrics was for me until I couldn't do it. But it hasn't dampened my enthusiasm for the music, by any means. I just wish the music were as dynamic and energizing and -- yes, okay -- *angry* as her earlier work. What a shame that people have to grow up and learn how to maturely deal with their emotions. This could have been the angriest album in the history of Alanis Morissette in the history of music in the history of the world.
Free Music Review: Great Album but...
Hit: 4 Stars
This album has a fresh sound (nothing like "Jagged Little Pill") which is easy on the ears. This album definitely goes along with her emotional state after breaking up with (or being broke up by) her long time beau in what was described as a harsh manner. Somewhat dark yet very melodic, not dance, not for dancing to (mostly), the album takes the user on a journey from middle eastern like melodies to (really good) bar stage tunes. I'd recommend it to my friends aside from the "but."
The one star hit is for not being able to play the CD on my computers DVD/RW drive or CD-ROM drive. Media player plays a 1-2 second intro then nothing followed by a red "X" next to each track as the tracks die one by one. As the CD plays fine in my portable (not tried car yet), I am assuming that either the format of the disk or perhaps an old "Sony-style" trick of interfering with normal windows operations is at play. I haven't tested the CD on my PS3 or XBox 360 to see if I can import the CD, but judging by my PC's reaction, I can't have confidence it will work.
Such "Copyright" protection assumes that I am going to boot leg the CD and ship it onto a old school napster-like file sharing service and qualify as a pirate. As I should be "innocent until proven guilty" such barriers should not exists. As I don't rip songs for sharing with 1 million people I don't know or rip songs to freely share with my friends such accusative acts do not endear me towards the record company. All I want to do is use the cd on my media center computer to listen to my CD anywhere in my house.
Buy the CD if you want to use it in your car or personal CD player, skip the CD and buy the MP3 version if you want to actually use the music in the digital age.
Free Music Review: Fine Album with Great New Songs
Hit: 4 Stars
Alanis' new album shows that she's still capeable of writing great songs that you will return to many times. In fact, at least half of the album ranks with the very best she has recorded throughout her career. The strongest songs are those with sparse, almost fragile arrangements like the melancholy but beautiful "Not as We" and "Torch".
The first single "Underneath" is classic catchy Alanis, and another favourite.
"In Praise of the Vulnerable Man" has an unusual arrangement for Alanis with oriental inspired strings but the songs works really well.
Some songs though have been given too much techno sound and come out somewhat overproduced.
The closing track "Incomplete" is a catchy waltzy tune, and fine end to an album that has its ups and downs - mostly ups.
The bonus CD contains 5 songs and it's wonder to me why a fine song like "Orchid" was left out of the original album. A quiet acoustic melodic song. Also the piano accompanied "Madness" is a solid addition.