Liz Phair - Somebodys Miracle (14 tracks) +Album Reviews

Phair's Most Well-Rounded Outing Yet

Rudy Palma | NJ | 10/04/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"With her new album ,"Somebody's Miracle," singer/songwriter Liz Phair has assembled her most well-rounded release yet. One of the most celebrated indie sweethearts of the 90's, her 2003 self-titled mainstream makeover paralyzed a great faction of her fanbase, who could not accept Phair's broadening her horizons. However, what made her so endearing and unique in the 90's and later brought her into Top 40 territory meld together exceptionally well this time around.

Lead single "Everything to Me," was a wise choice to lead the collection, and although it has not made the splash that "Why Can't I?" did two years ago, it has proven she can craft radio friendly fare perfectly without the aid of hitmaking machine the Matrix, thank you very much. Still, it is the least interesting track on the collection. "Leap Of Innocence" and "Closer to You," for instance, will delight longtime fans, as they are sonically reminiscent of 1998's underrated "Whitechocolatespaceegg." Most importantly, her lyrical bite and delightful sense of humor are as potent as ever, but with sharper wisdom and insight than she had to offer in the 90's, which the former track displays.

"Everything about us had an innocence/But everything around us was changing/And my mistake was being already married/I want to make a leap of innocence to you."

The pop songs are still present, however, but they don't plead for radio play as much as they did on the self-titled record. "Stars and Planets" is the finest such example, with Phair proclaiming "we all shine, shine shine," much to the chagrin of listeners who abhor pop music clichés. However, the lyrics delve much deeper than that, revealing a triumphant ode to individuality in a world of monotony and mass consumerism. Also, "Count On My Love" and "Lost Tonight" are as romantic as they are undeniably infectious.

The philosophic title track finds Phair in a new state of mind. Almost an act of atonement, it is indeed eye-popping that the angsty siren behind "Exile In Guyville" could even muster the words "every frog has a prince just waiting inside of him." She does, however, make a return to her roots in following that with "Got My Own Thing," a budding fan favorite where she cheekily chants "Oh boy, I'd love to help/Give you enough rope to hang yourself/And watch the silly things you do."

Furthermore, "Lazy Dreamer" is a deliciously-produced protest of a young man who slacks off so much that he ultimately becomes a societal outcast, while "Table For One" is a melodious condemnation of those who enabled a now-recovered alcoholic. Also, "Wind and the Mountain" is an ingenious track where Phair makes splendid use of metaphor and ultimately conquers her ordeal by asking for God's intervention, and "Everything (Between Us)," a tale of unconditional love, has the sharpest hook on the album.

"Let your body move real slow/Tell your body we left yesterday/Let your body hold me close/Let your body move you/We have everything we need here/We have everything between us."

Ultimately, "Somebody's Miracle" serves as a perfect mirror for Phair's astounding talent, and it deserves much more spotlight than it has received.

"

Rather middle of the road.

Michael Stack | North Chelmsford, MA USA | 10/04/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I seem to be in the minority of people who enjoyed both Liz Phair's early work and her more recent self-titled effort. Yeah, "Liz Phair" was a pop album, but it was an awfully good one, and I'm the type who grows bored with an artist who stands still. And certainly that album made sense in the context of "whitechocolatespaceegg". Its followup, "Somebody's Miracle", continues not the pop sheen of the self-titled album, but rather takes its starting point from the adult alternative sounds of "whitechocolatespaceegg" and "Liz Phair". The result is pretty mixed-- it's not a bad album by any stretch, it just doesn't go anywhere, and there's really not a whole lot on here that grabs your attention.

The best material on the album manages to fuse the lo-fi indie rock songs of her youth with clever arrangements, feeling both detailed and stripped down-- moving from the chugging, lo-fi "Wind and the Mountain" to bouncy pop (a la "Polyester Bride") of "Somebody's Miracle" and "Got My Own Thing" and moody ruminations on "Table For One". But for everything that's worth hearing there's a bunch of middling pop songs that sound like a thin Aimee Mann impression ("Lazy Dreamer") and occasionally it can't get out of the way of its own cliches ("Stars and Planets").

Again, it's not a bad album, but it's certainly not great either, and it's unlikely to please anyone-- old fans will deplore that it continues the sellout, new fans will wonder where the gloss went. Speaking personally, much as I'd hoped for better, it's about what I expected, some of it's worth hearing, but I've never found Phair to excel at following up any of her great efforts."

Buyer Beware!

Polly Scott | New York, NY | 10/20/2005

(1 out of 5 stars)

"Do to the unexpectedly poor sales of this album, Capitol is rereleasing it on December 20th, with four extra track, and a new lower price. So you might want to wait to pick up a copy."

Liz Phair's New Voice and the Problem of Growing Old

Robert H. Nunnally Jr. | Allen, TX United States | 03/12/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Throughout her career, Liz Phair has always contended with a typical problem of an artist whose arose to prominence through the indie movement: namely, the constant questioning of her "street credibility". Even in the days of her seminal release "Exile in Guyville", a pocket of "more indie than thou" fans questioned her bona fides (on grounds as irrelevant as whether she came from the Chicago streets or its suburbs).

When she left Matador for a larger label, the dreaded "sellout" term again reared its head in some quarters, though her sound barely altered for the resulting first few albums.

The firestorm truly erupted, though, with her prior album, "Liz Phair", in which she adopted a sound mid-way between her straight-ahead lyrics-driven rock narratives and the pop chops of the Matrix songwriting team. Anguished reviews questioned the bona fides, because she committed the mortal sin of trying to sell a CD or two to people younger than 21.

The problem, in my view, is not that Liz Phair's pop persona in her prior album had "sold out". So many retro-sixties notions about music-industry releases now seem irrelevant in the intetnet era. The problem with "Liz Phair" instead was that she did not seem easy in the particular pop persona she had chosen.

"Somebody's Miracle", by contrast, presetns us with a new adult-oriented pop form for Ms. Phair's music, in which she presents a voice which truly resonates. While her first albums and juvenalia suggested that her "schooling" had been in the Rolling Stones and a world of garage-band poet-punks, "Somebody's Miracle" instead shows influences such as the 1970s southern Calfornia pop sound, the melodies of Neil Young (and, for that matter, Green on Red), and even hints of Nashville pop songwriting. The result is unexpected, unlike her prior work, and yet entirely satisfying.

I am in the camp of people who love Liz's work, from Exile through whitechocolatespaceegg. Her work then defined a time and a place, all through the vision of one person, rather than through manifesto or pronouncement. Liz Phair presented herself with a simple yet literate wordy charm, over straight-ahead rock

accompaniment.

It may be hard for the local throwaway alternative paper reviewer to imagine the artist who created "Flower" and "Stratford-on-Guy" now sings songs about

the longing for connection and the elusive search for love, but it's not hard for the rest of us, who grow a little older, a tad wwiser, and bit more wistful and a bit less than the eternal 25.

When Ms. Phair sings in "Leap of Innocence" to an old lover that:

"When you're living the high life

I guess that some things just can't last

Like love in California

but I never had such a blast"

it seems a great deal more relevant than if she merely did latter-day covers of "Go West Young Man".

The album is nothing more nor less than masterful pop by a late thirtysomething. Ironically, if this were a debut rather than Liz Phair album, I suspect it would win rave reviews from all quarters. Yet songs like the title song reflect a new Liz Phair--still a lyrics-driven lover of rock tradition, but this time in a solid pop outing.

This album is, simply, a must-have. I do not know if popular fashions will keep Liz Phair on large reocrd labels (and, through my own predilections, I'd love to see her freed from such record-label pressures). But this album is not a dreaded sell-out. It's a really intriguing approach. I highly reocmmend Somebody's Miracle.

"

LIz Phair: Somebody's Miracle

Humberto Rodriguez Jr. | 10/21/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Okay, so, I'm sure we all heard about the "horrible" album Phair had two years ago. I actually thought it was pretty good for a pop album. "Why Can't I?" was an amazing single. "Extraordinary", "It's Sweet", "Rock Me", "Love/Hate", and "Good Love Never Dies", were the best songs on the album. It was not bad.

I am also a fan of Phair's "old" music as well. Yes, she has changed, however, I think she's done a great job at varying her music.

"Somebody's Miracle" is a great follow up. It has many great hooky songs, and just regular songs that sound great. "Everything to Me" was not the best choice as the first single, however it is a great song. "Count On My Love" is the best song on the album. It has a soaring chorus and the song is over all catchy and pure pop at its best. The title track is another guilty pleasure, and so is "Got My Own Thing". This is more than a decent follow up to a good album.

The only thing that weighs down the is its length. She could have cut out some of the more boring songs and had a great album.

Phair's vocals have grown & so has her musical pallet."

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	Liz Phair Somebody's Miracle Genres: Alternative Rock, Folk, Pop, Rock Track Listings (14) - Disc #1 Leap Of Innocence Wind And The Mountain Stars And Planets Somebody's Miracle Got My Own Thing Count On My Love Lazy Dreamer Everything To Me Closer To You Table For One Why I Lie Lost Tonight Everything (Between Us) Giving It All To You flexfield5
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