Liz Phair's Exile in Guyville proved that a debutante-attractive woman rocker singing about oral sex could earn the attention of the mostly male rock press corps. But Whitechocolatespaceegg confirms--much as her second alb... more »um, Whip-Smart, attempted--that Phair can be a pop tunesmith as well. Her songs snap and crackle with giddy doses of '80s new wave, Buddy Holly pop, and Stones rock; her husky voice mostly overcomes its previous, potentially off-putting wobble. And while the clangy "Johnny Feelgood" recalls Phair's earlier tough-sex scenarios, "Polyester Bride," which eavesdrops on a conversation between an advice-giving bartender and a wide-eyed female patron (maybe this season's answer to Semisonic's "Closing Time"), is more demonstrative of Whitechocolatespaceegg's thematic maturation: less titillating but no less womanly. And no less feisty. --Neal Weiss« less
Liz Phair's Exile in Guyville proved that a debutante-attractive woman rocker singing about oral sex could earn the attention of the mostly male rock press corps. But Whitechocolatespaceegg confirms--much as her second album, Whip-Smart, attempted--that Phair can be a pop tunesmith as well. Her songs snap and crackle with giddy doses of '80s new wave, Buddy Holly pop, and Stones rock; her husky voice mostly overcomes its previous, potentially off-putting wobble. And while the clangy "Johnny Feelgood" recalls Phair's earlier tough-sex scenarios, "Polyester Bride," which eavesdrops on a conversation between an advice-giving bartender and a wide-eyed female patron (maybe this season's answer to Semisonic's "Closing Time"), is more demonstrative of Whitechocolatespaceegg's thematic maturation: less titillating but no less womanly. And no less feisty. --Neal Weiss
Barbara M. (Babe) from NEW YORK, NY Reviewed on 3/25/2007...
Saw Liz Phair in person and really appreciated how original she is. Great album. Akways interesting and always has that beat.
1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.
CD Reviews
Excellent
L. Allen | Texas United States | 04/23/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I'm not much of a fan of her 2 latest pop albums, but wcse is just great pop, not saccharine, just great. You can definitely appreciate exile in guyville and this album as well."
Fork in the road
Steve Chernoski | Hoboken, New Jersey United States | 01/19/2008
(4 out of 5 stars)
"A big Liz fan, this album represents a big fork in the road for her. Different than Guyville or Whip-Smart and not the pop albums that her two most recent albums are, whitechocolatespaceegg is a transition for Phair. It foreshadows the albums to come; it is tighter and more heavily produced than the past ones, but she's not trying to be a Billboard Queen yet (though I'm sure whitechocolatespaceegg's commercial failure motivated her to go all out on the next self-titled album).
Whip-smart is a good album, but in many ways it was trying too hard to be Guyville's much sought after follow up. The most recent pop albums are going for the same thing: those elusive string of hits. This is your "in between" hard-to-categorize Liz album. It also comes after her divorce and a birth of her son and perhaps that makes this the most emotional Phair album (even considering Guyville), a more mature, but still unsure woman is speaking to us.
The title track has the "Space Oddity" sound updated for the 90s and is a great opening song.
"Big Tall Man" and "Go On Ahead" deal with her ex and the latter track is quite touching farewell to him after their divorce. You feel the pain.
"Perfect World" shows us Liz's fragile side. "I want to be cool, tall, vulnerable and luscious" done over a simple, but effective guitar and bass chords.
"Baby Got Going" is a fun, bluesy song that differs from anything that Liz has previously tried.
"Headache" would have to be my favorite track on the album. Liz's night out with a devil and angel on her shoulders. Pulsating beats laced with Liz huffing and puffing in the background; she sounds confident here playing the conflicted girl she did so well in Guyville.
There are other standout tracks like, "Johnny Feelgood," "Uncle Alvarez," and "Polyester Bride" each offering their own interesting storyline.
All of these above songs work on their own and though not every track is a winner, over half of the album is an enjoyable listen. The lesser tracks even have good enough writing to keep them memorable.
On most of whitechocolatespaceegg, Liz seems to be the most genuine with her lyrics. Having a kid and becoming a single mother I'm assuming will change your life pretty drastically. She's not trying to be anything except herself here. . . and keeping in mind her subsequent releases, it would be the last time that has happened."
Good album by Liz Phair!
Angela Scott-Cox | many places, right now Spring Lake, NC | 07/14/2009
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This was a good album from Liz Phair. I definately felt it was an improvement over her first two albums. The songs are edgy, original, and fun. If you like Liz Phair I recommend this album and if you want to try a more obscure, less main-stream album of hers give this one a try!"
Different from "Exile," but at least as good!
Jeff Wilder | San Francisco, CA USA | 10/17/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I've been a Liz fan since the tapes, and this album is the one that is consistently underrated, even by fans. The subject matter has changed some, but Liz's ability to use odd song structure, evocative lyrics, and quirky voice only got stronger with this record. Ballparking, I'd say 50 percent of my favorite Liz Phair lyrics are on "whitechocolatespaceegg," like this:
You're lucky to even know me / You're lucky to be alive / You're lucky to be drinking here for free / 'Cause I'm a sucker for your lucky, pretty eyes / Do you wanna be a polyester bride? / Do you wanna hang your head and die? / Do you wanna find alligator cowboy boots / That just went on sale? / Do you wanna flap your wings and fly / Away from here?
For the price, if you're reading this review and don't own this CD, buy it!"