Alanis Morissette won’t be Under Rug Swept this time around!

When Alanis Morissette stormed onto the scene with her acidic, caustic but brilliant Jagged Little Pill I have to admit I was first a skeptic. I missed out on her first release “You Oughta Know” when I was in a hell otherwise known as Casper, Wyoming so my first exposure to this Canadian talent was the offbeat “Hand In My Pocket.” The first time I heard this song I did not like it. I didn’t the second time either. By the third time though I was not exactly fan but intrigued enough to buy her album. I never regretted my decision. But then again, I’m not here to review that piece of work. When she released her second album I heard it in the store and I just couldn’t get into it. So once again, on her third outing Under Rug Swept I played the role of the skeptic. I am happy to say I was completely satisfied with this outing. She has let her sound mature without being over intellectualized and has given some insightful gems of music on this latest gold mine of an album.

“Narcissus” finds Morissette in a similar mood to “You Oughta Know”. Instead of coming out in a pure battle cry of rage though, she uses a wicked brand of sarcasm that finds the point and jabs it right in. I love the song. I knew a man who fits this song perfectly and so every time I hear it, I marvel at her ability to so aptly describe a spineless, momma’s boy. The lyrics are distinct and phrased so differently from other people’s work and I am duly impressed.
“Dear egotist boy
You’ve never really had to suffer any consequence
You’ve never stayed with anyone longer than ten minutes
You’d never understand anyone showing resistance”
The rhyming scheme and the rhythm she uses is odd and eccentric and she makes it work in an admirable fashion. I love how her lyrics sound like she’s going to pack in whatever she wants to say and make it fit no matter how badly it shouldn’t. The important thing is it works.

“Flinch” is a beautiful ballad. This song is haunting yet distinctively different. This song is perfect in the fact that it is more than likely a scenario that almost every one has found themselves in. In the song, she runs into an old lover and she holds onto the hope that she won’t flinch some day when she sees him. The lyrics and the melody are some reminiscent, yet really original. It takes you back to a different time even though it only came out a couple of weeks ago.

“Hands Clean” is a safe, catchy first release. A little guitar, her packed insightful lyrics and her odd vulnerability are all captured perfectly on this snapshot of a song. This song could fit a lot of different situations and I can see many women relating to this song as well. Its more hopeful and hints at potential happiness and potential heartbreak. The melody is hard to resist and it draws you in within a couple of listens.

“So Unsexy” has some fantastic lyrics and shows another side of her vulnerability and I can see younger girls relating to this well. At 26 and 81/2 months pregnant I can probably relate to it occasionally as well. Anyone who is pregnant knows that the flood of hormones and the rapid changes can make anyone feel a little insecure.

“21 Things I Want From A Lover” is a hard, driven number that strikes me as a sequel to JLP’s “All I Really Want”. You can tell she’s mellowed out some and she not nearly as sarcastic or penetrating in her demands. (although comparison to the previous song aside she’s still pretty demanding).

“That Particular Time” really took me off guard because the style is unbelievably similar to Sarah Mclachlan. Is the song fantastic? Definitely. Do I love it? Certainly. But the gentle piano and the elegant melody line is NOT typical for Morissette. The more you listen to the song the more it becomes her own but on first listen you’ll thing your CD player skipped to Mclachlan. Morissette’s more penetrating voice claims this song as it moves along.

“Utopia” is lilting and gentle with its enchanting melody and fascinating lyrics. It also has an early Mclachlan flare but its also tinged with the mystic influence of Enya. This song ends the album nicely.

A couple of songs really didn’t do much for me. “A Man” didn’t strike me lyrically or musically. “Precious Illusions” is a little redundant although certainly not a bad song. These songs aren’t terrible they just pale in comparison to the stronger tracks. Despite the weaker tracks, I won’t detract any stars because this album is definitely one of the best of this type I have heard in a long time. After enduring the yawn fest from Dido and other not so stimulating artists I have to commend an album that is overall damn brilliant. Even Tori Amos’s Strange Little Girls was disappointing on the alternative front.