Liz Phair [Enhanced]

This is nothing short of embarassing for Ms. Phair. Leave the formulaic pop hokum to the girls half your age, please. It's interesting to watch someone "sell out" their artistic integrity so shamelessly.

I have heard the criticism levelled at this CD. Yes, it is a bit more poppy than her previous 3 albums. But so what? Is she supposed to keep the same sound with every album? I have yet to find a weak song on the album. And for those of you who claim she has sold out, check out "H.W.C." and tell me how that is a sell out. I recommend this album along with the other 3. It's about time Liz gets some recognition after 10 years+. And I have been along the ride since the beginning. This is not a sell out CD.

Simply put, I love this album. I've been a fan of Liz's music for a long, long time, and this album continues the love affair. It has all I love about liz, despite what the critics may be saying. Listen to "H.W.C." (which is excellent and very, very catchy), and tell me this isn't classic Liz Phair. Listen to "It's Sweet" (perhaps my favorite track on this album and maybe one of my five favorite Liz songs ever) and look me in the eye and tell me it's not great. Has Ms. Phair's style evolved? Sure. But it's a great evolution. A necessary one. "Exile In Guyville" was great. But so was "Whip-Smart" and "Whitechocolatespaceegg." Each album evolved from the last, and to me, "Liz Phair" is simply another nice step in that evolution. This is, I think, certainly Liz's most polished album, and it obviously has a different style and feel than "Guyville," but I'm telling you, that's a good thing. It is. What would be the point in Liz recording "Guyville" clones for the rest of her career? "Liz Phair" is a beautiful record, and to me, it's not that much more pop than some of her other efforts. You can hear the difference between the songs produced by The Matrix when you compare those four tracks to the rest, but those four songs are great, and so are the rest. This is still Liz Phair, no matter what people would have you believe. This isn't Avril Lavigne. At all. This is the artist I love, that I'll always love. And I truly do love this album. It's lovely. And I highly, highly recommend it. I cannot comprehend how any Liz Phair fan could be disappointed with this. If anything, I'm even more of a fan now. Which is how I feel with each new album Liz releases. And Liz: don't wait so long to record your next album! Hearing this, it's like having an old friend back at last.