Liz Phair, Whip-Smart-****(of 4)

Liz Phair’s first album received so much critical acclaim, her second

effort has a challenge to be as good. Despite some early

nay-sayers,Whip-Smart should satisfy fans of her debut.

The first track, “Chopsticks,” offers Phair’s trademark nursery rhyme

approach to sexual situations. With just a piano for accompaniment, Phair

uses the “f” word in such a breezy, offhand way that many people wouldn’t

notice it. To boot, she uses it in classic lines like “He said he liked

to do it backwards/ I said ‘That’s just fine with me/ That way we can f***

and watch TV.”

The second track, “Supernova,” charges in with the old rock song thing.

The album sticks to the sparsity in production which made her Exile in

Guyville album so inviting.

Critics always discuss Phair’s lyrics, but few seem to appreciate her

sense of vocal melody. Its a subtle style, understated. But when it plays

off the simple guitar rock of the music, it’s just plain charming. It’s

this charm which makes her often sardonic lyrics even more cutting and

effective. It’s good stuff.

Sinéad O’Conner, Universal Mother– ****

After insulting both the U.S. National Anthem and the pope, Sinéad

O’Conner announced she was leaving the world of pop music. While some have

not lamented her absence, her new CD shows she still has much to offer

musically.

Stylistically, the album is quiet. Her voice is as strong as ever, but

she uses it conservatively. Her reserve is effective.

Two possible dance club hits stand out. “Fire On Babylon” could

foreseeably be remixed with a bigger beat, a la “Stretched On Your Grave.”

“Famine,” on the other hand, is ready made for the clubs. It also carries a

powerful message about the state of Ireland, so clubbers can get

educated as they boogie.

The album is dedicated as a “prayer from Ireland.” The running theme, as

its title suggests, is motherhood. “Fire On Babylon” seems to take a stab

at “Mother” England. “John I Love You” and “My Darling Child” are homages

from a mother to her child.

As well as addressing several images of motherhood, one song might be

intended to atone for the “mistakes” of Sinéad’s youth. Her very quiet

cover of Nirvana’s “All Apologies” becomes her own song in the same way as

Prince’s “Nothing Compares to U” did. Who would have expected the first

homage to Kurt Cobain’s songwriting to come from Sinéad O’Conner?

Idha, Melody Inn– ***

This debut album sounds straight out of Nashville, in the best possible

way, yet it was recorded in London and Los Angeles. On top of that, 21

year-old singer/songwriter Idha Ovelius hails from Stockholm, Sweden. The

instruments, steel guitars and all, ring of vintage John Prine, though

Idha’s voice is far from that comparison.

A singer’s voice is invariably the most important quality within the

chanteuse genre. Idha’s style is very straightforward: no orgasming Tori

Amos frills, no breathy Sinéad poignancy, no quirky Björk squeals. But

Idha’s vocal simplicity works, especially on her cover of Janis Ian’s

“From Me To You.”

Her own compositions don’t offer the chance for her to shine,

unfortunately, and she comes across as limited. One exception, “Get

Undressed,” offers a lazy melody which complements her droll treatment of

the lyrics, as she suggests to a lover, “One more time before you go

away/ Get undressed in an exciting way.”