When Liz Phair Came Back

Attention Liz Phair fans: this collection of songs is a more radio-friendly version of her than past ventures. Consider the album before it, the adult contemporary-tinged Whitechoclatespaceegg, a lyrical wonderland that highlighted her perky approach to the plights of a daydreaming yet sensible woman. It seemed to make a weirdly unidentified gap between her debut and her latest. While his album still has her signature provocative lyrics, like in the first track, a power pop self- proclaiming song called "Extraordinary" in which she sings "see me licking my lips/ need a primitive fix," it's a bit Avril Lavigne-sounding.

This album came out mid-July 2003, with the single "Why Can't I" being plastered on VH-1 and featured on the soundtrack to Mandy Moore's teen comedy-drama "How to Deal," that hit theaters at the same time. I'll admit the song is far more simple, especially the chorus, than you might expect from her, yet its catchiness isn't annoying and her curse word of choice still isn't one you can allow on the mainstream radio.

She doesn't play much guitar on this album, which is unlike her, but nonetheless doesn't go against her on this one. Phair's 1993 debut album Exile in Guyville introduced her as an indie princess, scoring praise for simple but asphyxiating songs such as "F--- and Run." She then failed to dazzle critics and most fans alike with the bland Whipsmart, though it did have some firecracker moments, such as with the song "Supernova," which is probably the best remembered song from it.