Published on Jan 6, 1998
Follow-ups can be a bitch. Especially when your debut double
album is arguably the best album of the decade. For artist, Liz
Phair, her debut album,
Exile In Guyville, stands as a landmark album of the 1990s.
Her unmistakeable voice and her frank delievery of subject matter
ranging from blowjobs to roommates from hell made her a founding
voice for the “women rock” era of this decade.
What made
Exile In Guyville so grand was its flawless exercise in
character study. The listener got to know Liz Phair that was almost
too intimate for most listeners. You heard a woman who could boast
about using a man for nothing more than a lay and at the same time,
give an account of isolation and lonliness after a boyfriend took
her for a ride and tossed her aside.
With her follow-up,
Whip-Smart, Liz Phair spends more time showing the listener
what she can do musically. From the first listen, you can tell that
Whip-Smart is a pop album at its purest. Aside from the
minimal piano opening of “Chopsticks,” most of the songs are three
minute zingers that are as sweet as a pack of Bubbleicious
Watermellon Blast Bubble Gum.
Credit Brad Wood for creating some of the magic on
Whip-Smart. The drummer/ producer of both
Guyville and
Whip-Smart enabled Liz Phair to be the focus of both albums.
Though the drums and bass certainly are a rich factor in
Whip-Smart, Liz Phair’s stoner sweet voice is the main
attraction. Her ability to use simple choruses (a la the GoGos) in
a complex song like “X-Ray Man” is a stunning testament of her
skills.
If Liz Phair has an obsession on
Whip-Smart, it is nursery rhymes. In the metaphoric-heavy
“Dogs of LA”, Phair croons, “I’ve kissed the Buddah and made him
cry/Georgie I’m your friend”. In the title track, the chorus seems
tailor made for jump rope. To some fans, this was a step back for
Liz. The personal, insightful lyrics that dominated
Guyville are now only on a couple of songs. Perhaps her
marriage and her newfound success took the edge out of the
expecting mother.
If the knife has dulled somewhat, it still is a damn good knife
that can cut. On “Jealousy”, Liz steps up the tempo a notch and
belts out one of her angriest songs over one of her catchiest
hooks. “Wonder if I can bury the hatchet inside/imagine me behind
your eyes….I’ve seen positions that we’ve never tried/I saw
jealousy”. The song’s inspiration came from the central character
finding some old photos of previous girlfriends from her boyfriend.
Message to guys:keep those photos locked up.
Other songs are just as good, musically, but are much more vague
in their subject matter. On “Go West”, Liz Phair simply states a
need for a change of scenery. In “Support System”, her main point
is, “I don’t need a support system”. All good and well, but she
doesn’t give nearly the insight as she put forth in
Guyville.
Whip-Smart is able to satisfy most Liz Phair fans. And to
its credit, it blows away most of the albums released by the
artists on the Lilith Fair tour. And, unfortunately,
Whip-Smart may make Liz Phair turn out to be the Patti Smith
of the 1990s. I’d rank
Horses up there with
Guyville and Patti Smith’s more commercial
Easter album certainly can be comparable to
Whip-Smart. And both shyed away from the music world after
they became mothers. For Liz Phair, she hasn’t made an album since
Brad Wood has pursued other musical avenues. Her upcoming album has
been delayed for almost a year and a half. Perhaps she too will
fade after her new album comes out, which was rumored to have been
sent back to her after record execs said it was unlistenable.
Credit Liz Phair, however, she knew she had to change her
formula. What made her such an attraction on her first album (her
vulgarity) would have been dreadfully repetitious on
Whip-Smart. Think I’m wrong, just try watching a “South
Park” marathon. Sure, it rocks, but after four of five consecutive
shows, it tends to lose its punch. Her pop knowledge elevated
Whip-Smart into one of the best releases in 1994.
Unfortunately, the way things are going, it may very well have been
her last stab at greatness as a career girl. Whether marriage or
motherhood will make her an even stronger artist remains to be
seen. Hopefully the answer will come sometime this year.