Flavors of Entanglement

One of Alanis Morissette's best albums in the last decade

It has been thirteen years since American-Canadian artist Alanis Morissette released her international breakthrough record Jagged Little Pill, and since then she has moved in a bit different direction trying to find her special sounding. Most of her albums proved a success but the audience still wants to be impressed the way it happened in 1995, and probably this year it gets what it wants with a marvelous new record Flavors Of Entanglement. Alanis has been touring less than before in past four years mostly writing her journals and thinking on the new album. Her recent breakup with actor Ryan Reynolds has served a good source of emotions that has made Morissette write twenty-five new songs of which thirteen have been chosen for the album and eight more will be probably released as B-sides. Collaborating with producer Guy Sigsworth the singer has recorded a collection of heartfelt songs and finally realized her idea to join together classic folk sounding with the modern technologies. Flavors Of Entanglement is definitely one of the best albums Alanis Morissette has released in the last decade and easily one of the year's best sellers.

Flavors of Entanglement is built on contrasts

Oriental percussion and orchestra background on most of Flavors Of Entanglement contrast with impressive rock guitars and drums, while the production features mainly rhythmic dance beats and unusual audio effects. The record opens impressively with Citizen Of The Planet, an autobiographic song in a certain sense telling the singer's personal story with some of the philosophic analysis into it and amazing with the contrast between a slow reflective verse and emotional rock chorus. A more up-tempo composition Underneath draws the listeners' attention to the world situation again having the accent on chorus, and rather a heavy track Straitjacket is hard on lyrics, Alanis does not limit herself in the choice of words too much here. Yet the things get even tougher on Versions Of Violence: she sings lower than usual on verses, and almost screams on chorus against the background of a many layered electronic arrangement. One of the first songs to be known to the audience was Not As We, a breathtaking and sad piano ballad about living alone after a breakup whereas Moratorium, a song devoted to rethinking of the past mistakes, surprises with an unexpected drum’n’bass beat which suits perfectly to Alanis’ vulnerable voice. Piano dominates once again on Torch and again the song is full of reminiscences of the past but it is not as desperate as the first ballad due to a more complicated instrumentation and lighter lyrics. Freedom spirit on Giggling Again For No Reason is another side of a breakup which Alanis manages to see, and the closer is another a ballad Incomplete with a beautiful powerful chorus on which the singer makes a final statement of believing in a better future for her.

Music is more eloquent than any words

Earlier this year Alanis Morissette has already partially rehabilitated herself as a touring artist with Matchbox Twenty and Mute Math on whose tours she was invited as a special guest and she promised to make a tour around North America in autumn. Besides all that the singer goes on working on her book of memoirs which she has been writing for several years now which includes her own life observations, her views on various aspects like beauty and relationships that are based both on her own experience and the stories of young women who have shared with Alanis. As for her new album it covers the topic of relationships to a full meaning not only her own romance but also the relations between people and the surrounding world, political conflicts and attitude to life in general. Stylistically Flavors Of Entanglement is so varied that it is difficult to classify it as anything concrete and it is not worth while trying for this record reflects Alanis Morissette's unique personality, and her music is able to say a thousand times more than any nonchalant words. Any doubts whether Flavors Of Entanglement is one of her most successful works will be gone right after listening to this spectacular album.