Liz Phair (album)
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Liz Phair is the fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter Liz Phair, released June 24, 2003 on Capitol Records. "Why Can't I?" and "Extraordinary" were released as singles. Phair began production on the album with Michael Penn. Liz Phair debuted at #27 on the Billboard 200.[1] As of July 2010, the album had sold 433,000 copies.[2]
Background
Initially, Phair worked on tracks for the album with songwriter Michael Penn as the producer, but the finished album received a lukewarm reception from Capitol. Having already exhausted the recording budget, label president Andy Slater offered Phair more money to record if she agreed to work on possible singles with the production team known as The Matrix. The Matrix was known primarily for producing glossy hits for female singers such as Avril Lavigne, Britney Spears, and Hilary Duff. Phair ultimately collaborated with The Matrix on four songs: "Why Can't I?", "Extraordinary", "Favorite", and "Rock Me".[citation needed]
Critical reception
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 40/100[4] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| Entertainment Weekly | A−[5] |
| The Guardian | [6] |
| Pitchfork | 0/10[7] |
| PopMatters |   [8][4] |
| Robert Christgau | A[9] |
| Rolling Stone | [10] |
| Slant Magazine |  [11] |
| Spin | 5/10[13] |
| Stylus Magazine | F[12] |
On Metacritic, a review aggregator site, the album holds a score of 40/100, indicating "mixed or average reviews."[14] Many decried Phair for "selling out", and she became a "piñata for critics".[15] The New York Times' Meghan O'Rourke titled her review of the album "Liz Phair's Exile in Avril-ville", and complained that Phair "gushes like a teenager" and had "committed an embarrassing form of career suicide."[16] Matt LeMay of Pitchfork rated the album a 0.0 out of 10, stating, "it's sad that an artist as groundbreaking as Phair would be reduced to cheap publicity stunts and hyper-commercialized teen-pop."[7] In his review for Entertainment Weekly, Chris Willman awarded the album an "A-" and described it as "an honestly fun summer disc," noting "Little Digger" and "Rock Me" as highlights.[5] Slant Magazine's Sal Cinquemani also described the album positively, calling Phair "frank and funny" singling out "It's Sweet," "My Bionic Eyes," and "Rock Me" as noteworthy tracks.[11] Robert Christgau awarded the album with an "A," praising "Extraordinary," "Favorite," "Little Digger," "Rock Me," and "H.W.C.", and noting that the album included "no bad songs."[9]
Usage in popular media
"Extraordinary" and "Take a Look" were used in the TV series Charmed, on episodes "Oh, My Goddess" and "It's A Bad, Bad, Bad, Bad World" respectively, while "Why Can't I" appeared in a Tru Calling episode, featuring on the soundtrack of films How to Deal Win a Date with Tad Hamilton! and 13 Going on 30 as well. "Extraordinary" was also featured in the film Raising Helen.[citation needed]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Liz Phair, unless otherwise noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Extraordinary" | Phair, Christy, Edwards, Spock | 3:25 |
| 2. | "Red Light Fever" | Phair, Gary Clark | 4:52 |
| 3. | "Why Can't I?" | Phair, Christy, Edwards, Spock | 3:28 |
| 4. | "It's Sweet" | 2:55 | |
| 5. | "Rock Me" | Phair, Christy, Edwards, Spock | 3:21 |
| 6. | "Take a Look" | 3:29 | |
| 7. | "Little Digger" | 3:36 | |
| 8. | "Firewalker" | 4:29 | |
| 9. | "Favorite" | Phair, Christy, Edwards, Spock | 3:24 |
| 10. | "Love/Hate" | 3:43 | |
| 11. | "H.W.C." (Not on the clean version of the album) | 2:56 | |
| 12. | "My Bionic Eyes" | 3:52 | |
| 13. | "Friend of Mine" | 3:44 | |
| 14. | "Good Love Never Dies" | 3:00 |
Personnel
- Liz Phair – guitar, vocals, sampling
- Jebin Bruni – keyboards
- Mario Calire – drums
- Lenny Castro – percussion
- Matt Chamberlain – drums
- Alison Clark – background vocals
- Mike Elizondo – bass
- Victor Indrizzo – drums
- Corky James – guitar, bass
- Buddy Judge – guitar, electric guitar, background vocals
- Abe Laboriel Jr. – drums
- The Matrix – vocals
- Wendy Melvoin – bass, guitar
- Michael Penn – bass, guitar, background vocals, sampling
- John Sands – drums
- David Sutton – bass
- R. Walt Vincent – bass, guitar, harmonica, electric guitar, background vocals, Wurlitzer
- Patrick Warren – piano, keyboards
- The Wizardz of Oz – vocals
- Pete Yorn – guitar, drums
Production
- Producers: The Matrix, Michael Penn, R. Walt Vincent
- Engineers: Doug Boehm, Ryan Freeland, The Matrix, Michael Penn, R. Walt Vincent, Howard Willing
- Assistant engineer: Kevin Meeker
- Mixing: Serban Ghenea, Tom Lord-Alge
- Mastering: Ted Jensen, Eddy Schreyer
- Assistant: Mike Glines, Andrew Nast
- Arranger: The Matrix
- Drum recordings: Krish Sharma
- Design: Eric Roinestad
- Art direction: Eric Roinestad
- Photography: Phil Poynter
Charts
Weekly charts
| Chart (2003) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 | 27 |
| US Top Internet Albums (Billboard) | 27 |
References
- ^ "Liz Phair - Liz Phair". Billboard. Retrieved 2012-02-17.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Ask Billboard: Kylie 'Fever'". Billboard. 2010-07-16. Retrieved 2012-02-17.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Liz Phair at AllMusic
- ^ a b "Critic Reviews for Liz Phair". Metacritic. Retrieved 2012-09-21.
- ^ a b Chris Willman (2003-06-27). "Liz Phair Review | Music Reviews and News". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2012-09-21.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Adam Sweeting (2003-10-10). "Liz Phair, Liz Phair | Music". London: The Guardian. Retrieved 2012-09-21.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ a b Matt LeMay (2003-06-24). "Liz Phair: Liz Phair | Album Reviews". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 2012-09-21.
- ^ Begrand, Adrien (2003-06-22). "Liz Phair: self-titled < PopMatters". PopMatters. Retrieved 2012-09-21.
- ^ a b "CG: liz phair". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 2012-09-21.
- ^ Barry Walters (2003-06-18). "Liz Phair | Album Reviews". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2012-09-21.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ a b Sal Cinquemani (2003-06-18). "Liz Phair: Liz Phair | Music Review". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 2012-09-21.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Sebastian Stirling (2003-09-01). "Liz Phair - Liz Phair - Review". Stylus Magazine. Retrieved 2012-09-21.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Klosterman, Chuck (2003-06-15). "Liz Phair, 'Liz Phair' (Capitol) | SPIN | Albums | Critical Mass". SPIN. Retrieved 2012-09-21.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Reviews for Liz Phair by Liz Phair". MetaCritic. Retrieved 28 June 2016.
- ^ David Carr (August 2, 2005). "Arts and Music". The New York Times.
- ^ Meghan O'Rourke (June 22, 2003). "Arts and Music". The New York Times.