Aimee Mann - I'm with Stupid

What we're getting here is what we've come to expect from this talented songstress: pop arrangements of literate songs that deal with knotty relationships involving lovers, critics, and corporations. Mann co-wrote a song with Elvis Costello for the final 'Til Tuesday album, and it was an apt pairing. Like Costello at his best, Aimee is equal parts adroit and direct. A couplet like "I came back twice, now I'm the Anti-Christ" or "A thousand compromises don't add up to a single win" may be accompanied by something a little more to the point--"Don't you know you're a fucking freak in this world?" Mann and producer/multi-instrumentalist Jon Brion keep the songs pithy and punchy, bringing on guests like Juliana Hatfield (on the particularly intoxicating "You Could Make a Killing"), Suede alumni Bernard Butler, Michael Penn, Chris Difford, and Glenn Tilbrook for occasional adornment, but mostly maintain a hands-on approach. The result frequently recalls Abby Road-period Beatles, which isn't a bad source. --Steven Stolder Amazon.com

AIMEE MANN - I'm With Stupid _ Excellent!

This album is fantastic. Some highlights: "Long Shot", "Frankenstein", "Amateur", "Superball"...Every song on here is great. I found this solo album even better than the first ("Whatever"). July 17, 2008

Over Produced & Under Inspired

I am a huge Aimee Mann fan. I loved "Whatever", so when "I'm With Stupid" came out I bought it with eager anticipation. What a difference! The rock and folk of "Whatever" are overshadowed by pristine sound and dance oriented production, as well as her songwriting being well below the 1st album's standard. Especially now that Mann has released 2 great albums since, in "Bachelor #2" & "Lost In Space". She is obviously getting better with age and has become the premiere singer-songwriter of today. She is fantastic and I would recommend any of her albums over "I'm With Stupid", really the runt in an otherwise towering solo career.
Bachelor No. 2
Lost in Space
Whatever June 19, 2008

Stupid Brilliance

Aimee Mann's last album with a major label (DGC, home of Nirvana and a subsidiary of Geffen) was also her usual nightmare of the big leagues. Delayed for two years due to legal wrangling with Imago Records (who released Whatever and then went bankrupt but still managed to block Aimee from releasing a new album), "I'm With Stupid" continued a pattern that has dogged Aimme through her solo career. Great songs, witty lyrics with sharp melodies, critical praise and peer recognition...and low sales.

Nonetheless, Aimee's second solo album is song after song of incisive observations clearly sung above tight melodies. There was even an almost hit when "That's Just What You Are" became popular on "Melrose Place." That managed to goose "I'm With Stupid" into the top 100, something Aimee would have to wait another 6 years for when Lost in Space landed in the upper half of the chart. Like that album, and her work with Til Tuesday, it is the gorgeous songwriting that keeps me coming back. Like occasional collaborator Elvis Costello and (appearing here on background vocals) Difford and Tilbrook of Squeeze, Mann knows how to bait her hooks with great love lyrics that verge from the sad "You're With Stupid Now" to the angry alienation that opens "Long Shot" the the literary cleverness in "Frankenstein."

While smart-pop typically is stuff most listeners run from, Aimee Mann has always been a mainstay in my library. (Everything's Different Now is in my desert island list, for example.) This was Aimee's last real "pop" album; Bachelor No. 2 moved deeper into introspective singer-songwriter territory and the fuzz-rock of "Superball" disappeared. That makes "I'm With Stupid" an end note to this chapter of Aimee's creative book, and I love it all the more for that reason. October 5, 2007

best aimee album

I consider this the best album of Aimee, each song is a story by itself, it is a masterwork; Long shot, Ray, That's just what you are and Amateur are my favorite..... I love this album...!!! January 10, 2007

Worth buying.

With her strong emphasis on voice and unique lyrics, Aimee Mann's songs of depression and dysfunction are enough to brighten anyone's day. More upbeat and active than Mann's usual work-but with downers like Ray and Par for the Course mixed in-this album shows just how varied one singer can be. The long conclusions of a few songs can be a bit distracting, but it doesn't take away from her strong voice. An overall treat for any Aimee fan. January 4, 2007

More reviews at Amazon.com ...