Liz Phair - whitechocolatespaceegg

Liz Phair's Exile in Guyville proved that a debutante-attractive woman rocker singing about oral sex could earn the attention of the mostly male rock press corps. But Whitechocolatespaceegg confirms--much as her second album, Whip-Smart, attempted--that Phair can be a pop tunesmith as well. Her songs snap and crackle with giddy doses of '80s new wave, Buddy Holly pop, and Stones rock; her husky voice mostly overcomes its previous, potentially off-putting wobble. And while the clangy "Johnny Feelgood" recalls Phair's earlier tough-sex scenarios, "Polyester Bride," which eavesdrops on a conversation between an advice-giving bartender and a wide-eyed female patron (maybe this season's answer to Semisonic's "Closing Time"), is more demonstrative of Whitechocolatespaceegg's thematic maturation: less titillating but no less womanly. And no less feisty. --Neal Weiss Amazon.com

I Like It, Yeah I Like It

This is far and away my favorite Liz album - "Polyester Bride" is one of the best tracks she has ever done, and with songs about being beaten around ("but I liked it, yeah I liked it more and more"); this is the classic mixing of early brash indie Liz and her later pop leanings.
June 25, 2008

Fork in the road

A big Liz fan, this album represents a big fork in the road for her. Different than Guyville or Whip-Smart and not the pop albums that her two most recent albums are, whitechocolatespaceegg is a transition for Phair. It foreshadows the albums to come; it is tighter and more heavily produced than the past ones, but she's not trying to be a Billboard Queen yet (though I'm sure whitechocolatespaceegg's commercial failure motivated her to go all out on the next self-titled album).

Whip-smart is a good album, but in many ways it was trying too hard to be Guyville's much sought after follow up. The most recent pop albums are going for the same thing: those elusive string of hits. This is your "in between" hard-to-categorize Liz album. It also comes after her divorce and a birth of her son and perhaps that makes this the most emotional Phair album (even considering Guyville), a more mature, but still unsure woman is speaking to us.

The title track has the "Space Oddity" sound updated for the 90s and is a great opening song.

"Big Tall Man" and "Go On Ahead" deal with her ex and the latter track is quite touching farewell to him after their divorce. You feel the pain.

"Perfect World" shows us Liz's fragile side. "I want to be cool, tall, vulnerable and luscious" done over a simple, but effective guitar and bass chords.

"Baby Got Going" is a fun, bluesy song that differs from anything that Liz has previously tried.

"Headache" would have to be my favorite track on the album. Liz's night out with a devil and angel on her shoulders. Pulsating beats laced with Liz huffing and puffing in the background; she sounds confident here playing the conflicted girl she did so well in Guyville.

There are other standout tracks like, "Johnny Feelgood," "Uncle Alvarez," and "Polyester Bride" each offering their own interesting storyline.

All of these above songs work on their own and though not every track is a winner, over half of the album is an enjoyable listen. The lesser tracks even have good enough writing to keep them memorable.

On most of whitechocolatespaceegg, Liz seems to be the most genuine with her lyrics. Having a kid and becoming a single mother I'm assuming will change your life pretty drastically. She's not trying to be anything except herself here. . . and keeping in mind her subsequent releases, it would be the last time that has happened. January 19, 2008

excellent

I'm not much of a fan of her 2 latest pop albums, but wcse is just great pop, not saccharine, just great. You can definitely appreciate exile in guyville and this album as well. April 23, 2006

"Yes I'm broadcasting myself!"

Liz Phair's whitechocolatespaceegg is a fun and catchy album. More produced than her two previous albums, but still a classic collection. Some of the gems on the album include: What makes you happy (loved it first time i heard it!) polyester bride, big tall man, and ride. Liz is an amazing songwriter, and her lyrics do not disappointment on this particular album. lyrics like, "I'm sleeping in the girls room, i'm sleeping in the sky, i'm sleeping in the water, i'm sleeping in the girls room tonight" What i like about this album it was the right transiton that Liz needed in her career, yes the sound is more slicker and predictable but every artist needs to grow and not write about the same thing all the time because the prevoius formula was successful. Whitechocolatespaceegg is worth checking out, keep rocking Liz! March 26, 2006

Anna Nalick

I think Anna's cd is interesting because her songs Breathe2(am), and In The Rough. (GO Anna!)

March 15, 2006

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