Rated Alanis.

After a 6 day working week I am finally reconstituting my self. Post 10 hour non-stop sleepathon, I arose with an urge (cheeky) to listen to some Alanis Morissette. I love this woman. I've been interested in her music for about 6 years now and I can't name one track she's recorded which doesn't please me in some way. Hence I am about to give you the low down on 10 succulent morsels of Morissette to sink your pearly whites into. Yum.

The 10 ESSENTIAL Morissette tracks - by me, an obsessive.

1] 'Ironic' from Jagged Little Pill - Right so this song was about as predictable as a hooker in Harlem. However, it is one of the ultimate songs of this feminist rock powerhouse. It may not actually be ironic (maybe that's the point?) but it has one of the most memorable choruses of any song I've ever encountered. Seeing her perform this live was one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life. It's her most successful single and remains the song which will see her remembered through the ages to come. Amazing.

2] '21 Things I Want In a Lover' from Under Rug Swept - "Do you have a big intellectual capacity? Do you see everything as an illusion? Are you both masculine and feminine?" Alanis lists, you guessed it, 21 things she wants in a lover. The song is the most rocky from this album which sees her sounds relax to an extent, moving away from the bitter undertones of her debut and Supposed Infatuation Junkie. It's one of my favourites simply because it's completely relatable. Anyone who hears this will identify one 'thing' they agree with ol' Alanis on. Definitely in my top 10 songs of all time. LOVE.

3] 'Incomplete' from Flavours of Entanglement - From her newest collection of songs, 'Incomplete' sees Alanis reflect on the wants of youth and the subsequent loss of these wants that come with age. She sings about missing the feeling of being incomplete and the desire for constant change that she felt as a youngster. It's quite bouncy for an Alanis song and the melody takes the edge off what would other wise have been interpretable as a fairly negative song.

4] 'Versions of Violence' from Flavours of Entanglement - I don't have a reason for putting this here other than the fact that I love how it sounds. It's so dark and brash, and to boot it has a killer chorus build up and huge hook. Definitely one of my favourites of the latest album.

5] 'Joining You' from Supposed Infatuation Junkie - Only recently coming across this track (because I didn't listen to Supposed in its entirety for years) I regret not having noticed it before. It's about suicide and it's wonderful. You might not agree before hearing it, but it is amazing. Trust me. SO catchy.

6] 'Thank U' from Supposed Infatuation Junkie - A classic. I needn't say anything else about it.

7] 'Forgiven' from Jagged Little Pill - It's about faith and about WHY we bother having it? Alanis says it's because we need faith. She gave up her faith but found it again, can she be forgiven for her misdemeanours? I'm not a man of God, not at all, but this song is my favourite Alanis song. I love the way she talks about the manipulative nature of the Church and organised religion. It's superb. Listen to it, now!

8] 'Mary Jane'  from Jagged Little Pill - "What's the matter Mary Jane? Had a hard day? Place the don't disturb sign on the door." Alanis addresses a friend (I think) and her apparent depression. Mary Jane has been pandering too much to the needs of others and neglecting herself. Leave to Alanis to sing her into motivation. The song is beautiful, melodic and has a lot of emotion packed into it. It's a keeper.

9] 'Sister Blister' from Feast on Scraps -  A song about female unity against men, by Alanis Morissette? Never. This metal fused ballad about the way women fall over themselves to gain male acceptance, at the cost of bonds with their 'sisters' is effective, memorable and packs one big punch in the throat. 

10] 'You Oughta Know' from Jagged Little Pill - It had to appear somewhere, but I thought leaving it till last would be more effective. It's recently been covered by Britney Spears on her Circus tour and more notably by Beyonce who spliced it with 'If I Were a Boy' for her tour and her grammy performance. It's one of angriest, most memorable songs Alanis has ever written and it's the most globally applicable songs out there. Anyone can identify with this (from a certain age) and it is undeniably one of the greatest songs ever recorded (argued by me of course). From a fantastic album, a fantastic revenge song.

Rated Bi~on~ic

Two years ago Christina Aguilera performed 'Keeps Getting Better' at the MTV Movie Awards. Following the show she was accused of copying Lady Gaga, for her electro-pop sound, straight blonde hair-do and black cat suit (you know, because Britney never did that before?). It seems the Gaga comparisons haven't stopped coming over the course of Christina's new production period. However, ignoring the now annoying links to Gaga (and by annoying I mean I am bored of Gaga comparisons!), Christina's Bi~on~ic is no huge disappointment nor is it the scorching memory branding I anticipated.

If Stripped gave us Xtina, Bi~on~ic gives us XXtina. Opening track 'Bionic' compares Christina to a rocket and has her stating, "i'll take you supersonic". It's a suitable introduction, setting the tone for the first portion of the album, which is as club ready as Britney's Blackout. Lead single, 'Not Myself Tonight', follows suit, delivering a massive punch as Christina demands she doesn't "give a fuck" what people think. A wise attitude from a woman who's been out of the music scene for a long time and whose future success rests firmly with the well-being of this album's sales. 'WooHoo' is a surprise on first listen. The haunting electro inspired build up bursts into a jungle drum/hip-hop bouncing club thumper, produced by Polow da Don who has worked with the likes of Ciara and Kelis. Perhaps one of the albums standout tracks and its second US single, 'WooHoo' is cheeky, naughty and damn dirty. From what I can gather, it's about going down on a girl. That's the Xtina we grew to love! 'Elastic Love', penned by MIA, is infectious and hollers back to the writer's Kala album. Tricky produced 'Glamour segue' featuring 'Glam' and 'Prima Donna', seems pointless in light of some of the strong songwriting credits on previous tracks.  'Glam' sounds like a reject from the Sex and City Soundtrack and a bad attempt at rewriting 'Vogue'. Thankfully the album is about to regain its foot hold.

'Sex for Breakfast' is one of the most charming songs I've encountered on a Christina album. It's melodic, her voice sounds fantastic and it's one big wink at the listener. Harking back to Stripped, Christina ropes in the wonderful talents of Linda Perry (Beautiful) and the result is superb. 'Lift Me Up' (sadly the only Perry penned track here) sounds a bit like the ballads of Stripped but new enough not to sound like a duplicate. "When you see me crashing, And theres nowhere left to fall, Will you lift me even higher, To rise above this all", 'Lift Me Up' displays the best vocal performance on the entire album; less shouting, more harmony. Three more ballads follow in this latter stage of the album (all with songwriting from the immensely talented Sia Furler), 'All I Need' is a song about the importance of baby Aguilera in his mother's survival and sanity. 'I Am', one of my favourites from the track listing, sounds like it would fit nicely onto Sia's startling album Colour the Small One. 'You Lost Me' is a strong ballad but pales in the shadow of the stunning 'I Am' and 'Lift Me Up'.

Bi~on~ic closes with a brilliant duet with the controversial lyricist Peaches. 'My Girls' is basically a rowdy Ladies Night esque track and the combination of Xtina and Peaches seems like a match made in provocative heaven. Final track (if you don't have the deluxe edition) 'Vanity' is in one word, hilarious. I don't mean it's bad and funny as a result, far from it. It's probably the catchiest song Christina's ever done. Hardly lyrically challenging, but so funky it, kind of, hurts. "I'm not cocky, I just love myself, bitch!" 'Vanity' is brimming with the attitude I hoped to see on Bi~on~ic. Xtina returns with BIG balls, singing to the bum-bumdedum of wedding music, "I take myself to be my lawfully wedded bitch".

Bi~on~ic is definitely not a failed comeback. Since Stripped, Christina's been acclaimed for song writing and her significant input into her own music. This 2010 onslaught is packed with juicy morsels of pop-tasticness. It may be a bit contrived at times and the album is just a little too long, but there's enough substance to outweigh the filler. Keeping vocal collaborations to a minimum the album sounds like Christina and nothing like the Gaga copy we were promised by critics and Gaga fanatics. The production is pretty damn amazing, with the likes of Le Tigre, Samuel Dixon and Linda Perry tweaking their knobs. Reigning in Sia Furler, Linda Perry, Peaches and MIA cements Christina's position as a respected and intimidating contemporary pop-force. 

Rated Christina Prev.

So Bionic dropped this morning and I am currently spotifying my face off.

I'll post a review tomorrow evening, once I wade through all 20+ tracks. So far though, on track 5 and it's completely different to anything she's released before. I don't hate it.