Liz Phair

by Liz Phair

Overview

Who knew that all Liz Phair ever wanted was to be a pop star? Surely, her debut, Exile in Guyville, with its cinematic lo-fi production and frankness, never suggested as much, nor did its cleaner sequel, Whip-Smart, but on her eponymous fourth album she makes a long-delayed stab at superstardom, glamming herself up like a Maxim MILF of the Month and pitching herself somewhere between Sheryl Crow and Avril Lavigne, on one side working with Michael Penn and adult alternative singer/songwriter Pete Yorn and on the other hooking up with 2003's hitmakers du jour the Matrix. As "Extraordinary" starts the album with a heavy guitar downstroke, it's clear that Liz Phair is now a pop star making music that not just fits comfortably with Lavigne's, but follows her sounds and stance. This may be disarming to die-hard fans of Exile who could never have dreamed that, of all the directions she could have gone, she chose this, but in "Extraordinary" and "Why Can't I?" Phair has a pair of catchy modern pop singles that offer a fascinating juxtaposition to the deeper tunes here. In fact, when pop tunes about a cougar on the prowl are combined with soul-searching ballads, it could be argued that Liz Phair might be the singer/songwriter's most directly confessional album -- nearly every song is in the first person, with many songs drawing parallels to her recent well-publicized divorce. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	06/08/2018
Label:	Capitol
UPC:	0602557237443
Rank:	41128

Tracks

Disc 1

1. Extraordinary
2. Red Light Fever
3. Why Can't I?
4. It's Sweet
5. Rock Me
6. Take a Look
7. Little Digger

Disc 2

8. Firewalker
9. Favorite
10. Love/Hate
11. H.W.C.
12. My Bionic Eyes
13. Friend of Mine
14. Good Love Never Dies

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Liz Phair   Primary Artist,Guitar,Vocals,Sampling
Michael Penn   Guest Artist,Bass,Guitar,Sampling,Vocals (Background)
Pete Yorn   Guest Artist,Drums,Guitar
Patrick Warren   Piano,Keyboards
David Sutton   Bass
Corky James   Guitar
Jebin Bruni   Keyboards
John Sands   Drums
Mario Calire   Drums
Victor Indrizzo   Drums
Lenny Castro   Percussion
Wendy Melvoin   Bass,Guitar
R. Walt Vincent   Bass,Guitar,Harmonica,Wurlitzer,Guitar (Electric),Vocals (Background)
Matt Chamberlain   Drums
Mike Elizondo   Bass
Abe Laboriel, Jr.   Drums
Alison Clark   Vocals (Background)
Buddy Judge   Guitar,Guitar (Electric),Vocals (Background)
The Wizardry of Oz   Vocals
The Matrix   Vocals

Technical Credits

Serban Ghenea   Mixing
Ted Jensen   Mastering
Andrew Nast   Assistant
Mike Glines   Assistant
Lauren Christy   Composer
Graham Edwards   Composer
Liz Phair   Composer
Ryan Freeland   Engineer
Krish Sharma   Drum Recordings
Howard Willing   Engineer
Scott Spock   Composer
R. Walt Vincent   Engineer,Producer
Michael Penn   Engineer,Producer
Eddy Schreyer   Mastering
Tom Lord-Alge   Mixing
Gary Clark   Composer
Doug Boehm   Engineer
Phil Poynter   Photography
Eric Roinestad   Design,Art Direction
Kevin Meeker   Assistant Engineer
The Matrix   Arranger,Engineer,Producer