The first studio album from Alanis Morissette since 2004, Flavors Of Entanglement fuses the organic and the techno--prompted by producer Guy Sigsworth (Madonna, Björk). Incorporating beats, loops and synthesizers, the album was designed, says Morissette, so listeners can "dance your face off." Balancing introspective confession and delirious joy, the global and the personal, Flavors Of Entanglement is a tasty new musical feast from one of pop's most intriguing artists.
Though the mainstream might have all but abandoned Alanis Morrissette since her mid-90s breakthrough as the MTV grunge generation's Madonna, she has forged on with a handful of albums of a reasonably steely consistency, although even kindly ears would recognize her output since Jagged Little Pill as reduced strength versions of that celebrated album. Its slightly convoluted follow up, Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie, remains her most intriguing if long-winded work, and with her most recent record (2004's So Called Chaos) more or less finding peace with itself--filing down the angsty internal dialogues and sounding almost content even at its loudest points--the future seemed to be heading on a downward spiral. But talk about an about turn. With Flavours Of Entanglement the bronco is very much bucking once more, often causing whiplash-inducing stylistic swerves. "Citizen Of The Planet" opens the album, erupting out of eastern strings and a sequenced underlay with blunt, compressed guitars and thumping beats, sweeping through desolate plains previously inhabited by nu metal fantasists Evanescence. The dark tension is upheld through the robotic techno of "Straightjacket" and dark string-laden drum 'n' bass of "Moratorium." Landing amid the lonely Tori Amos balladry of "Not As We," Texas-pop of "In Praise Of The Vulnerable Man," and the more typical Alanis fare of "Underneath," this is an often unsettlingly mixed bag achieving varying levels of success, but it is also probably her most emotionally satisfying work for a decade. -- James Berry
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
best Alanis album since Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie:
Alanis Morisette's latest album, Flavors of Entanglement, is the best work she's put out since her second record, Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie (which I prefer to her more famous debut album). I think the work with producer Guy Sigsworth has energized Morisette's sound, taking her away from the very adult contemporary sound of her last efforts. Overall, this album is just much more interesting and exciting (and pleasing to the ear) than anything Alanis has done lately. That being said, I think the... more info
Ick:
Alanis is the bomb, but this album bombs. Her voice is completely buried by an atrociously arranged, synthetic beat. It's sounds like Alanis was asked to create the soundtrack to a Mario Bros game--Super Morisette Brothers. As for the title, Flavors of Entanglement? The only flavor here is cotton candy. Kate Perry's album feels more real, and that's really saying something.
CD Review:
Happy with the product, howvever original shipment was lost in transit and it took three times as long to recieve it as it should of.
A couple good songs.....:
Well, this album definitely did not meet my expectations. "Jagged Little Pill" in my opinion is still undoubtedly her best album ever. Some songs on this album fit in the electronica genre. I think she should stick to the rock genre. I guess this album would appeal to a new group of fans and lose some of her old ones. The good songs on this that are worth a few more listens are: 4. Versions Of Violence
5. Not As We
7. Moratorium
8. Tapes Love the album cover though....
