REVIEW: 'Under Rug Swept' by Alanis Morissette

Alanis Morissette has been responsible for some of the catchiest radio songs of the past decade. Her hooks and melodies are consistently memorable and, like it or not, after a few listens it's almost impossible not to hum along. The problem has never been the music, but the pretentious and overly literal lyrics. Both "Jagged Little Pill" and "Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie" painted a picture of an obsessive ex-girlfriend with a little too much time on her hands. "Under Rug Swept," Morissette's latest release falls prey to the same shortcomings.

The track "Flinch" is a perfect example of her stream-of-consciousness posturing. With lines like, "how long can a girl be tortured by you" the real question should be how many different ways can Morissette find to voice the same trite complaint? The rest of the album is more of the same. "So Unsexy", "Narcissus", and "21Things I Want In a Lover" could easily double as boy trouble letters sent to Seventeen.

"Hands Clean", the album's first single, is the only song offering anything remotely interesting. Written as a hypothetical dialogue between her and a former lover she's surprisingly clever and subtle in her biting criticism of their failed relationship. Still, however cute the casing, the song is really just a new take on "You Oughta Know."

Morissette wrote and produced this album, a first for the 27 year old. As impressive as she occasionally shows signs of being, she'd be a lot better off if she had something else to talk about besides boys.