Alanis Morissette – Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie

Alanis has a lot to answer for; in the process of changing the face of '90s pop music, she opened the door to scores of inferior imitators who crowded the charts with their transparent careerist fury. What they missed was the renegade spirit that lurks beneath Morissette's statements off vengeance and dissatisfaction. It's that spirit that enlivens INFATUATION JUNKIE. From awkward title to the unconventional lyrical construction, it's clear that the years between this album and Morisette's previous breakthrough recording have not dulled her iconoclasm or put soft edges on her anger. INFATUATION JUNKIE is at once more immediate and more artfully constructed than its predecessor. Songs like "Baba" are full of thrusting guitars and sledgehammer rhythms, but from "Front Row" to "So Pure", Morissette displays an expanded understanding of pop song mechanics. It's this melodic progression that helps INFATUATION JUNKIE live up to Morissette's daunting past.