Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 6-10 of 82
 Despite the hype/good buzz, another disappointment June 11, 2008
Paul Allaer (Cincinnati)
12 out of 22 found this review helpful
The hype and pre-release buzz of this, Alanis Morissette's 5th studio album, 4 years after the disappointing "So-Called Chaos" album, was that this is a return to the Alanis of old form, coming out of a(nother) bad relationship and hence full of vigor and bite. As a fan from the first hour (and having purchased all of her previous albums) I was enticed and snapped this up today, sound unheard.
"Flavors of Entanglement" (11 tracks, 46 min.) starts off terrific, with the eventually hard-charging "Citizen of This Planet" (reminiscent of "Baba" from "Supposed Former Infactuation Junkie", including the eastern musical overtones), and followed by "Underneath" (1st radio single), which is pleasant enough. Track 4 is equally entrancing, a threatening "Versions of Violence". However, for some reason, things drop off quickly after that, with mostly mid-tempo songs that don't go anywhere. Witness "In Praise of the Vulnerable Man", and in particular "Moratorium", which screams to go loud, but just doesn't explode. "Giggling Again For No Reason" brings some relief, as at least it's up-tempo. The closer "Incomplete" summarizes the album quite well: pensive and nice but nothing that will grab your attention to play this over and over again.
In all, I can't help but be disappointed. I simply expected more. More melodies, more hooks. But for a few songs, they are simply not there. I've seen Alanis many times in concert over the years, and if and when she comes around this neck of the wood, I'm sure I'll be there again. But this album is not Alanis at her best. "Under Rug Swept" from 2002 remains her last great album, in my book.
 One who hears the cries of the world June 14, 2008
Amanda Richards (Georgetown, Guyana)
11 out of 16 found this review helpful
"I am a citizen of the planet
My laws are all of attraction
My punishments are consequences
Separating from source the original sin"
(Alanis Morissette - "Citizen of the Planet")
Back when I started reviewing on Amazon.com, I was asked to name my favorite artistes, and without pausing I chose Alanis Morissette and Queen. Well, many years later, Freddy Mercury's passed on, but Alanis still reigns. Her music and lyrics are intelligent, thought provoking, honest, and most definitely non-mainstream and anti-karaoke.
The album starts off with "Citizen of the Planet" a track with a Middle Eastern vibe, and a shout out to Kwan Yin, the Buddhist Goddess whose name means "One who hears the cries of the world".
The second track is the first single "Underneath", a mid-tempo track with a soaring chorus about people who aren't communicating effectively. This is emphasized when she sings "Look at us jumping ship in our dialogues". An excellent track by any yardstick.
Other noteworthy tracks are "Straitjacket" (PA lyrics, bass heavy dance beat on the chorus); "Versions of Violence" (one of my favorites, rock beat); "Not As We" (plaintive piano-backed ballad); "Moratorium" (classic Morissette); "Torch" and "Giggling Again for no Reason" (simply beautiful - music, lyrics, everything).
The album closes with the second single "Incomplete", an Alanis-styled ballad and second shortest track, where she seems to describe her career when she sings "Ever unfolding / Ever expanding / Ever adventurous and torturous / But never done"
Another great album, no filler material, and definitely a keeper.
Amanda Richards, June 13, 2008
 awful June 10, 2008
Thomas R. Frazier (little rock, ar)
7 out of 59 found this review helpful
awful, just awful...dont waste your money on this one....the only good sone is the oduet with jim nabors, the rest are pretty bad....
Fantastic. June 19, 2008
Michael T. Rognlien (Chicago, IL USA)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
"Jagged Little Pill" is one of the most memorable CD's of all-time for me, and like many others, I have vivid memories of the summer of 1995 that are associated with the many brilliant songs and moods of that album.
While I enjoyed many of her songs since then, I was worried when she released the acoustic set of JLP a couple years back that she was going to fall back on the laurels of past success and never come back with something on the same level (creatively/musically) of that work.
Flavors of Entanglement put to rest those worries - this is just a fantastic, fantastic CD. Starting with the blistering beat of Citizen of The Planet and ending with the hopeful and forward-looking catchiness of Incomplete, the albums is indeed composed of many flavors and sounds, but reigning supreme on every track is Alanis' unique ability to create interesting lyrics and pronunciations and wrap them around great melodies. It is refreshing to see that perspective and wisdom have contributed to the evolution of both her approach to songwriting and performing, but her voice is still as simultaneously beautiful and haunting as ever.
You will not regret purchasing this CD at all, especially if you've been a fan of Alanis not only as an artist but as a poet and a person.
Average, Disposable Pop CD June 13, 2008
P. Heath (Hurst, TX United States)
6 out of 17 found this review helpful
Flavors of Entanglement is a CD that is primed for "success", but this is also its biggest downfall. It has three extremely radio friendly songs: Underneath, Versions of Violence, and Moratorium. These songs are guaranteed to drive sales with all of the entrapments of a hit CD. However this is a collection of songs that no one is going to remember two years from now. There are some songs that are just absolute failures: Citizens of the Planet, and Strait Jacket. Both are harsh sounding with odd lyrics. The rest of the songs are forgettable and average.
This is a shame because Alanis Morissette is a very talented singer. I remember being impressed by her first hit "You Oughta Know". However she has been wasting her time on disposable pop that doesn't reflect her true potential. With better songwriting and a good producer, e.g. Rick Rubin, she could make music that would be much more transcendent.
Download this: Moratorium
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