Alanis Morissette

Alanis Morissette’s new album is full of introspective lyrics that come closer to navel contemplation than meditation. She’s sort of an Ani DiFranco-lite, obsessed with the mundane rather than the political, but she falls short of—dare I say it—irony. The songs waffle between hopeful—“Knees of My Bees” and “Everything”—and post-romantic cynicism. “This Grudge” is the most interesting track. It actually seems to move from self-involvement to self-awareness as she longs to get rid of “this antique knot in my stomach.” Her audience may share that hope; if she ever unleashes her acerbic wit on something other than an ex-lover, we’ll be in for a treat. The enhanced CD comes with plenty of bells and whistles, but it seems like a calculated attempt to retain the title of “bitch-goddess to the world.”