Alanis Morissette

The exclusive six-week release of Jagged Little Pill Acoustic at Starbucks caused an uproar in the business world, with some record outlets removing Morissette’s catalog from stores in protest. Pundits debate how consumers at Starbucks’ 4,400 U.S. and 400 Canadian stores will affect record-shop sales, but no one’s asking why Morissette bothered to re-record what was, at best, an uneven album, in a format that drains its few hits of intensity. Her affected snarl accords oddly with gentle acoustic guitar, and lines that used to shock (“Would she go down on you in a theater?”) seem quaint in a pop culture ruled by Paris Hilton. With little variation from the original arrangements, the CD sacrifices percussive drive in favor of Morissette’s thin lyrics. It’s like 10,000 spoons, when all you need is a knife.