FROM: MITCH SCHNEIDER/AMANDA CAGAN/ LATHUM NELSON
AS SHE GEARS UP FOR MAJOR TELEVISION APPEARANCES IN THE U.S., ALANIS MORISSETTE MAKES STRONG INTERNATIONAL PRESENCE WITH HER CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED 'MTV UNPLUGGED' CD
Critical acclaim and international success have greeted the arrival of ALANIS MORISSETTE's newly released UNPLUGGED (Maverick Recording Co.), the companion CD to her MTV special. Unplugged--described by Robert Hilburn in the Los Angeles Times as "a marvelous performance that finds her rethinking her songs rather than just replaying them"--debuted strongly, including Top 10 entries in Germany, Holland, Norway and Australia. Produced by ALANIS, the album--featuring the emphasis track "That I Would Be Good"--has sold over 1.4 million copies worldwide in the first week.
Coming off the most recent leg of her world tour which took her to Australia, New Zealand, the Far East, South America and South Africa, the singer, songwriter and musician will make her presence felt on television in America in December with the following appearances:
Thursday, December 16: CBS-TV's Late Show with David Letterman
Friday, December 17: ABC-TV's Good Morning America
PBS' Charlie Rose Show
MTV's "Total Request Live"
Thursday, December 23: Rosie O'Donnell Show (nationally syndicated)
At the same time, ALANIS makes her big screen debut in Kevin Smith's film Dogma, playing the role of God. "In this month's 'Dogma,' Kevin Smith's terrifically pixilated love letter to divinity," noted Interview magazine, "God is officially neither girl nor boy, but still looks like, well, Alanis herself. It's an inspired piece of casting."
Here are critics' comments about the UnpluggeD CD:
"Just when it seemed that this mostly acoustic series had run dry, Morissette jump-starts it with a marvelous performance that finds her rethinking her songs rather than just replaying them...the real treats are a stripped-down treatment of 'Uninvited' and a lovely, heartwarming version of 'That I Would Be Good,' a tale of self-affirmation from last year's Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie..."
--Robert Hilburn, LOS ANGELES TIMES, November 21, 1999
"'I'll always be Queen of Pain,' she sings on a cover of 'King of Pain.' Hardly. This lovely set--with three new songs--proves she's into communion, not conflict. Even her phrasing is gentler."
--Jeff Giles, NEWSWEEK, November 22, 1999 (four stars)
"...it's a solid set of songs produced by Morissette herself, including at least two of special note: the previously unreleased and entirely worthwhile 'No Pressure Over Cappucino' and a folksy cover of the Police's 'King of Pain.'...singles like 'You Oughta Know' and 'Ironic' fare well here. Backed by a stately piano and strings, the singer adds a degree of sophistication to the former and mournful eloquence to the latter."
--Aidin Vaziri, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE, November 21, 1999
"...she offers three new ones (all solid) and a potent version of the Police's 'King of Pain.'"
--Ben Wener, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, November 19, 1999
"...Morissette is a compelling live performer--exuding intelligence, warmth, and a quirky combo of passion and Zen calm. She draws on these, and the gentler acoustic setting, for a powerful finish that includes 'Uninvited,' a tender cover of the Police's 'King of Pain,' and her breakout megahit 'You Oughta Know,' which builds to impassioned, jilted-lover anthem."
--Beth Johnson, ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY, November 26, 1999# # #