NASHVILLE |FROM: MITCH SCHNEIDER/MARCEE RONDAN/LATHUM NELSON
ALANIS MORISSETTE TO PERFORM ON THREE NATIONAL TELEVISION SHOWS TO COINCIDE WITH THE JULY 26 RETAIL RELEASE OF
‘JAGGED LITTLE PILL ACOUSTIC’
ALANIS MORISSETTE will mark the July 26 retail release of her JAGGED LITTLE PILL ACOUSTIC studio album (on Maverick Records) by performing on The Tonight Show (Monday, July 25) and Jimmy Kimmel Live (Wednesday, July 27). The singer, songwriter and musician will also return to PBS’ Tavis Smiley Show for a performance (airdate TBA).
JAGGED LITTLE PILL ACOUSTIC–on which ALANIS “casts her classics in a more atmospheric, contemplative light” (Chicago Tribune, 6/13/05)–was originally released June 13 exclusively at Starbucks, where it logged the biggest single-week CD sales in Starbucks history (more than 61,000 copies). The six-week Starbucks exclusivity coincided with ALANIS’ recently completed 27-date North American “JAGGED LITTLE PILL ACOUSTIC TOUR.” In a stripped down acoustic setting, where her passionate vocals highlighted the personal sentiment in her music, the seven-time Grammy Award winner has earned huge critical praise.
A new fan favorite, JAGGED LITTLE PILL ACOUSTIC gave ALANIS the opportunity to “re-interpret the songs in ways that have developed in my touring and acoustic shows over the past ten years.” The original JAGGED LITTLE PILL is recognized as the best-selling debut by a female solo artist, having sold over 30 million copies worldwide, including 14 million in the U.S. Hailed as “Album of the Decade” byBillboard magazine, the album earned ALANIS four Grammy awards–Album of the Year, Best Female Rock Vocal Performance (“You Oughta Know”), Best Rock Song (“You Oughta Know”) and Best Rock Album–and inspired a whole new generation of singer-songwriters.
Ben Wener of the ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER (7/16/05) noted how JAGGED LITTLE PILL ACOUSTIC “…has fortified the backbone of her artistry with a thoughtful reworking from a different vantage point. Instead of wallowing in the ire of youth, she has found fresh ways of hearing this material, bringing maturity and wisdom she hasn’t possessed until now to ‘Right Through You,’ say, or ‘All I Really Want,’ songs that once got by on snarling, hair-flailing antagonism more than a both-sides-now temperament. A sleepier yet no less ebullient ‘Hand in My Pocket’ and the haunting ‘Forgiven’ now play like letters from a less restless woman rooted by a measure of peacefulness, not pining for a shred of it.”
Here are more critical quotes about the JAGGED LITTLE PILL ACOUSTIC album and tour:
ALBUM QUOTES
“An acoustic song-by-song retooling of Morissette and co-composer/producer Glen Ballard’s masterwork, the album casts her classics in a more atmospheric, contemplative light.”
–Moira McCormick, CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 6/13/05
“Certain songs, like ‘All I Really Want,’ feel markedly different. They benefit from their acoustic makeovers, and brim with exotic percussive elements like the Eastern-tinted wheezing of the perapaloshka and the breezy drive of the pump organ that carries Morissette’s plea. On ‘Ironic,’ Morissette slightly tweaks her lyrics to reflect political questions of the day, supplanting the word ‘husband’ for ‘wife’ in the line, ‘It’s like meeting the man of my dreams and then meeting his beautiful wife.’ But few changes are as overt.”
–Brian Orloff, ST. PETERSBURG TIMES, 6/23/05
“JAGGED LITTLE PILL ACOUSTIC is a unique juxtaposition. It’s the same songs in the same order, but they’re also artfully different from their predecessors. The angsty jam that broke Alanis and her fearless message to the world, ‘You Oughta Know,’ becomes a methodical, down-tempo manifesto of matured understanding.”
–Ricardo Baca, DENVER POST, 7/3/05
“A decade of singing these songs, from the angry ‘You Oughta Know’ to the more reflective ‘Head Over Feet,’ gave her the ability to inflect new emotion in each performance. ‘You Oughta Know’ seethes more than rages; other songs get a treatment that is more assured.”
–Mark Brown, ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS, 7/5/05
“What this new acoustic collection does quite well is accentuate that fine line between love and hate, especially during a smartly reworked ‘You Oughta Know.’ The outright joy–even sweetness–beaming from both ‘Head Over Feet’ and ‘You Learn also refute the notion that Morissette was little more than an angst-ridden male-basher.”
–John Roos, OC WEEKLY, 7/16/05
TOUR QUOTES
“…one exceptional singing performance after another…”
–Gary Graff, BILLBOARD.com, 6/9/05
“…‘You Oughta Know’’s makeover was a revelation: It laid bare Morissette’s anguish, not her anger, and your heart broke right along with hers.”
–Moira McCormick, CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 6/13/05
”…magnetic stage presence.”
–Brian Orloff, CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 6/13/05
“She practically brought the show to a stop at its start….”
–Christa Titus, HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 6/16/05
“…still one of pop’s most intense performers…Her voice was passionate, piercing and pretty all evening.”
–David Hiltbrand, PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 6/16/05
“On ‘Mary Jane,’ another song about the psychological scars of adolescence, Morissette’s voice rang out beautifully…”
–Rafer Guzman, NEWSDAY, 6/17/05
“…[she] offered a warmer and subtler spin on songs such as ‘Head Over Feet’ and ‘Right Through You.’”
–Mark Hirsh, BOSTON GLOBE, 6/20/05
“Morissette brilliantly revealed her evolution as an artist while exploring the lyrical pain of her past.”
–Rashod D. Ollison, BALTIMORE SUN, 6/20/05
“…a warm, triumphant performance…Morissette’s command and poise were astounding.”
–Linda Laban, BOSTON HERALD, 6/18/05
“The purity and passion of her voice was beautifully showcased by the stripped-down setting.”
–Rosanne Gallagher, DETROIT NEWS HERALD, 6/l1/05
“That Morissette’s striking alto is every bit as powerful, but more nuanced, as it was in her heyday was evident in ‘Your House’ and the ensuing 90 minutes.”
–Keith Spera, NEW ORLEANS TIMES PICAYUNE, 7/1/05
“…Morissette gave new voice to her body of work. Many of the songs definitely benefit from reinvention. Morissette’s voice…has gotten rich and flavorful. ‘Hand in My Pocket’ comes across more contemplative and grateful. ‘Forgiven’ actually goes the opposite way, coming off angrier, as the years have taught Morissette that many of the things she felt guilt and shame about were never her fault to begin with.”
–Mark Brown, ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS, 7/6/05
“…powerful…a terrific showcase for Morissette’s clear, powerful vocals…timeless, heartfelt songs…The acoustic format gave the lyrics, as well as Morissette’s vocals, more impact.”
–Gene Stout, SEATLLE POST-INTELLIGENCER, 7/11/05
“…Alanis Morissette slipped on the musical equivalent of a decade-old prom dress Wednesday and guess what? All in all, it’s a classic that still fits remarkably well…The reason it rarely felt like a cultural time capsule had less to do with her new acoustic reinterpretation than the fact that the venting of sadness and fury over busted relationships will never go out of style as long as people live and try to love.”
–Randy Lewis, LOS ANGELES TIMES, 7/15/05
“…impeccable throughout the show…has gained a greater command over her voice over the last 10 years…”
–Theresa Cano, ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 6/17/05
“…The unplugged format allowed her storytelling to come front and center, her lyrics living and breathing in a fresh manner.”
–Christina Fuoco, LIVEDAILY.COM, 7/18/05
