This is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files.

This is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files.

Personnel: Alanis Morissette (vocals); Joel Shearer (acoustic guitar); John Shanks (electric guitar, keyboards); David Levita, Jason Orme (electric guitar); Zac Rae (piano, keyboards, vibraphone); Jamie Muhoberac (keyboards); Paul Bushnell, Tim Thorney (bass guitar); Kenny Aronoff, Blair Sinta (drums); Scott Gordon (drum programming).

Recording information: Groovemasters, Santa Monica, California; Stage And Sound, Hollywood, California; The Village Recorder, Los Angeles, California; Henson Studios, Hollywood, California.

Alanis Morissette crashed into pop music's collective consciousness in the mid-1990s as a woman scorned, carrying loads of resentment along with her alt-pop leanings. Morissette's fourth studio album, SO-CALLED CHAOS, reveals that she has come a long way from the days of "You Oughta Know," thanks, in part, to the healing powers of love. In this case, actor Ryan Reynolds is the object of her affection, and Morissette embarks on an in-depth exploration of the various aspects of romance.

Backed by a band that includes former Jane's Addiction bassist Eric Avery, the Canadian singer-songwriter casts out a wide range of emotions. She goes from the playful wordplay of "Knees of My Bees," with its loops and sitar-like flourishes, to the more serious concept of forgiveness at the heart of the melancholy "This Grudge." Not surprisingly, introspection drives Morissette's creative engine. With it comes material leaving her in a vulnerable, confessional mode, whether she's acknowledging jealousy while telling her paramour otherwise on "Doth I Protest Too Much" or exploring a fear of weakness on "Spineless." These songs reveal a mature tone missing from her early outings, and mark another fine and eclectic album by the always-intriguing artist.

What the critics say…

Q (p.105) - 3 stars out of 5 - "[T]he most solid collection of AOR you're likely to encounter this year."