Album Review: Unplugged by Alanis Morrisette

Poor Alanis. In the mid '90s, she was loved, adored. She could have been elected President. And now, she's reviled, pitied, parodied. Whereas before she was sailing right down the mainstream, Alanis now polarizes audiences. Alanis Unplugged, her new live album, is even more likely to split audiences because it combines hits from Jagged Little Pill, songs from Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie, a few cover songs (the Police's "King of Pain," for instance) and a couple of new ones. It's a mish-mash of the old and new Alanis. Jagged Little Pill, remember, didn't have a single throwaway song (even the hidden track was fantastic). Junkie tried to show us a more sophisticated Alanis, but it was an iffy album--many of the songs were just stream-of-consciousness rambling without the radio-friendly melodies of Pill. Alanis' voice simply isn't strong enough to carry us through five minutes of "These Are My Thoughts," the actual title of one of the new songs. Stronger efforts include the versions of "Ironic" (with a completely reinvented melody), the orchestral "You Oughta Know," the fantastic "Uninvited" and the simply beautiful "No Pressure Over Cappucino," which has the fascinating chorus, "And you're like a '90s Jesus." B