Alanis Morissette

Even on her sixth studio album, Alanis Morissette’s lyrics still cause you to pause. Did she just sing, “How you land in the soft as you fortify”? Or “Core, born into form, starts in our living room”? Psychology textbooks are less linguistically challenged and just as littered with cases of emotional break-downs. Producer and cowriter Guy Sigsworth (Björk) kicks up the beats per minute with tabla (“Citizen of the Planet”), squeezes out a syrupy greeting-card moment (“Torch”), points up a likable melody (“Giggling Again for No Reason”), and layers Morissette’s vocals for widescreen effect. But nothing can hide her tortured grammar or soul.

By Rob O' Connor