Alanis Morissette

MTV Unplugged

Alanis Live is a unique experience!

Review Score:

(10/10)
I'll first start by saying that I am an enormous fan of Alanis Morissette. She is one the greatest female singers of all time, her songs are superbly melodic, her vocals are brilliant and she produces thought-provoking songs that touch me in no way any other artist has.

I have had "Jagged Little Pill" for almost a year now. It instantly became my favourite album ever, and nothing is going to change that anytime soon. I'm not exaggerating when I say I must've listened to it more than a thousand times - and that's quite a lot in the space of a year! I'm also confident that after this I will continue to listen to it for the rest of my life. I avoided buying "Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie" for a while as I had read some reviews that said it was nothing like Jagged Little Pill. I resisted for a while but I needed more material from Alanis so I bought the album in June earlier this year. I wasn't too keen at first, but I listened to it more and, well - let's just say I was in a state of musical bliss for months on end! It was totally euphoric, and I love the record to bits. "Under Rug Swept" is yet another superb album from Alanis, but it's not a patch on her first two albums. I now have all of Alanis' main studio albums and recently read that she is working on some new material. Which brings me to this review...

I had bought all three of Alanis' major albums, so I decided to buy "Alanis Unplugged." I didn't expect much, as I had heard all the songs before on the albums, but to my surprise yet again, I love this CD more than I expected! Alanis sings with such honesty and emotion when live. It's just herself and her microphone, along with hardcore fans taking in the energy surrounding them. It's very inspiring. The set kicks off in wonderful style with the song "You Learn." From the Jagged Little Pill album, this song was a huge hit all over the world and one of the most-played radio hits of the 90's. Alanis is superb on it, and things get better with her powerful performance of "Joining You" from the Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie album.

Alanis then sings a new song, "No Pressure Over Cappuccino," said to be inspire about her brother and his sexual orientation. It's a great song, which is followed by "That I Would Be Good" and "Head Over Feet." Another new song, "Princes Familiar," is debuted next. It's the best 'new' song on the album, and it has the melodic excellence to rival anything from the Under Rug Swept album. Next comes a great performance of "I Was Hoping" and a high-pitched sunlit version of "Ironic." Another new song comes along in the form of "These R The Thoughts," which is followed by a cover-version of "King Of Pain." The crowd goes wild for it, and so will the listener! Next comes a wonderfully diverse performance of Alanis' trademark hit "You Oughta Know." The audience goes wild with excitement, and are then treated to the fabulous "Uninvited."

OVERALL GRADE: 9/10

Out of all Alanis Morissette's albums, I'd say that "Alanis Unplugged" is probably the least important. If you want to get into her music, you should be buying Jagged Little Pill, Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie and Under Rug Swept. Three essential albums. This CD is essential for hardcore fans, however, and we get to see the real Alanis. She jokes about spilling water over herself and thanks the audience at the end by saying, "Thank you. Very much. It's been such a pleasure. I love you." She proves she isn't afraid of small spaces and groups of people, but most importantly, she proves that she is just human like the rest of us which has to be one of the most gifted and special parts of being a huge celebrity - remaining grounded and focused on the important things in life.

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