Alanis Morissette: Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie

Alanis Morissette didn't sell 28 million copies of her breakthrough album Jagged Little Pill by being subtle. Packed with easily interpreted songs about independence and individuality ("Hand In My Pocket," "You Learn"), with the occasional dose of obsession ("You Oughta Know"), the album won a huge audience by explicitly overstating its case. So it comes as little surprise that instead of taking the Green Day/Hootie approach to sophomore-slump avoidance (simply remaking the multi-platinum hit), Morissette follows Jagged Little Pill with an ambitious, heavily produced, 17-song, 72-minute epic. Lyrically, she digs a little deeper than usual, though Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie certainly doesn't refrain from heavy-handed break-up songs like "Are You Still Mad." Morissette's secret to success is that her fans always know what she's singing about—she's not exactly obtuse, despite all those big words and pitter-patter verses—and her distinct style of over-emoting makes it easy to sing along. That calculated approach also makes her an easy mark for critics, and rightfully so, but Morissette does deserve credit for connecting with her audience on a visceral level. Songs like "Would Not Come" are awfully grating, as is Morissette's piercing voice after 72 minutes, but that's no reason to think Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie couldn't be almost as much of a crowd-pleaser as its best-selling predecessor.