Alanis rehashes Jagged Little Pill

Jagged Little Pill, the angst-ridden, adult debut of Canadian child star Alanis Morissette, sold over 30 million units when it was released in 1995. It had everybody grooving to the beat of All I Really Want and Ironic. It also had people exploring their inner selves and confessing to their doubts and faults the way Alanis did in her songs. Needless to say, it made Morissette a very big star. Of course, it also followed that the phenomenal sales of the album made producing another seller of the same dimensions extra difficult.

So how does any artist follow up something as successful as Jagged Little Pill? The ingenious Morissette’s answer came with the recent release of Jagged Little Pill Acoustic. This album has all the familiar tracks but re-recorded with mellow acoustic arrangements. It is billed as the 10th anniversary commemorative edition and is regarded as a tribute to one of the biggest selling and most memorable albums of the ‘90s.

Why rehash something so near perfect as Jagged Little Pill? Has Alanis run out of exciting ideas to sing about? Maybe. On the other hand, I cannot think of anybody else singing her oh-so-personal songs and after listening to the album, anybody will have to admit that she did right.

The idea is not really new. I know Bon Jovi also released an acoustic album of the group’s big hits. Bon Jovi, however, has not changed much over the years and the songs stayed the same save for the quieter accompaniment. Not so Alanis who went from rebel to wife in 10 years’ time and is now seemingly content with her life. When something like this happens to an artist of her depth and sensitivity, you can bet there will be major changes in the way she interprets her songs.

Morissette fans from way back have doubtless, matured and will surely be able to relate positively to her new interpretation. Instead of angst, there is now quiet introspection. Instead of rebellion, there is now wisdom about her mistakes. She is taking a look at the past with a smile because she has found the assurance of a bright future.

This is also a gift for those who shied away from Jagged Little Pill, because her music was too angry, too noisy and she moaned and screamed a lot. This is now their opportunity to appreciate her gift for clever melody turns, her sardonic wit and her amazing ability to take feelings and moments and capture them in her songs. Hurray, Alanis Morissette can be easy on the ears.

Includes all the cuts in the same order, All I Really Want, You Oughta Know, Perfect, Hand in my Pocket, Right Through You, Forgiven, You Learn, Head Over Feet, Mary Jane, Ironic, Not the Doctor and Wake Up, plus bonus multi-media content of video footage in the enhanced CD.

Superfresh 2

Speaking of old songs, if you are interested in having copies of some of the most popular rock tunes of the past two years, then Superfresh 2, is the album for you. As the cover blurb aptly says, the collection contains "20 of the Coolest Rock Hits Today" and these songs are not only cool, they are some of the best productions of recent years by new acts and big name bands.

Among the tracks included are Boulevard of Broken Dreams by Green Day; Welcome to My Life by Simple Plan; She Will be Loved by Maroon 5; Lonely No More by Rob Thomas; Breaking the Habit by Linkin Park; The Reason by Hoobastank; I Just Wanna Live by Good Charlotte; Nobody’s Home by Avril Lavigne; Love is Only a Feeling by The Darkness; I’m Not Okay (I Promise) by My Chemical Romance; Dakota by Stereophonics; Word Up by Korn; and True by Ryan Cabrera.

MTV VJ Colby’s Victory

Congratulations to VJ Colby. The MTV VJ bested nine other contestants from Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines to win the first-ever ASEAN MTV VJ Hunt 2005. The competition was part of the Summer Break Party themed event held at the Discovery Amphitheater in Bali, Indonesia last Aug. 20.

Colby, who joined MTV only last March, won the judges and the cheering crowd over because of his confident and witty replies to the questions posed the 10 finalists and by meeting the challenge of doing a Chipmunk impersonation. If you think that successfully impersonating a chipmunk is a strange way to win a contest, remember that this was among VJs of MTV for whom things are seldom ordinary.