Because I’m weird, I have to say that I didn’t really “get” Liz Phair until she sold out.
Yeah, I read Spin and all those alt-monthlies that called Liz hot shit on a stick when “Exile in Guyville” came out. Didn’t one of those rags name it Album of the Year or something? Despite the tons of press, she only garnered my attention in fits and starts-until “Why Can’t I?” became the biggest radio hit of her career.
Her music was still smart (whip-smart, if you will), but it was more pop-accessible than it had been in the past. And for whatever reason, I didn’t realize until that point that Liz was SMOKIN’ HOT. The album “Why Can’t I?” appeared on (which was self-titled), went on to become a strong seller and it was a solid album, containing good songs like “Extraordinary” and the eyebrow-raising “H.W.C.”. For those unaware, it stands for Hot White Cum. Yes, she’s THAT girl.
A couple of subsequent albums failed to catch fire, probably because “Liz Phair” was widely viewed as a sellout move, or the point where Liz said “fuck all this indie girl shit. I’m trying to get some of that Sheryl Crow money!”. At any rate, other than a reissue of “Exile in Guyville”, Liz has been laying low lately.
However, she’s back. And the sound of “Bollywood” makes one wish that she’d just stayed away. This song is nothing short of a 120 degree inferno of a hot mess. The whole nerdy-girl talk-rapping shtick only worked with Tina Weymouth thirty years ago, and the Bollywood theme has been beaten down to the ground for a couple of years now. One only hopes that a song this bad is a joke. Ah well, at least she’s still hot.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJ7tGcLcwwY