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Under Rug Swept | 
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| Artist: Alanis Morissette
Label: Maverick
Category: Music
List Price: $13.98
Buy New: $11.99
You Save: $1.99 (14%)
New (30) Used (95) Collectible (2) from $0.18
Rating:  411 reviews
Sales Rank: 36958
Format: Enhanced
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 4.6 x 0.5
MPN: 47988
UPC: 009362479882
EAN: 0009362479882
ASIN: B00005TPKC
Release Date: February 26, 2002
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Tracks:
| • | 21 Things I Want In A Lover | | • | Narcissus | | • | Hands Clean | | • | Flinch | | • | So Unsexy | | • | Precious Illusions | | • | That Particular Time | | • | A Man | | • | You Owe Me Nothing in Return | | • | Surrendering | | • | Utopia |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
With all the attention Alanis Morissette's career has garnered, it's startling to think that on the release of her third studio CD she has yet to see her 28th birthday. Under Rug Swept finds Morissette in the producer's role, a position she seems more comfortable with at this stage than songwriter. The opener, "21 Things I Want in a Lover," finds Morissette ticking off her likes and dislikes before an attention-grabbing explosion of crunching guitar chords and a scratchy hip-hop beat. Swept's emotional flow is navigated by Morissette's vocal queues: her lower register accompanies confrontation and self-proclamation ("Narcissus"), the higher intimates vulnerability and reflection ("Utopia"). Every tone is enlivened by well-blended electronic and acoustic elements. The snag is that, as with her previous two albums, Under Rug Swept is marred by unabridged stream-of-consciousness lyrics. Her awkward syntax and distorted phrasing disorients music that's melodious and compelling. She remains acutely self-obsessed, delivering rants aimed at men who are fatally flawed and, naturally, irresistibly devastating. For now, her greatest strength as a musician lies in her ear for a powerful melody. Lyrically, she'd be better off keeping her contorted prose In Closet Locked. --Beth Massa
Album Description
Her first studio album in four years, the much-anticipated Under Rug Swept reveals a phenomenal success story of a woman who has become a truly major force in rock. Guests includes Flea & Meshell Ndegeocello. Maverick Records. Features enhanced material including videos. 2002.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 406 more reviews...
 Pull the emotions... May 21, 2008
Alanis' melodic turns are a thing of beauty. I've come to depend on her for melody with substance. So very glorious to my ears and my tears.
 the point of no return April 2, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
this is where alanis was made herself no longer valid in the good music industry.
Under Rug Swept September 14, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Some will say that Alannis is caught up in the fervor of lyrics and will sentence the fullness of "song" in this magnificent album to the gallows. But when put to test, the full force, words and music, of Flinch and Hands Clean as well as others on this album have to cause one to demand a re-run. Flinch has to be one of the finest songs of the period: pulsing with energy, caustic yet soothing; this song itself has to be the gem that completes the transition from Jagged Pill's subway high school diva to Central Park grown-up lover. I liken Under Rug Swept to the great album Four by Blues Travelor. Both of these become richer and more relevant as each playback completes. Listen to Alannis and to John Topper, they truly know the glory and tradegy of love in the modern world.
Alanis' New Maturity Shows She Doesn't Need to "Lash Out" August 4, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
When i first heard Alanis Morissette, it was in 1995 when "You Oughta Know" played on the radio. My first reaction to Morissette and "You Oughta Know" was not positive - it was "what is this, why is this woman so angry, and what is this chip on her shoulder?" Most of the "bubble gum" and synth-pop of the 1980s was beginning to fade, yet Morissette's anger just seemed too raw for me to absorb at the time. However as the subsequent singles from Morissette's "Jagged Little Pill" album were released, I soon began to see more than an angry young woman. When I listened to "Jagged Little Pill" in its entirety, I realized that this album lived up to all of the hype. Not only did this album garner critical acclaim, but it was one of the best selling albums of all-time. When there is a monster album, expectations are usually through the roof for a follow-up album, and while Morissette's "Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie" was still a very good album and sold well, many considered it a disappointment. Artists that usually have a "sophomore" slump have a difficult time with their third album sales. Morissette's third effort, "Under Rug Swept" wouldn't sell as well as "Jagged Little Pill", but from a quality standpoint, it would not disappoint.
When one produces a legendary album like "Jagged Little Pill", one faces a crossroads - "play it safe and do the same thing" or "explore new avenues". To Morissette's credit, she changed her act with "Junkie" as she made a more personal and "darker" sounding experimental album that instead of angst took a more reconciliatory tone. With "Under Rug Swept", the tone reflects Alanis' maturity as she takes a more "diplomatic" way to lash out her anger.
There are three big changes to note on this album. This is the first album without her producer Glen Ballard. Ballard served as Morissette's songwriter and producer on the first two albums. Now Morissette takes production and songwriting into her own hands - in other words, assuming complete control. Sometimes an artist needs an outsider to serve as a "devil's advocate". While Morissette does a very good job in her new "solo" duties, I think this album could have benefited from Ballard playing "devil's advocate".
The second change has to do with Morissette's voice. The raspy and screeching voice found on "Jagged Little Pill" is all but gone - again reflecting maturity by Morissette. The third change is that Morissette drops her trademark harmonica for "Under Rug Swept", but she continues to pick up more instrumentation as she did on "Junkie" - this time the guitar.
Here is a quick synopsis of the tracks:
"21 Things That I Want in a Lover": This song reflects Alanis' maturity in the way she "lashes out" by describing 'not necessarily needs but qualities that I prefer' in her lover. This track contains some excellent guitar work.
"Narcissus": Flea has a guest appearance playing bass, but I wouldn't say this is a song that gives a legendary bassist like Flea a chance to shine. This track has Morissette demonstrating the vocal ranges found on "Jagged Little Pill". This song also shows maturity in the way Morissette "lashes out".
"Hands Clean": Awesome track. Morissette's vocals are the driving force of this track. Her vocals allow here to deliver a song that seems personal. The song seems to chronicle a relationship Morissette had with an older man. Apparently the relationship needed to be kept quiet.
"Flinch": A softer song, once again Morissette takes her vocals and makes them the driving force. Her vocals are passionate and not raspy and that is what it needs to deliver the message. In this song Morissette faced losing a lover, but once again doesn't "lash out" like she did on her "Jagged Little Pill" days. Great track
"So Unsexy": Another great track. Alanis faces rejection again on this track and with her maturity, she once again doesn't "lash out". While this is a "slower" track, there is some terrific hard guitar in this song. Morissette's vocals once again deliver a passionate message.
"Precious Illusions": This song opens with more of the Indian music influence that Morissette incorporated on "Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie". This is another terrific track. Morissette shows her maturity referring to "The Ring" and "The Pill" on this track yet talks about those long-lasting effects of her "precious illusions" she had as a kid.
"That Particular Time": A very slow track, it gives Morissette a chance to shine. Morissette describes another relationship that didn't work. Once again, Morissette doesn't lash out, but deals with things in a more conciliatory tone
"A Man": This song also has a bit of an Indian influence. From the title, Morissette sings this song from the perspective of someone who is a man - describing the emotions a man might feel.
"You Owe Me Nothing in Return": This song has a bit of a R&B/funk feel to it. Morissette takes her conciliatory tone as she sings lines such as "you can also for space for yourself and only yourself and I will grant it".
"Surrendering": This is the best track of the collection. This track also has a bit of a funk groove to it. This song is almost the antithesis of "Jagged Little Pill's " "Not the Doctor". "Not the Doctor" dealt with Alanis' frustration with a weaker man. On this track, Alanis seems impressed with the man who has it all together. Alanis' vocals are awesome.
"Utopia": A folk-like song. Alanis sings about her vision of "Utopia". The instrumentation provides the power on this song. Alanis sings in a higher octave giving this song a good feel.
The liner notes include all of the lyrics . This album isn't like "Jagged Little Pill", but that doesn't mean it was a bad album. In fact this album deserved Album of the Year consideration in 2002. I'd highly recommend it.
Soul Music April 23, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I had until very recently lost track of Alanis Morissette (and pop/rock in general) since her first three albums and would ordinarily see no point in adding my own review of a several-year-old album to the hundreds (412 at the moment) that have already been posted on this site, but having rediscovered how much I liked her music -- Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie and Under Rug Swept in particular -- I felt like writing a word or two.
My attention was initially caught by Beth Massa's (professional reviewer) comment:
"The snag is that, as with her previous two albums, Under Rug Swept is marred by unabridged stream-of-consciousness lyrics. Her awkward syntax and distorted phrasing disorients music that's melodious and compelling. She remains acutely self-obsessed, delivering rants aimed at men who are fatally flawed and, naturally, irresistibly devastating. For now, her greatest strength as a musician lies in her ear for a powerful melody. Lyrically, she'd be better off keeping her contorted prose In Closet Locked"
This, I think, completely misses what is for me the core appeal of the best music on her first three albums: her raw honesty. An honesty which more often than not cuts both ways. I, obviously, have never had an interview with Alanis Morissette, but my feeling is that her "stream-of-consciousness lyrics", or blank verse if you like, is nothing more than her communicating how she thinks and feels about an event or issue in the way most natural to her, and if her chosen words and phrasing happen to be displeasing to the style police why should she or anyone else give a tinker's damn? Real honesty is rare enough in itself. Intelligent, thoughtful, honesty is practically an endangered species in popular culture. It seems to me that rewriting blank verse that is honest and powerful (and a perfect match for the music in my opinion) into some sort of equivalent of iambic pentameter would be an ugly and insane triumph of form over substance. And I will also add that she doesn't seem to be any more "self-obsessed" than anyone else I know. How can anyone write a song about personal pain or anger without sounding self-obsessed anyway? That fact that there may be bigger things going on in the wide world can give us some perspective but it won't make the pain go away. Kurt Vonnegut once said something to the effect that all real literature was about the same thing: Being a human being is a bummer. This is vintage Vonnegut but the point is that the most meaningful art is about the pain, and confusion, and confounded fallibility of being human. The best of Alanis Moressette's music (which includes most of the songs on this album) is certainly of this type. What some have refered to as "soul music". I will choose it over "style" music any day of the week.
As evidenced by her first three albums Alanis Morissette is one of the best alternative pop/rock musicians out there both musically and lyrically. Jagged Little Pill was a great album. Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie, and Under Rug Swept are outstanding.
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