Phair To Middling

Lest we forget, Liz Phair is the woman who brought the immortal lyric “Your eyelashes sparkle like you did grass/and your lips are sweet and slippery like a cherub’s bare ass” to the table. For that alone, she is to be respected. Having released Exile In Guyville 14 years ago, Liz Phair became, somewhat unwittingly, the drinking man’s crumpet, delighting legions of oversexed indie snobs before disappearing off the map into her own self-imposed exile.
Of course, a lot can happen in 14 years, and the indie snobs’ tastes became a little more finely honed, their expectations more lofty. Somewhat inexplicably, it transpires that Phair has recently enlisted the help of the songwriting/production team The Matrix, who have also written hits for (oh god) Avril Lavigne. Regrettably, the result is a highly mediocre collection of easy listening and inoffensive grooves, rendering Phair more of a kindred soul to Michelle Branch, Vanessa Carlton and the Dixie Chicks than indie doyennes like PJ Harvey.
Her reputation as a bit of a badass back in the day means that she will probably never be accepted into the saccharine rock-pop princess arena, yet her indie queen crown has well and truly been swiped.