Hometown: Chicago, IL
Debut: 1993

Personnel:
Liz Phair -vocals, guitar, piano, synthesizer
Casey Rice -acoustic & electric guitars, chimes, background vocals
Brad Wood -guitar, saxophone, keyboards, synthesizers, bass, drums, percussion, background vocals
John Henderson -guitar
Leroy Bach -bass

Notes:
Liz Phair started making her four-track cassette tapes while at Oberlin College in the early '90s under the name Girlysound. On her first Matador album, Exile In Guyville, she took on the Rolling Stones and all the guys in the Wicker Park, Chicago rock scene, emerging victorious on the cover of Rolling Stone under the banner "A Star is Born." Exile was a critical success, ranking among the top albums of 1993 in every major music publication. Heralding a different kind of sex-positive woman's rock music, Liz Phair released her sophmore effort, Whip Smart, which took the woman once best known for singing "I want to be your blowjob queen" in a droning round into the Billboard Top 30. "Supernova" became a good old-fashioned hit, and Whip-Smart soon became the biggest selling album in Matador history, though it was received with less enthusiasm than the debut. In the four years Phair's fans waited for the release of Whitechocolatespaceegg, their heroine scrapped recording sessions with R.E.M. producer Scott Litt, got married, and had a son. Despite her well-documented bouts of stage fright, Phair packed her suitcase and joined the Lilith Fair in 1998 and again in 1999, as well as headlining her own three-month jaunt, later -- somewhat ironically -- opening for Alanis Morissette. Phair's next album is scheduled for a 2000 release.

Links:
Liz Phair Mothership
We Love Liz Phair

The Slick Divide: pics, news, lyrics and more

Whip-Smart must be a disappointment to those who'd hoped Liz Phair's sophomore effort would be, well, sophomoric. It's anything but. Gone is the sad girl exiled in self-indulgent Guyville, lamenting the lack of a boyfriend; here is a strong, assured woman, grown up, wounds licked clean and taking no prisoners.

If Exile was about what Phair thought she needed, Whip-Smart is about realizing what she doesn't need - knowledge is power here, both lyrically and musically. Arrangement-wise, the songs are more playful, jubilantly up-tempo and gimmick-free than Exile's rambling, lo-fi confessionals. The gender vs. gender quandary is still explored, and Phair retains her dead-on commentary on jealousy, creeps and the bad side of love - she just doesn't let it get the best of her anymore. Although still examining the pitfalls of love, there's a distinct lack of depression to Whip-Smart's offerings. Tunes like "Supernova," the salsa-infused independence anthem "Cinco de Mayo" and "Support System" are surprisingly ironic and singable at the same time.

Phair sings with confidence and convinces us she's on top of things, and we believe her. The humanity of Exile remains intact, though - she touches on sadness, confusion and ire, but without the despondency of Exile's most brutal songs. The metaphor-laden "Go West" is a fine example, as Phair sings: "I'm not looking forward to missing you, but I must have something better to do, I've got to tear my life apart and go west young man." Clearly, these songs are more about positive mobility than solitary inertia.

The title song of the album is probably the thematic heart of this record. It's an upbeat lullaby, sung to a yet-unborn son, teaching him how to live a happy life and how to love a woman the right way. Complete with electronic tweeting birds and references to Double-Dutch, "Whip-Smart" tells us that Liz Phair has a better handle on things and is more than happy to spread the word. Pick up a copy, sing along and learn a thing or two.

If you like Liz Phair, check out:
Liz Phair Exile In Guyville
Liz Phair Whitechocolatespaceegg
Liz Phair Juvenilia
Aimee Mann I'm With Stupid
Tori Amos From the Choirgirl Hotel
Mary Lou Lord Got No Shadow

-- Beth Bachtold

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