Greetings,
I've noticed that artists who have one particular album being extremely successful can have that be a positive but also a bit of a negative. It's positive for the obvious, but the negative has to do with the fact that their other works are sometimes underrated, or just flat out ignored. Anyone who knows anything about the 90's knows that Alanis Morisette's Jagged Little Pill was one of the defining albums of the decade, and deservedly so. But I think some people hold that one is such high regard that they forget how much great music she did that was NOT on that album. So, I thought I'd bring attention to some of that today and talk about Under Rug Swept.
Under Rug Swept was released in 2002, about four years after her last project. There is a subtle theme that threads all the songs together as it appears to chronicle the end of a relationship. Alanis was also inspired by all the traveling she had been doing, including the time she spent in the Navajo nation. And if you recall the first single "Hands Clean", she digs into her past, of course, telling some revealing stories about her involvement with an older man in her youth. It was accompanied by a great video as well, which visually showed the ordeal pretty perfectly. It also contains the lyric from where we get the album title.
The opening track is called "21 Things I Want in a Lover", where you can tell that a bit of it seems kind of tongue in cheek, but at the same time, you know she's not messing around with some of the things she mentions. Just something to add to the mystery. It's what we writers do. And back to the subject of the aforementioned great videos, another track that got one was "Precious Illusions". The song has a very unique sound musically, and I love what the lyrics say about dealing with how we felt about things when we were younger and how it conflicts with having to become an adult and see the world more realistically, all told through the lens of a romance. "Surrendering" is another one with a great message, talking about the courage of letting yourself be loved. Don't we all need that sometimes? Now I suppose I can relate to the song "So Unsexy" . . . 'cause I'm SO not that! Just kidding. In fact, it's all about how we should not take our insecurities so seriously. Everyone has them, so clearly, they aren't picky or exclusive and thus, don't deserve all the power we give to them.
If I have to choose a favorite song from the album, it would definitely be "You Owe Me Nothing in Return". It's just a sweet, upbeat song about love. How we need to support each other in relationships, but not let go of who we are and what we want out of life. It's nice being reminded that it's something that is possible to obtain.
Ya know, I think it would be only right if I tacked on a little mini-review to this and talk about something Alanis released later that year called Feast on Scraps. The CD has some B-sides and whatnot, but it also has a DVD which has concert footage from her tour, as well as some behind the scenes stuff. That's my favorite. And why I bring it up is because we get to see her working on some of the tracks from this Under Rug Swept album. So, we get to see her in her creative process, which is pretty revealing as she does let herself go deep into the emotions of what she's working on . I can relate. It's just so nice to witness someone letting herself be seen in that vulnerable state.
So, to wrap up, I would recommend this album. If I'm being honest, no, it might not be as good as Jagged Little Pill as a whole. However, it has so many great moments on it, and you can really feel how much of herself that Alanis put into these songs. For me, that always adds something extra to any work of art. And though we've seen her be emotional from a side of anger, here, we get to see it from a far more peaceful and mature perspective.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
