Quick Pre-Christmas releases are not supposed to be this good

Alright, Christmas time was approaching and Alanis Morissette didn't have any new material to release. That is an easy enough problem to solve. She played MTV Unplugged and released it right as people were looking to unload some money. The weird thing is that the album works.

Alanis Morissette's shows have gotten a little too predictable in recent years, but this live collection was recorded just before that happened. Her voice sounds beautiful, and her lyrics are stressed in the acoustic setting. She is able to take her songs (mix them with a great cover tune), and capture an audience. This is the perfect Alanis cd.

I had the fortune to watch the MTV Unpluged before buying the cd. As I was viewing the event, my jaw dropped when I started hearing the band play the beginning of the Police song "King Of Pain." I will admit that the first thought in my mind was, "Alanis, don't try to do such a classic." When she began to belt out the song I was amazed. She sounded great. I can only think of two other times when a cover has replaced an original in my mind (Pearl Jam doing "Baba O'Reiley," and Johnny Cash "Hurt"). Alanis did that with "King Of Pain." Now when I want to hear the song (as much as I love the Police) I listen to Alanis' MTV Unplugged. Her vocals seem to come through your speakers when you listen. It is like nothing I have ever heard....well....until she played "Uninvited."

That version of "Uninvited" ends the disc. Of course, the song was made popular from the City of Angels soundtrack. This version puts the soundtrack version to shame. This is just another example of how her voice can just give a listener goose-bumps. As you probably know, the song is a great piece of song-writing. This version is more than just a great song. It is an event.

Another advantage of this disc are some of the previously unreleased tracks. "No Pressure Over Capuccino" is a song with which many Alanis fans were already familiar. The song was played at a number of her concerts over the "Jagged Little Pill" tour. Along with "Can't Not" (which is not on MTV Unplugged), these songs were the only new tunes played on that tour. A lot of the die-hard fans (me being one of them) spent rediculous amounts of money on boatleg cds to get those two songs. The Unplugged version is obviously cheaper, and it is of great sound quality. "No Pressure Over Capuccino" is a melodic, sweet song. This is more in-line with some of her more recent material. This song is a must have for any real Alanis Morissette fan, and the casual fan will like it as well.

Speaking of the casual Alanis fan, you get many of the big radio hits on MTV Unplugged. "You Learn," "Ironic," and "Head Over Feet" all make this album seem very similar to a greatest hits disc. The advantage to Unplugged is that you do not get the same versions that you have heard on the radio for a decade now. This is more evident with the smash hit "You Oughta Know." The song appears on "Jagged Little Pill" as a hard rock song, but the tone changes with this version. Since you have heard "You Oughta Know's" original so many times, this serves as a refreshing change. With MTV Unplugged, you get songs you recognize, but in a way that will not bore you.

I have taken to doing this at the end of cd reviews. I am going to give you the track listing with my particular grade for each song. These are my opinions, so take them as you will.

1) You Learn C+
2) Joining You A
3) No Pressure Over Capuccino (Previously Unreleased) A
4) That I Would Be Good B
5) Head Over Feet A-
6) Princess Familiar (Previously Unreleased) B+
7) I Was Hoping A-
8) Ironic C+
9) These R The Thoughts B
10) King Of Pain A+++++ (With Honors)
11) You Oughta Know A
12) Uninvited A+