Flavors Of Entanglement - Alanis Morissette
User Score
8.9 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 53 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 48 out of 53
  2. Negative: 4 out of 53

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  1. Nov 11, 2011
    2
    This album makes it quite clear: Alanis Morissette doesn't have a single good album left in her. Whatever happened to the down-to-earth, levelheaded woman who wrote so many earnest, tell-it-like-it-is pop songs in 1995? Maybe the pressure of fame whittled down her edge: as she graduated from young woman to full blown adult over the course of five or six albums, she has steadily inundated her music with an ever-increasing amount of self-conscious psychobabble. And each album has been worse than the one before. On Flavors of Entanglement, she's as confessional as she was fifteen years ago, but after two decades of reading self-help books, her confessions are somewhat embarrassing and unpleasant to hear. Morissette frequently uses jargon that's usually reserved for a psychologist's couch, heightening the sense that we are in the unpleasant head of a too-self-conscious neurotic. Witness the laundry list of therapy terms in Versions of Violence: "Diagnosing, analyzing, Unsolicited advice, Explaining and controlling, judging opining and meddling"; the awkward phrasing of Moratorium: "I declare a moratorium on things relationship, i declare a respite from the toils of liason." And don't get me started on the sophomoric rambling of "Giggling Again for No Reason", which has lyrics and a title that would be embarrassing for a 14 year old girl to write, let alone a full grown woman. So the final result is an awkward mess of unmelodic, unsurprising and somewhat affected lyrics from the mind of someone who has become less than interesting. Not a jagged little pill...a big, bland, dry one. Expand
  2. JayB
    Jun 12, 2008
    10
    This is Alanis' best album since SFIJ! Her writing is so strong and personal, yet the music is refreshing and interesting. Highlights: "Citizen of the Planet," "Underneath," "Straitjacket," "Not as We," and "Incomplete." I haven't stopped listening to this album since I bought it!
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  3. CalK.
    Jun 12, 2008
    10
    Fabulous. Her best album in a LONG time!
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  4. ChrisO
    Jun 16, 2008
    9
    The best alanis cd in a decade. bonus track on special edition are great too.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  5. JoeC
    Jun 19, 2008
    9
    Excellent album. Her best since JLP. There is something so heartfelt about the music.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  6. LuisG.
    Jun 24, 2008
    9
    Alanis Morissette is a creature of habit raw, bare, unapologetic, dared and consistent when speaking her truth which by now your either putt off by or welcome her full journal canvas way or recording albums is apparent again like Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie and its predecessor Jagged Little Pill " FLAVORS OF ENTANGLEMENT" is clear singer-songwriter territory under the wing of Guy Sigsworth ( Madonna, BjorK ) alanis sounds at times tamed yet eloquent in her deliverance even with clumsy lyrics ( On the tequila, Giggling Again for no reason) with a flare of synth-programming, dance loops and an offering of such vulnerableness that even for alanis seems extreme but then after such a public breakup one cannot relent otherwise. FOE is candid with a choice of diction that no one like alanis delivers a dictionary comes in handy if your ears are being trained by the hip hop bombast on radio today. FOE will not win alanis any new league of fans but will satisfy and set forth another staple in her signature artistry. KEY TRACKS: Citizen Of the Planet , Underneath Straitjacket, Not As We, In Praise of the vulnerable man, Incomplete. B SIDES Orchid / The Guy Who leaves. Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  7. RushellT.
    Jul 7, 2008
    9
    After all the hype surrounding the new release of Flavors, I was ecstatic to get my copy of the cd. A true Alanis fan, I was not let down. She still has it, and then some. Like many others, I was expecting the rage and angst/sadness from her recent breakup, but was surprised (in a pleasant way) that that was not the case. That being said, it's a superb album with tracks that will have you close to tear with the lyrics and bouncing in your seat, head nodding along, thumb tapping on the steering wheel. I think my fav. track was Torch, followed closely by Citizen of the Planet and Straightjacket. Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  8. wilsonc
    Jun 11, 2008
    9
    Flavors Of entanglement is a stunning return to form for Alanis. After the slow, 10-year decline of listenable, true albums (after URS, things slid waaayy downhill) she has brought to the table a new sound, a powerful voice, and alot of things to say--not something notifiable since 1998. Welcome back Alanis, you've been missed.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  9. SamsonA
    Jun 11, 2008
    10
    We're talking insightful relevant lyrics, amazing vocal performance incorporating new timbres, judicious fusion of folk, electronica and dance with the familiar Alanis-styled alternative rock song structures, and a highly intelligent production rendering a delectable variety of songs. A well-crafted, well-rounded album by a significant singer-songwriter at the top of her game.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  10. KatyA.
    Jun 12, 2008
    10
    Beautiful. The best voice on earth, perfect album!
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  11. MoeinN.
    Jun 12, 2008
    10
    nothing is new...but i think this is new..got it?!...before i download this album i was thinking this is going to be the best..& this is good.. not the best!...got it?!
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  12. LeeS
    Jun 12, 2008
    10
    This is Alanis's best album since Jagged Little Pill. It's filled with anger, sadness and a tiny taste of happiness. Beyond satisfying!
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  13. HumbertoV.
    Jun 12, 2008
    10
    Amazing resignation record! Simply delightful.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  14. EricD.
    Jun 13, 2008
    10
    Solid.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  15. Jennifer
    Jun 16, 2008
    10
    Wow I am really impressed! such a great cd.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  16. j.j
    Jun 24, 2008
    10
    A great comeback for one of the best singer-songwriters of the last decade.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  17. KyleD
    Jun 28, 2008
    10
    This is her best album in years!!!
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  18. OsAzER.
    Jul 17, 2008
    10
    I often wonder what these critics do. Do they sit there waiting on an artists new material with a long list of prefabricated "critiques" that, to me at least, just seems a little bit preposterous? At times I have to ask myself, do these people even listen to the music, or do they have the same damn songs in their heads playing over and over and over? This album is first of all intelligent, and most definitely a bold creative work that tops anything I have heard since "In Rainbows." Every song has lyrics that make you think, emotions that make you feel, music that makes your head bounce and your ears stand at attention. I just can't understand why people fear a little originality. Shut Up! Pop "Flavors of Entanglement" in your CD player, and fucking LISTEN!! Maybe you will learn something! Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  19. [Anonymous]
    Jun 13, 2008
    10
    Best album since JLP. Great heartfelt lyrics and clever melodies. Some of the songs are bizarre, but she pulls them off nicely. She has also produced some of her best piano/slow ballads. Buy this if you have ever been a fan. Welcome back Alanis!!
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  20. TomH.
    Jun 28, 2008
    3
    From critical acclaim back to early 90's mainstream pop, this is really a disappointing album from every angle. If the lyrics twist about without reconciling, the music is borderline Euro-trash dancepop and the only worthy songs with content are the two slow tracks along with lead single, Underneath. A bare, 'orangic,' form of this album might help.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  21. LindaG.
    Jun 29, 2008
    10
    Alanis had done it again with a personal and raw album. I don't think there are any songs on this album that I do not like.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  22. JenniferA.
    Jul 11, 2008
    9
    Fantastic! I'm glad and appreciative that she gave the reigns over to someone else to work his magic. Her best since "jagged"!
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  23. RobbieC
    Jul 16, 2008
    7
    OMG. She's breathing! There might even be a heart beating in there! Heartbreak is so good for art. I swear. Her best record since Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie, this is truly a different sound for her... and somehow, she pulls it off!
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  24. May 5, 2012
    10
    Excellent album. Thoroughly enjoy every song, although personally I prefer the extended edition....if only for the song 'Limbo No More' Certainly worth a listen.
Metascore

Generally favorable reviews - based on 18 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 18
  2. Negative: 0 out of 18
  1. It's a lot like "Jagged Little Pill," but musically this is far closer to the muddled mystic worldbeat of "Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie," thanks in large part to her collaboration with Guy Sigsworth, best known for his productions with Björk and Madonna.
  2. Morissette's superb lyrics leave you cheering for her--and assured that she's going to be just fine.
  3. Somehow, a devastating personal experience has galvanized her songwriting in a way that domestic bliss, as showcased on 2004's disappointing "So-Called Chaos," could not.