Artist You Should Know-Liz Phair

So recently I bought an indie album for the first time. I loved it so I reviewed it for you, but in doing so I realized that most of you may not even know who made that album, and for the first time ever, I present to you an artist you should know: Liz Phair

So who is Liz Phair you ask? A brief history:

She began her career in 1990 by recording music under the cassette tapes of Girlysound. After this, she was introduced to the head of Matador records, a very successful indie record company. After a couple years of recording sessions with them, she produced her debut album in 1993 called "Exile in Guyville". It was a critical success, earning top reviews from every music critic in the US. It was hailed as a landmark in alternative music from both critics and indie fans alike. However, the album was a commercial disappointment. It sold only 491,000 copies in the US, being certified gold by the RIAA. As far as indie music goes, this album was actually quite successful, but in comparison to other popular indie acts, sales were very lackluster.

What happened after Guyville?
Liz still went on to record more music under Matador. She whipped out a new album within the next year and presented her sophomore album "Whip-Smart". It debuted at #27 on the charts, 169 places higher than Guyville's #196 debut. However, even though commercial reaction was positive, critics didn't necessarily warm up to it. They thought that in comparison to her smash debut, "Whip-Smart" was less than sensational. The album still went gold and sold about 412,000 copies in the US, despite heavy rotation of its singles on MTV and VH1.

But never-the-less, Liz wasn't one to back down despite not fully breaking into the mainstream. However, she decided to take a break in order to start a family. From 1994-1998 she was married and gave birth to her son. Unfortunately, the marriage ended in divorce by 1998, and this fueled the urge to record her next album, titled "Whitechocolatespaceegg" (the title is a description of her son's bald head as an infant). It made its debut at #35, and it was her most underperforming album yet, selling a meager 293,000 copies. It was better received by critics, but audiences did not like her increasingly cleaned up sound after two albums of raw and un-sanitized material. After this, Liz took a hiatus, ducking under the radar to contemplate the next step in her career.

What she did next was a complete shock to both fans and critics. In 2003, five years after her last release, Liz Phair dumped Matador records and signed onto Capitol. She started to work with Lauren Christy, Scott Spock, and the Matrix. Not your typical indie personnell. And in fact, Liz decided to go the completely opposite direction, and she turned to rock/pop. She released her self-titled fourth album "Liz Phair". Its cover of a naked Phair covered only by a guitar and its new pop-oriented sound were immediately condemned by her core audience. Critics also panned the album, giving it her worst reviews since her debut. Although, overall commercial performance was a lot better than her previous two albums. It debuted at #27, and spawned Liz's first top 40 hit "Why Can't I?" (which is now her most recognizeable song since it was the only one that went mainstream), and it sold 433,000 copies. Still a disappointment, but it provided Liz her best sales in nine years.

Her 2005 follow-up to her dramatic makeover was the cleaner, smoother, and safer "Somebody's Miracle". Its production was immaculate, and its sound ranged from light-rock to Shania-level power pop. It was better received by critics, although some still criticized her for not being as brash as she was in the 90s. Her fans, both new and old, also didn't like the new product. Most said she had lost her edge and were not interested anymore in the poppier version of Liz. Sales reflected this, as it debuted at #46, and sold a miniscule 83,000 copies. With her lowest sales ever, and her worst commercial reception, Liz and Capitol records fell into disarray. In 2008, she came to the decision of dumping Capitol for their lack of support, and ultimately lost faith in record labels. So in the same year she launched her own independent label Rocket Science records, where she could record and release whatever she chose.

It took five years, but after launching her own record label she finally produced her sixth album "Funstyle" in 2010. Its content was off-beat, never sticking to any genre and was by far her riskiest album so far. Even the explicit content of her first three albums didn't match the risks she took. She included rap, hip-hop, light rock, alternative, pop, and indie influences, as well as an interesting production. She did not use many musicians, and used computer simulated beats to accompany these odd tracks. Critical response was all over the map, as some caught on to the fact that she was taking much deserved stabs at the music industry and how her record labels failed her. Others however, did not find the album funny, but rather a poor attempt at slamming her former record labels. Commercially, the album managed to debut at #181, despite a lack of promotion. Fans were more positive, calling it a comeback for the indie queen who was unafraid to speak her mind. Sales were also miniscule, but it proved that she could pull off any genre of music and still make it appealing to some audience in one way or another.

As of writing this, Liz has yet to produce a follow-up to "Funstyle". Ever since, she's been writing music for TV, and has taken up a hobby of writing novels. She also reviews them, and has also been performing songs for movie soundtracks. She says she is working on a new album, however a release date is not in sight.

Having faced so much scorn for turning mainstream is a travesty, since her clever writing and effortless performances have carried throughout all of her albums. It seems that she, more than any other artist, is a figure that everyone loves to hate. She offers no apologies for any musical experiments, and she takes no precaution in speaking her mind. Seeing her strong discography have such poor sales proves that we don't appreciate her nearly enough. There are alot of people who have no idea who she is, and this is an equally frustrating fact. So, if you are one of those people who have just found out about her by reading this, I strongly encourage you to check out this wonderful woman. She's genuine, a trait rather hard to find in the celebrities of the new millennium.