Although the name Alanis is Greek, Alanis Morissette has no Greek background. Her father Alan wanted his daughter to be named after him but he did was not fond of the name Alanna. One day he came upon the name
Alanis in a newspaper and chose it for his daughter.
Nevermind that Alanis Morissette's career spans back to her early teens and she has four prior CDs to her credit. It's just too early to go unplugged. Performances like this are better done in the privacy of one's acoustically appointed bathroom. An expressive, emotionally naked singer, Morissette bares a little too much on this outing. Recorded at New York's Brooklyn Academy of Music and produced solely by Morissette, there's absolutely nothing wrong with the carefully wrought songs and slices of her inner life, but there's little to be said about her shrill, thin delivery. Included is the never-before-released "No Pressure Over Cappuccino," which she debuted on her Jagged Little Pill tour, and two songs left off last year's Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie: "Princes Familiar" and "These Are the Thoughts." They were dumped for good reason. The only redeeming moment is her out-of-breath rendering of the coy "Head Over Feet." --Jaan Uhelszki
