Alanis Morissette
Havoc and Bright Lights

THE REVIEW

A calm, relaxed, and serene Morissette arrives at the appointment with Havoc and Bright Lights, matured with motherhood and ready to start anew after the breakup with Madonna's Maverick. Far from the thirty-three million copies of Jagged Little Pill—the best-selling debut album ever—forgetful of the Hindu asceticism for the misunderstood Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie and not willing to indulge in another creative nude similar to Thank U, Alanis takes back the reins of her saga, temporarily abandoned with the last Flavors of Entanglement, aware of no longer dressing as the rebellious Canadian adolescent of the post-grunge scene and now heading towards the niche of quality singer-songwriters lacking the massive commercial-media coverage of the "trash pop starlets."

Havoc and Bright Lights, the perfect heir of Morissette's eccentric cacophony of titles, peeks into listeners' ears as a well-crafted and refined pop-rock album, perhaps not monumental and brilliant compared to the golden age of the '90s but a free expression of an artist who has chosen the path of directness, freshness, and creative integrity on the staff without succumbing to the deafening sonic aberrations of the moment. Those who try to sniff out unlikely bursts of innovation and upheaval or demand futuristic and rebellious avant-garde and dynamism will be seriously disappointed: the tracks of Havoc are small pieces of simplicity made into a tracklist, warm, sunny, a tad melancholic and nostalgic, advocates of the most classic and genuine international singer-songwriter tradition, now largely supplanted by artifice and the empty and pointless tendency towards transgression at all costs.

From the first extract Guardian, a pleasant melodic rock track with repeated climaxes, to the fragrant electronic suggestions of Edge of Evolution and the timidly danceable Woman Down, Morissette's sixth studio effort commendably reveals the desire to keep her feet firmly on the ground, far from forgetting the glorious past embarked on more than twenty years ago and to continue the straight path traced with her latest productions. And to the usual redundancy of the album's title, there is a series of "single-word" tracks: Celebrity is halfway between hard rock and Muse-like synths, Havoc gently slides into atmospheric piano-ballad, Numb ventures into bold gothic pop-metal with grunge shades, and Win And Win offers all the best soft folk-instrumental tenderness.

So forget the playful, mischievous, and cheeky Alanis of the alternative era and rebellious youth: the artist-mom of Havoc has embraced the authenticity of "Soap & Water" femininity, transposed for the occasion into the recording studio, giving birth to a dignified bunch of the most genuine and authentic pop songs out there, proving to the anti-divas that good music and a well-maintained, non-plastic image can be more solid, enduring, and prolific than a mega-hit from dance floor lions.

Alanis Morissette, Havoc and Bright Lights

Guardian - Woman Down - 'Til You - Celebrity - Empathy - Lens - Spiral - Numb - Havoc - Win And Win - Receive - Edge of Evolution.