LBY3
The continuing adventures of Beau Yarbrough

Stevie Wonder classic is Phair’s inspiration

Wednesday, July 27, 2005, 17:17
Section: Arts & Entertainment

Liz PhairIf you’re going to be inspired by other artists, you could do worse than to be inspired by the ones Liz Phair has been.

Her original album, “Exile in Guyville,” was famously a response to the Rolling Stones‘ “Exile on Main Street.” (It’s a comparison that, at times, has been done to death.) Now, on her new album, “Somebody’s Miracle,” coming out October 4, she’s responding to Stevie Wonder’s amazing album, “Songs in the Key of Life,” although it’s not a literal song-for-song response.

Here’s what she tells Rolling Stone magazine:

In writing the new material, Phair says she “talked a lot about the weaknesses that we have as human beings, and the weaknesses in relationships, and doubt and cruelty and betrayal,” but still aimed to create a record that was “hopeful and positive.” She attributed that optimism to the influence and richness of Wonder’s music.

“I thought, ‘This is what I wish music were today,'” she says of listening to Key of Life. “I was so blown away. I seriously had a real passion for it. So I wanted to just put a little more soul into what I was doing.

“And obviously with Stevie Wonder I was like, ‘How the hell am I going to do that?'” she continues. “Clearly, when you find a record like that, the first thing — and the most immediate thing — is how inadequate you are. But that’s why I did it. It’s like taking a course with the best professor in the world.”

I remember my parents playing Wonder’s album on the car stereo seemingly endlessly when it first came out. That’s a lofty goal to be aiming for, but I have to admire her for trying.

  • Amazon doesn’t yet have “Somebody’s Miracle” listed yet, but they do have the Japanese import version. As with the Japanese version of whitechocolatespaceegg, it will contain an exclusive track. It’s also an expensive $36.99. Decisions, decisions.
  • Billboard has a write-up on “Somebody’s Miracle.” It sounds like the album may try to appeal to both halves of the Liz Phair fanbase. Me, I see her recent stuff in a continuum with her other work, and not a sharp break, but that’s obviously not a unanimous opinion. Note that “Part of Me,” which was distributed on the album sampler now appears to either have been renamed or to have gotten cut from the album.
  • Liz is apparently an object of lust for Macintosh aficionados. Who knew?

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