Exile in Guyville
Phair claimed that this album was a song-by-song answer to the Rolling Stones'Exile On Main St.While that's unlikely, it's an astonishing songwriting debut.Guyvillegot a lot of attention for its very frank sexuality, and though Phair knows how to shock, her real strength is lyrics that capture subtleties of extreme emotional states and interpersonal bargaining. Her voice isn't great, but all it has to do is ride the rails of her acutely observed, ingeniously melodic songs: "Divorce Song"'s laser-beam analysis of the moment when a marriage disintegrates, "Flower"'s coy lust, "Stratford-On-Guy"'s dizzying epiphany. She's also an inventive guitarist, and her arrangements--featuring coproducer Brad Wood--keep the album fresh and varied.--Douglas Wolk