| Artist | Liz Phair |
|---|---|
| Cover | Liz Phair - whitechocolatespaceegg.jpg |
| Released | August 11, 1998 |
| Recorded | 1996–1998 |
| Studio | |
| Genre | Indie rock[1] |
| Length | 51:10 |
| Label | |
| Producer |
|
| Prev year | 1995 |
| Next year | 2003 |
Whitechocolatespaceegg is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Liz Phair, released in 1998. It peaked at number 35 on the Billboard 200.[2] As of July 2010, the album had sold 293,000 copies.[3] Unlike her previous two albums, with themes of sex and relationships, Whitechocolatespaceegg focused more on motherhood and family, as Phair had recently gotten married and given birth to a son.
Reception
The album received generally positive reviews. Rolling Stone called it "engagingly intimate" while at the same time "playful and pop-y, with just enough dry humor". The magazine also praised the album for its storytelling-esque lyrics.[4] The Washington Times wrote that Phair had successfully proved she was "no longer an unbridled twentysomething but now, at 31, a wife and mother, [who] has grown as an artist as well as a woman."[5]
Billboard praised the album, noting "droll in her truth-telling, devastating in her offhand insights, and dazzling in her homespun rock dominion, Liz Phair is arguably the most original talent of the decade, as Whitechocolatespaceegg powerfully reaffirms. For track-to-track subtlety, poignant wit, and no- bullshit pronouncements that carry real poetic weight, Phair is the backstairs bard without peer...Phair is a truly affecting songmaker. Moreover, she can take the pop vernacular in all its jukebox/folk-pop/dancefloor familiarity and make it subversive again on superb material like "Uncle Alvarez," "Only Son," "Ride," and "What Makes You Happy." [6]
Personnel
- Musicians
- Liz Phair – guitar, piano, vocals
- Leroy Bach – acoustic bass
- Scott Bennett – organ, bass guitar, drums
- Bill Berry – bongos
- Peter Buck – guitar
- Jason Chasko – bass, guitar, piano, drums, background vocals
- Nathan December – guitar, electric guitar
- Tommy Furar – bass
- John Hiler – organ, piano, keyboards, background vocals
- Scott Litt – acoustic guitar, bass, harmonica, violin, drums, keyboards, background vocals
- Scott McCaughey – guitar
- Mike Mills – bass
- Troy Niedhart – accordion
- Ed Tinley – guitar, clapping
- Randy Wilson – keyboards
- Brad Wood – organ, bass, guitar, drums, keyboards, background vocals, clapping, drum machine
- Production
- Producers: Liz Phair, Jason Chasko, Scott Litt, Brad Wood
- Engineers: John Hiler, Liquid Grooves, Chris Sabold, David Schiffman, Ed Tinley, Brad Wood
- Assistant engineers: Victor Janacua, Matt Judah, Brad Kopplin, Julie Last, Chris Sabold, Al Sanderson, David Schiffman
- Mixing: Victor Janacua, Tom Lord-Alge, Brad Wood
- Mastering: Ted Jensen, Katrin Thomas
- Programming: John Hiler, Randy Wilson
- Loops: Liquid Grooves
- Treatments: Scott Litt
- Art direction: Liz Phair, Frank Longo, Jon Mathias, Mark O.
Charts
| Chart (1998) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200[2] | 35 |
| Canada Albums Chart[7] | 69 |
References
- ^ Chonin, Neva (July 30, 1998). "Whitechocolatespaceegg". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 24, 2012.
- ^ [ allmusic ((( whitechocolatespaceegg > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums )))]
- ^ "Ask Billboard: Kylie 'Fever'". Billboard. 2010-07-16. Retrieved 2012-02-17.
- ^ Whitechocolatespaceegg : Liz Phair : Review : Rolling Stone
- ^ Liz Phair grows confident about music. (Arts) | Article from The Washington Times[dead link]
- ^ "Reviews & Previews". Billboard Music Week. No. 1 August 1998. p. 18. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
- ^ "Item". Library and Archives Canada. 17 July 2013.