Whatever

This is like The Gilmore Girls in album form - not necessarily a bad thing! Had never heard of Aimee Mann before, and it definitely sounds of its time, but I enjoyed listening to it. The songwriting is really good. On another note, how much lazy misogyny is there in some of the reviews on this site?! "Mom rock", "stuff an ex girlfriend would make", etc... Come on, music dudes.

Disappointed to see all the lazy and sexist Lilith Fair comments here. Aimee Mann is one of the great but underrated pop songwriters of the late 20th/early 21st centuries and this is a wonderful solo debut.

- HELLO, IS THIS NASA? - YES. - GOOD. LISTEN. I'M SICK OF YOUR BORING SPACE LAUNCHES. I'M JUST AN ORDINARY, BLUE-COLLAR SLOB, BUT I KNOW WHAT I LIKES ON TV. - HOW DID YOU GET THIS NUMBER? - SHUT UP!

3.1 - SCENE: Garage sale. Shopper approaches seller. Garage sale shopper: Hey, I grabbed a couple CDs from the box over there. Lemonheads and uhhh… (looks down at CD’s) Aimee Mann. How much? Seller: I was asking 75 cents a piece? Shopper: Would you take a buck for both? Seller: Sure, that works.

Extremely mediocre 90's pop rock. The opening track grabbed me a little, but I quickly became bored with this album. Skippable, in a word.

Reasonable nice. It just kind of feels like the music an ex girlfriend would make. You want to be supportive and it’s cool she’s doing stuff but it all sounds a little bit average…

"Whatever" she says, like she doesn't have a care in the world. Like she's not bothered about my opinion. Well, Aimee, you should be bothered. Here it is: I absolutely adore this fabulous gift you have given the world, you beautiful, beautiful woman. Thank you. Only joking, it's shite.

Aimee Mann is super talented. She writes and produces well crafted pop songs, almost Beatle-esque in quality. My only complaint about her is her songs sometimes lack emotion - she's almost too cool. Minor complaint though. Really well done debut solo album. 4 stars.

Whatever

I like her voice and the music is pleasent, although the country vibe is not for every mood. Good vibes but doesn't feature a memorable song.

Amazing production. One of the best recorded albums on the list so far. I really enjoyed the vocals and multi-tracked harmonies. However, the songs are forgettable, ultimately taking away from such a great sound overall.

I did not like this very much.

fucking dog shit.

1st time listening to this. Love it. Great voice and music. Interesting lyrics.

Every bit of 90's rock with a female lead that you'd expect. Similar to Sheryl Crow and Meredith Brooks in vibe for me. A good mix of some moody, some peppy.

I have always been a sucker for what I call "Lilith Fair music" -- you know the type: 90s singer songwriters that aren't too pop but aren't too rock, either. This album fits right into that. Also typical of artists in this category, the lyrics are often sharp and thought-provoking, overlaid on generally upbeat music. Even though I liked it based on the baseline qualifications mentioned above, I do feel like other females singer songwriters in the 90s did the same thing, only better. For me, it started to drag the longer it went on. Maybe somewhat forgettable to me, but it was very easy to listen to, though!

Mom rock bullshit, sorry mom

Reminds me a lot of Alanis. I like the music and angst behind her lyrics!

I am biased. Aimee Mann went to my high school. I wasn't aware of this fact until I was 24 and working on the film Magnolia. One of the sound guys brought his nephew to the set who was visiting from out of town. He was wearing a brown and orange Monican t-shirt. Aimee Mann happened to be on set that day and noticed the shirt. She said something along the lines to him, "Midlothian and Monican are high school rivals, and I attended Midlothian." A couple hours later she was gone and I approached him to comment on his shirt, saying basically the same thing. "You're the second person to tell me that today," he said. Crazy. What are the chances? I kept hoping she'd come back to the set before the end of filming, but she never did. A couple months later I worked on a Fiona Apple video with PTA and he was signing Magnolia soundtracks and giving them out to the crew. For the foreseeable future, I bought all of Aimee Mann's music and saw her perform a few times at Café Largo on Fairfax. She was great. All of this happened AFTER Whatever was released and until now, I wasn't super-familiar with this album. Jon Brion was heavily involved in the Magnolia soundtrack and he's here too. Though not as fully formed as her later work, the album has all the hallmarks of the work I know. Reaching vocals against basic distortion, slower acoustic songs with a smattering of samples with a heavy emphasis on her soothing voice. This album was best played in the 1990s in middle-suburbia. Ideally listened to on CD, but definitely in the bedrooms of late-teen-anxty girls who yearn for a life far from Midlothian and closer to Melrose Place.

mid tempo pleasantry. slightly over-wrought in places but I like her vocals. From a similar mould to Tori Amos with the alt turned down and the country turned up and that's no bad thing

The production and songwriting was pretty great

Whatever conjures up the best elements of surf-pop, new wave, and folk rock (Roger McGuinn has a benevolent eye cast over this recording). Out on her own with a truly great batch of confessional but self-assured songs, Aimee Mann crafted a classic right out the bag with her first solo record. I'm with Stupid was more openly defiant and rougher, but way back in 1993 Whatever already found Mann at the peak of her emotional and musical strength. Check out the layers of distorted guitars on "I Should've Known" coupled with an irresistible melody; the Byrds-isms on "Fifty-Years after the Fair" with its wonderful vocal harmonies and McGuinn's 12-string guitar resounding; the gang voices on "Say Anything" and the poignant "4th of July". Mann even tackles a May-September romance on "Mr. Harris" and sounds as dark as Days of Open Hand-era Suzanne Vega on "Jacob Marley's Chain". Meticulously produced (by Jon Brion), written and performed, Whatever is a pop powerhouse.

The first half felt like I was trapped in a Macy's commercial from 2009, but the back half a a couple nice bits that brought it up a tad for me.

Wow, I hate this. Her voice is annoying and the style is very adult contemporary. 2

Mellow 90s fem rock - reminds me of a mix between the Carpenters and Liz Phair for the slightly more upbeat songs.

Looks like sexist morons had a field day looking down upon this record. Not good, especially since "Whatever" is filled with many interesting and/or pretty arrangements, beyond its "alternative" / MOR / post-REM surface. The subtle 'chamber pop" ones, especially, are awesome. Unfortunately, the production values and overall sound haven't aged that well (some of those horrible "gated" drums shouldn't have seen the light of day in 1993). And beyond the arrangements, I personally feel that some songs and melodies in the record are far better than others--when the chamber pop arrangements disappear, Aimee's music indeed sounds a little too sweet and tame, even a little quaint. The middle of the record feels like a slog to go through, especially. And even for the rest of the album, it is my opinion that there were far more exciting things happening in the early nineties than that part of Aimee Mann's albums (and I also feel like some of her later records are a tad bit more impressive than this debut overall). Reading myself again, I fear that I might actually rehash some of the points made by haters on this app. I don't want to, but on the other hand, it's always a fine line when you want to wear your heart on your sleeve. I sometimes have trouble reconciling some of the different intents of the album--between the few off-kilter touches and the incredibly formulaic ones. I'm glad the first are here, but they fit so badly with the rest that some awkwardness lingers in the air every time a song leads to another... That said, *Whatever* succeeds in kindling my interest again in its final run ("I've Had It" is a gem). Not so bad, I guess... Essential, though? 3/5 for the purposes of this list of essential albums. 8 for more general purposes (5 + 3) Number of albums left to review: 66 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 404 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 232 (including this one) Albums from the list I won't include in mine: 299

Never heard of Aimee Mann before, but wow, the album really sucked me in. Her voice is nice, light, and airy. The songs feel like just the right mix of rock and pop. It might not stand out next to other albums, but it was a really enjoyable listen.

I enjoyed listening to this, but found myself lingering on the album’s potential rather than the album itself . It’s not surprising that it’s Amy Mann’s first album because it seems like one of someone who hasn’t yet come into their own, which we all know Amy Mann does just a few years later. Instead of having an original take, this album takes the best of 90’s music and puts it all together. Which makes it good, but not great.

This is way too dense and too 90s. The melodies are boring and same-y, with lyrics that are way too verbose. Maybe it’s a product of the time but every song feels like it needed an edit pass.

Wetter than SHACK's luscious locks after one of his infamous six-hour showers.

Boring, forgettable. You really have to wonder how some of these albums make it onto this list.

I think its cool when someone's first and last name both end in double letters. That's potentially the most stand-out aspect of this album. Expert songwriting that sums into something unremarkable. This is a softball tossed underhand straight down the middle. No spin. No mustard. No funny business. No affect. No risks. No fun. D

awesome I loved it

melodic Friends type music easy to listen to good lyrics. good background type music.

Fell in love with this album, and Aimee when I first heard it as a grubby art student. Her video for Should've Known was getting plenty of airplay on MTV at he time.

i've yet to hear a bad Aimee Mann song. whether that's through luck or simply her sheer consistency, in every track from her that i've heard, she's generating this peculiar warmth in each song thick as a rainforest. Jon Brion's no slouch either -- if this is a test run for Aimee Mann's skills as a singer-songwriter, it's his test run for his 70's studio nerd production style. i get that '93 was a stacked year, but what the hell was wrong with people that they weren't buying this? were they stupid? deaf? both? is this also why Spilt Milk didn't sell well? when i die, don't bury me. wrap me in an Aimee Mann song then throw me in the ocean. i'll stay warm forever.

This is a really good indie pop album. The songs are catchy, Mann's voice stands out, and the instrumentals are varied and fun. I liked everything about it. As far as dreamy pop music goes, this stands out as some of the best.

This album is untapped nostalgia. I loved it. Alt pop/folk/storytelling album that feels almost wholly unique. Endearing and fun. A modern band that feels adjacent would be Men I Trust, but this is a more pop feel. Nothing here I felt was bad or out of place, the only exception being that the ending has too much of a high school theater kind of vibe. I’ll say it’s a guilty pleasure for me. Standouts: Pretty much everything here.

Love her voice. Chill album.

Ok if you are not already familiar with Aimee Mann I am going to recommend that you absolutely don't listen to this first. Listen to the Magnolia soundtrack which has 8 of her A-star songs (plus a great cover). That will key you into her subtle, ironic downbeat world far more quickly. Then come back to this which is an excellent album. Yes it's a nineties female singer-songwriter and at times the production, playing and arrangements are of that time. But her lyrics, her delivery, her vibe, her songwriting are all absolutely excellent here as on this and next four or five albums. she is one of music's best kept secrets.

cool

I'm all in in what Aimee Mann is selling. Though there's not a track that stands out as "i have to listen to that over and over again", from start to finish the album is approachable and has a good amount of energy for a alt-rock-folk-pop vibe. I really like her voice and delivery. I say Yes!

Id never listened to Aimee Mann but I really loved this one. I'm not sure what I was expecting but it wasn't quite this! Really great songwriting, some interesting piano work and really good vocals!

Engaging lyrics, yes, but the voice has the hypnotic beauty that carries the tune. All-star instrumentation. Frequent driving interplay between the voice and guitar. Pop should always be this good.

One of my favorites

This woman has a wonderful voice. Her story telling in song is fantastic. It was a great pleasure to discover this album.

Surprisingly great acoustic Alanis

Big lover of Till Tuesday…. Really enjoyed hearing her incredible vocals and lyrics… now, I just wanna hear more!!

Albums like this make this whole exercise 100% worth it. "Voices Carry" was always a not so guilty pleasure at the karaoke bar, and I've read a lot of critical praise since about her lengthy solo career, and of course her long term personal relationship with Michael Penn makes them sort of latter-day saints of Laurel Canyon, but none of it got me off the dime to actually check out her work. Masterful in every way. Immediately from the jump, just the basic sounds of it are interesting and well-considered in a way that betrays deep craftsmanship, care and, frankly, budget. But she knows how to spend that budget in a way few do. Compare the production to the flat monotony of Fiona Apple's album, for example. Or that of most albums on this list, for that matter. Over the course of its tunes, the same depth of manicured mastery is revealed in the songwriting, both musically and lyrically. This kind of well-rounded depth of talent is extra rare but as Charles De Gaulle once said, sort of, the cemetery is full of masterful albums made by talented people. And in the immortal words of Van Hagar, only time will tell if this we, this album and me, will stand the test of time. All I can say today is that any album that can be this genuinely interesting the very first time you hear it deserves the highest praise.

Nice, pleasant.

The girlhood my god <3

I have loved Aimee Mann since watching Magnolia. This album being on here makes me wonder if there are others of here on here. Bachelor No. 2 is my favourite of hers. Here's hoping.

Nothing was saving our day There was nothing to say But you said something anyway Claiming I stepped out of line Which forced you to leave me As if that idea was mine. Oh, you stupid thing Speaking of course as your dear departed Oh, you stupid thing It wasn't me that you Outsmarted Oh, you stupid thing Stopping it all Before it even started I fucking love this album. 5/5

I’ve never heard of Aimee Mann before, but I really enjoyed this album - she’s a clearly skilled songwriter and this album is packed with great songs.

Aimee Mann is always 5 stars in my book. I could listen to anything of hers every day.

Loved this — my first 5 star album of the project! I only knew one Aimee Mann song (Labrador), but I'm not surprised at all that I'm into this. I'm such a sucker for upbeat melodies with sad lyrics and female harmonies. A few of these were a little two slow to be top favorites, but I loved "Fifty Years After the Fair," "Put Me On Top," and "Stupid Thing." Also hilarious that she's got a song about Jacob Marley, I love A Christmas Carol.

10/10 reminds me of Poe, who I’m also a huge fan of

dense and tasteful

All Aimee's lp's are worth having - but this the the must 'must have'. Gorgeous tunes and intelligent lyrics. Every home should have one. Jon Brion deserves praise too!

Not gonna lie that there is some 90's nostalgia here...but I love that!! I also loved this!!! You go, girl!

Mann's melancholy warbling was a perfect accompaniment to my granola-making on this chilly late-summer day.

I'd always thought of this as Aimee Mann's least strong album, and it's true (IMO) that she has better ones (Lost In Space, Forgotten Arm might be the top of the list), but I enjoyed this a lot more than I remembered.

One of the best artist’s best albums

I first met Aimee Mann watching sitcoms, back in the (now) distant 90s. What a trip back in time listening to this CD, and the certainty that good music never ages.

Really really good!! It felt like an unhinged Michelle Branch. I'd probably revisit it again.

I've loved this album since it came out. The slightly flat, pitchy vocals matched the 90s vibe for me. I'm just hoping that the 1001 trend of similar albums two days in a row brings some Juliana Hatfield. Swoon

This was really good. Not a bad song on here. Consider me a Mann Fann.

I have many of Aimee's albums but I hadn't heard this one before. She is so much more youthful in this one vs some of her later work. It's an interesting middle space from her 'Til Tuesday stuff to where she settled in. I'll be going back to listen more. So far I really like it but not sure it's as good as the albums I'm so much more familiar with.

I'd heard the name Aimee Mann but I didn't know her work. After hearing a few songs the voice sounded familiar and then I learned that she sang in 'Til Tuesday and I recognized the voice from "Voices Carry". This isn't typically the type of thing that I would listen to but I like her voice and found this to be a solid and enjoyable album. I'd welcome hearing this again.

I was unfamiliar with Aimee Mann but this was quite a pleasant introduction. Thought provoking lyrics are sometimes a lot harder to find than you’d think but when you hear something that’s actually deep you know it. I saved 5 songs for future listening. Really solid album and I’m happy to listen. I’m reviewing a few days past so unfortunately this is less detailed than it would have been but solid album.

I’m at a 4. This album was fighting for its life for a while there – the first 2 tracks clicked really well for me, and then somewhere around tracks 3-6, it just wasn’t really hitting in the same way – the lyricism got a bit broad, the instrumentation not as compelling or energetic, and in a way, it felt like “Stevie Nicks doing 90s teen dramas for a cheap paycheck”. It just went for a bit too long, and while none of those tracks are bad, they all felt… I dunno, just not as genuine as they could be. Every single track after that clicked for me – “Say Anything” is a really fun track that ironically channels Stevie Nicks in a good way. “Jacob Marley’s Chain” has some great lyricism that I simply loved, anchored by that titular reference to “A Christmas Carol”. “Mr. Harris” really clicked for me, despite the tricky-to-navigate subject matter, because it’s played up so genuinely and so lovingly, with a soundscape and vocal performance to match it. “I Could Hurt You Now” goes a little long (could’ve ended during the instrumental break), but also manages to channel Stevie Nicks in a compelling enough tale of silent revenge. “I Know There’s A Word” does a good job of making the mundane feel a bit compelling, and the super serious orchestration mixed with her vocal performance made the track work for me. “I’ve Had It” is a really nice track, explaining partially why she left her previous band Til Tuesday to go solo. “Way Back When” is fine – it really only won me over for being about as instrumentally goofy as a few Beatles tracks we’ve had, and her vocals simply sound nice on it. So, yeah, 9 out of 13 is a pretty good mark to hit. It’s not an all-time album or anything, but I took to it once the teen drama-core songs stopped, and I think her vocals / lyricism on the rest of the tracks are really engaging, and kind of lovely. There is certainly a lot of Fleetwood Mac / Stevie Nicks influence throughout these tracks, tinged with a hit of 90s grunge & attitude, and it’s a soundscape I really like. Every instrumental here worked for me, and her storytelling on the latter half of the album clicked for me. It’s not enough to go up to a 5 (although, if those “teen drama” tracks hit nicer in the future, it could be), but I feel pretty good at a 4. At worst, a 3.

This feels so 90s to me in such a visceral way, it almost makes me melancholy. My standouts: I Should've Known, 4th of July, Stupid Thing, I Know There's a Word

Pretty fly

Nice and pop-y with lyrics that actually tell a story. Not exactly my wheelhouse of music but I could/ would happily revisit the album.

I Should’ve Known got me through a breakup: “And I don’t know what else you hear, but it’s not me weeping/ I should’ve known that it was coming down to this”. Hell yeah Aimee Mann.

Solidly crafted pop rock album that I would have guessed was released a handful of years later. Some poignant lyrics and instrumental choices as well!

Solid! I hadn't heard of Aimee Mann's stuff before, but now that I have, I'll definitely check out more of her work. I'm a huge fan of that female singer-songwriter sound from the 90s - Belle and Sebastian, Tori Amos, Fiona Apple, Liz Phair, etc.

nettspend geeked on the cover i actually really fw this, i dont get the hate. its so pleasant. does goes on for a little longer than i would appreciate but still good a 90s pop-rock record i can get behind it.

Actually coole (soft) rock, harmonisch interessant und ich find ihri stimm het epis spezielles.

Her voice always hit me. I'm grieving right now and although lyrically it's not the same, it makes me very emotional.

Till Tuesday and then this album. Talented all week.

This was better than I remembered.

Better than I expected. Solid 90s album

Brigtht, bouncy and brilliant, bascially. It's the details, like the glockenspiel quoting "Born to Run" after mention of NJ (which Hornsby noted) that add up to make this such a treat. The countryish guitar hook and backing vocals on “Fifty Years.” The ragtime piano and hidden penny whistle (if that’s what it is) on the closer. Her late-career renaissance produced several really good records beyond this one.That song alone would be worth the price of admission, but there are multiple other winners (“Stupid Thing” and “Say Anything” are standouts) and little to no filler. A street-smarter and more urbane Joni Mitchell. A more mature Liz Phair and more jaded (and more literate/bettter educated) Cheryl Crowe. She’s better than so many quality contemporaries near and far. But she seems to have become so much more distinctly herself on these later records, which were a pleasure to be surprised by first time around and are still holding up well.

Good album. A couple of questionable moments cement it at 4 stars rather than pushing for 5.

i've known about aimee mann for a while now but i've never sat down and listened to any of her albums, so this was a nice treat for me. i've often found her music to be nice and pleasant to listen to and i really like her voice so i expected to enjoy this one. and i was right. i got exactly what i wished for. a pleasant, well-sung album. perhaps my only complaint is that i'm not sure i found this one quite so memorable. it was nice, for sure, but i don't know if it had enough for me to come back to it.

Very 90s, from the cover on down. There are lots of good songs here, sharp, melodic, and performed with a distinct style. A strong album for sure. Best song: Stupid Thing

Good album.

Aimee Mann is such a strong songwriter with pop sensibilities, this is really good. I'll fight anyone who is mean to her.

Female songs

P chill.

really great!! nice and chill

4.0

I’ve always loved Jon Brion’s production, and I think it works really well with this witty polished sounding rock. It’s not 100% my bag, but still good.

Some fun catchy tunes on here

Great songwriter. Feel like her best work was still to come in the 90s.

I recognized her voice from Til Tuesday's "Voices Carry"! I had no idea she had a solo career. This was pretty good! I really liked her voice and the songwriting. I was wishing for a bit more excitement in the music though.

I think I know someone who was named after Aimee Mann, which made this a fraught listen, because what if I didn't like it and had to be like "Aimee your namesake is overrated" next time we ran into each other? Luckily this will be a non-issue, glad I wound up with this one in the project.

Easily listeneable. 3, maybe 4

I wasn't expecting much from this album as I don't typically like pop, but maybe I do? This surprised me in nice ways, as the music was far more interesting and the lyrics more intricate than whatever I was planning on hearing. Around Stupid Thing, the album starts picking up. Jacob Marley's Chain through I Could Hurt You Now sounded really good to me.