Whatever

Every song sounds like the last one, with plaintive lyrics that warble on. And “Jacob Marley’s Chain” steals its main melody from Nik Kershaw’s “The Riddle” almost wholesale.

This was just okay

didn’t love this one, not really my sound!

The most forgettable member of the Lilith Tour era.

Not bad, but also not memorable. "Whatever..." ;)

Meh, mostly harmless just nothing special.

I had never hear of Aimee Mann, but given that it is early 90’s pop, that ‘s not shocking. I pretty much quit listening to the radio in the early 90’s. And it peaked at 127 on the Billboard 200. All that, combined with a score here of 2.78, didn’t have me too optimistic going in. but guess what. I rather like this. Very catchy songs, the vocal style reminds me a little of Sheryl Crow…. Maybe? It has a good clean sound, not overproduced. The right mix of instrumentation. “ Hooky” melodies. Nothing to deep, just solid and pleasant indie-ish pop. There’s a couple of songs that could’ve been trimmed, though. And it lacks anything truly memorable. 3/5

There was nothing wrong with this. Basic boring guitar pop. Seems insincere. 3/10 doesn't belong here

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

The film Magnolia turned me onto this album in the late '90s. Great accessible guitar pop. Absolutely NOT sounding anything like Alanis Morisette, but I can hear why some critics compare Aimee Mann to Elvis Costello (easier to hear lyrics and less spiky).

She's a brilliant lyricist and a great singer, but is surrounded by some of the blandest session musicians in the world Chirning out bluesy blandness. When they back off, as with Jacob Marley's Chains, it flies though.

First song got my attention, rest of the album is very mediocre 90s pop rock with a country twang, not one for me.

The mistress of the minor key! She must be an influence to Phoebe Bridgers

I knew Aimee Mann first through comedy before her music. This is the first time really listening to her and I liked it. Still a little long and a few songs could be cut to tighten it up. Love the album cover.

Очень приятный альбом! Я бы назвал его нео-кантри. Есть очень красивые мелодии, сравнимые с тем, что играл Пол Маккартни уже в середине 2000-ых.

Pop. Rock

Not a classic. Sorry

Enjoyable listen. Was terrific background while I worked

30/100

A side note that albums like this prove that not all the reviews on this site are worth reading - a lot of sexism and just plain lack of an open mind from folks on here. Country, folk rock, girl rock, 'mom rock', all have a great place on this list and are important for millions of people. Dudes on here, do better. As far as this actual album - I'm not sure I'm a huge fan, but that comes down to my taste and not the merits of Aimee Mann. It feels of its time and like something I just missed out on. Then again, I've never been a huge fan of soft rock. But her lyrics are terrific and the production value is rock solid.

absolutely nothing interesting in the boring uniform sound here, and the production is so head ache inducing and buzzy, chords and melodies feel lost, never sticking, no nuances. but it's ok enough for the background i guess

Ei iskeny

Blaaaaaa. Ärsyttävä vähän huono lauluääni

Absolutely horrendous

What even is this

Jangly 90s power pop with an alt-country accent. Mostly guitar driven sound with dueling leads, high arpegios, and big open chords, though some songs have a piano foundation hinting at the more singer-songerwriter style Aimme Mann would turn to later on. Fairly standard stuff in terms of rock song structures and sounds. The vocal parts are the stand out - she has an engaging accessible sometimes a bit nasal voice, a good sense of pop melody and some very nice harmonies, all of which are in service of delivering a heady introspective and romantic set of lyrics.

- Fifty Years After the Fair - Stupid Thing - Jacob Marley’s Chain 2.5/5

Not bad per se but boring. It sounds extremely generic 90s girl countryrock. Will probably not listen to again.

Easy car music, she has a really nice deep voice. Stand-out: Fifty Years After the Fair

Nope

Eh, didn't finish it. I found the music kind of boring and offputting for some reason, outside a couple songs. I'm sure the lyrics are good, but did not do it for me.

Haven't heard this in ages. I used to listen to Aimee Mann all the time in the early 2000s. I like I'm With Stupid a little bit more but this album has a bunch of great songs too.

4/10

Amerikaanse volkrock🤢

Zijkmuziek eerste klas

Bija ok tas 90. gadu rebel vibe.

Whatever

vnk nee

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.

Why is this even included in the list? I got bored.

Some nice 90s guitar-based stuff, very emotive

Albums like this are so difficult to rate. Like, with no context, this album is totally fine. It has some charming songs and it moves from track to track very satisfactorily. It's when you put this in the context of being one of the 1001 albums you MUST hear before you die. I find that really hard to believe. I can see some people being fans of this artist, but I don't really see anything innovative or significant about this album. I wish I could say any of these songs really stuck out to me. I don't really have a favorite. If I was rating this album independently of this list, I would rate it higher. Perhaps a 3/5.

Whatever is right. This album felt like it belonged on a Hallmark movie or some show like Felicity. It's 90's blueprint is showing.

Nice! I know Aimee first and foremost from the Magnolia soundtrack, I think that song put her on the map in a big way. But I also know her from that Portlandia episode where she's working as a maid for hire. Good stuff. Anyway, like yesterday's David Ackles, she's a singer-songwriter. She's got the lyrical chops for sure, her voice is kind of muted. Not necessarily bad, but certainly distinct. I liked a few tracks on here, enough to say it's a decent album, but didn't blow me away at all. Favorite tracks: I Should've Known, Put Me On Top, Mr. Harris. Album art: Very tired of the world, it seems. Picture and pose definitely matches the album title. 3/5

Pop country is a genre that rarely feels like a musical success. And this album falls right into line. I couldn’t make it through the whole album. Cheesy and boring.

Album 218 of 1001 Aimee Mann - Whatever Rating : 3 / 5 (Rounded Up) Favorite Track : Put Me on Top I've been hearing some great women performers lately. Notably Marianne Faithful, Poly Styrene, Siouxise Sue, Patty Smith , Debbie Harry, PJ Harvey, Liz Phair... Aimee Mann isn't them. Not terrible, but just there. She was part of that 90s wave of female singler/songwriters but kind of gets lost in that group, as well. Won't say it is bad but it is just something that others did and did better (Suzanne Vega, for one). Certainly servers it's purpose, I guess I enjoyed her stuff with 'Til Tuesday more.

Muy buen disco, con una gran voz femenina. Parecido a The Pretenders. Sorpresivamente me ha gustado. Canciones que parecen historias contadas

Downright horrible. It's out of tune, the songs are bland, the lyrics are mellow. I'd have guessed this is peak poprock, but Aimee Mann was a decade earlier.

A disarmingly low-key but exquisitely written collection of songs. The lyrics are well worth paying attention to.

Have to say this felt a little insulting after the likes of Aretha Franklin and Nick Cave. Quite awful though. I did not like it at all. Beige beige beige

This was pretty cool but nothing special for me

This was not what I expected. I think Mann’s lyrics are clever and the overall presentation of this album is chaotic and fun. Nothing really blew me away, though.

This is great on paper. Great technical abilities, but ultimately boring and unforgettable.

Not my thing

Not my cup of tea. I will never listen to this album again. She can sing well. Production was high. Songs sound nice. It is the kind of album I might give my mentally disabled sister to keep on in the background.

I liked it. Nothing MIND BLOWING, but solid.

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

It was just another country pop that was saved from the 1-star rating for 1 or 2 songs that are enjoyable.

Pretty middle of the road throughout. It's not really "bad", but it didn't elicit anything from me, either.

Every once in a while I come across an album on here where it feels like it's just a personal favourite of the author. This is some very boring, middle of the road, white bread music. Something nonabrasive my mother would have listened to.

Like how the dinosaur evolved to birds, this is the ancestor of boy genius.

Very 90ies

Whatever is the first solo album by American singer-songwriter Aimee Mann. This pop rock album received positive reviews from critics, with many complimenting Mann's wordplay and melody of her lyrics. The standout tracks are "I Should've Known, 4th of July, & Mr. Harris". I thought this was a decent album, but nothing really grabbed my attention saying "this is amazing". I do agree with critics that Aimee Mann has great lyrics on this album, and the music compliments them too. Fans of pop music should enjoy this album.

Aimee Mann- Whatever I’ve known about Aimee Mann for awhile but never dabbled with her music. Let’s see what’s happening here 1. I dig the harmonic vocals over the hook. The instrumental is fine. She’s got a good voice too 2. Ok I get the appeal of this but it ain’t for me. There’s nothing wrong with it but it’s not my vibe. Great voice tho 3. This could ride if I was in the mood for it. I am not in the mood today lol 4. Boring 5. Lord I’m ready for this to be over. 6. This album putting me to sleep 😴🥱😴🥱 7. Ok this instrumental has some interesting things happening. There’s still not a lot of teeth to this album tho 8. Another yawner 9. God I am not into this AT ALL. I’m about to DNF this. 10. This album is hurting me so yes, you can hurt me now. The bridge is good 11. The word is bored Aimee. This album is boring 12. I’ve had it as well. Another miss for me 13. Mehhhhhhhhhhh what’s with the circus ending. And the train recorder whistle. I’ll never listen to this again Not for me. 2/10 A appropriate title for sure

An album with a lot of creativity, energy, and talent.

Spent a while trying to figure out why her voice is so familiar, even if her songs aren’t. It’s her guest vocals on Rush - Time Stand Still. Great tunes. Nothing so totally revolutionary, but I could listen a bunch more, by which time the lyrics would get to me. I appreciate Jon Brion and I think I can hear his influence. eg. the horns / marimba on the last track.

A bit underwhelming.

I get it, this is predominantly a British and American rock list and lots of albums from these two countries will appear in it. But come on! There are so many albums out there and we had to listen to something like this? No list is complete and everyone will have their opinion, but really? This was the same from the beginning to the end, no spikes or lows. Horrible album.

Fine I guess

Not really my kind of album, nothing really wrong with it just not for me

Boring 90s solo indie girl stuff

A few neat little tunes in here. I'm not sure I knew her music but hey I've forgotten lots of music from this era.

The first song is great, Aimee sounds like a pop-metal Chrissie Hynde. She has a good voice and the critics were smitten with her "snappy" lyrics. After a while the commerciality of the songs kind of dragged me down.

Despite Aimee’s punkish looks with Doc Martin boots this is basically vanilla chick pop. She does have a lovely voice though.

Completely bland. Competent. But still bland.

After a bit of a difficult run it was a pleasure to hear this - light maybe but lovely songs and a beautiful production.

This one isn't for me.

vise mi se svideo magnolia album

Listened Before? N I have only vaguely heard of her before, but I knew her without knowing her because she was in Til Tuesday! I thought her voice sounded familiar and now I know why. The album itself is 90s grrrrrl rock through-and-through. It's not great, as far as that goes, but it's decent. I like the guitars and the overall ambience but nothing stood out much here. 4th of July and I Should have Known are good. The more I listened, it grew on me. The slower second half would have been right up my alley in HS. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: 4th of July

Was thinking this would be unlistenable due to the rating but it's very bland pop rock. Nothing eye catching but not unlisenable.

nice pop, a bit of crunge

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.

This was my vibe a decade ago. Relaxing music. I will probably come back to this when I want to unwind after a stressful day

She sounded so similar to someone but I just couldn’t pin point it… It was alright- just boring honestly. I was done after a couple songs.

Funny how some albums or artists scream "throwback" to me as Aimee Mann does here (which to be fair 1993 is THIRTY GODDAMN YEARS AGO) yet something from say 1983 doesn't... At its best this is excellent pop rock that has the type of melodic progression that hits me right in the sweet spot. "I Should've Known" is a big opener that could have sit comfortably side by side with Jellyfish (greatest "never really made it" band in history) in '93. There's nothing bad in this album at all. Sort of a damning with faint praise there ... my issue with Aimee Mann is that I feel like I can ever only listen to maybe 5 or 6 in a row of her. She has a nice voice to be sure; recognizable as well - but I feel like her easy energy vocal clarity gets ... stale after a while. Gimme a little passion, a little difference somewhere. And that has an effect on the songs - again, they're all in isolation very nice to good. Just that for me her voice blends them all together after a spell and the entire effect becomes a bit boring. Excellent songwriting, but she's a perfect EP kinda artist for me. Not quite enough for me to hit a 4 star but I'd never turn it off (until like the 7th son of course...) Faves: "I Should've Known" and "I've Had It" 6/10 3 stars

Esté disco lo descubrí a toro pasado. Empecé con "Magnolia" y "Bachelor nº2" pero es una artista más completa e interesante de lo que parece y de esa imagen apegada al grunge que creo que fue más pasajera de lo que parece desde fuera. Qué buena voz y que bien cantaba desde su primer disco. El disco al final me ha sabido a poco.

meh

...see album title

Sounds like the sort of bland music you get in some american dramas, or in Poundland.

I honestly hated this.

Nothing offensively bad on here but forgot about the entire album the second I finished it

Dece

I've always loved her music and have not explored this album before, as well as a few of her other releases, so this excellent record is a good prompt for me to dig more deeply into her catalog. Reinforced by what I hear in the outstanding tracks on this record, she is such a gifted writer and composer. I would like to see her get more credit for her lyrics as well as her musicianship. She does an amazing job of balancing edgy and unusual writing and composing with deceptively catchy and pop-like structures. I've never tried it but I have a feeling that's one of the more difficult feats to pull off in songwriting and arranging. Too much in any direction, and it could easily fall into parody or snarkiness, but it doesn't. There's a vulnerability and sincerity in what she does along with the indie-pop-punky-rockishness. Pretty darn impressive.

Good but nothing too standout

beautiful voice. sounded like sheryl crow with better singing ability. not bad at all.

I didn't like this

Alright, I guess.

I like Aimee Mann, probably the most out of her contemporaries, but I was surprised that this was the album chosen. It was pleasant but didn't really stand out much to me, melodically or lyrically. I feel like it's becoming my catchphrase but I do always appreciate a debut, cuz it gives me interesting context in which to place the artist. In this case it did more make me want to listen to her more popular stuff to try and discern where she evolved to earn her cult status as a songwriter.

Big Alanis vibes here, but I would say higher quality song writing. Just a real solid album with clever lyrics throughout. I think Mr Harris was my fave but a lot of good ones.

Really good pop/folk/singer songwriter stuff. Her lyrics are very clever and the backing band is tight. Maybe cutting a song or two would make it even better as I did start to lose interest by the end. Still very solid. Adding it to my collection.

Aimee Mann is definitely a good songwriter but nothing here blew me away. I think I wanted to like it more that I truly did. It sounded like Tom Petty was singing backup in “fifty years after the fair” but it was a Roger McGuinn. Close enough. 3.5 if possible.

I've known who Aimee Mann is since my brother brought home Magnolia on VHS in the early 2000s (side note: it took up two tapes...why didn't he just buy the DVD?). I'd put her in the same spot as I put Tom Waits: great lyrics and storytelling, but grating voice. I'm also not a huge fan of singer-songwriter stuff, and this felt like it dragged on and on. I wish I liked Aimee Mann but I just can't get there. More of a 2.5.

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.

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!

It was OK. One or two songs were good, but overall just kind of there.

Calling this an average album would be a stretch. I didn't like the music, style or Aimee's vocal. Just a boring record, on to the next one.

The piano in the album was excellent. Very chill mood. Reminded me a bit of Michelle branch. Overall a nice listen.

nice voice. easy listening good music. enjoyed.

When I got this assignment, I thought, "I haven't thought of Aimee Mann in a long time!" While I did enjoy listening to this today, I thought that there might be a reason I hadn't thought of her in a while. There were a few other singers of her genre that have stood with me a bit more.

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.

This was a nice listen. I’m not sure it would make my personal 1001 list but I enjoyed it well enough.

This sounds like the kind of music the women in Friends would listen to

I really don't hate this as much as I want to. Is it great? No. Could I have died without listening to it? Yeah. But there a lot more interesting arrangements in here than about 90% of the singer-songwriter albums in this book, so I appreciate that. I like her voice too. Favorite track: 4th of July

I thought this was a really cool album. 1993 is sort of a tough year for me to contextualize for rock, since so much had happened in the previous few years with grunge coming into the mainstream and bringing the rest of alternative rock with it, but perhaps it doesn't matter. This album very much has a timeless quality about it. There's a lot of variety in the music of the album without it feeling incoherent, and her voice and lyrics fit the music perfectly. It feels very intimate 4/5

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.

i like it, i like Aimee mann, but this is very clearly not her best work.

What a voice!

I like her a lot but I wasn't much of a fan of this album.

First song was pretty good, but the rest were pretty meh and forgettable.

As apathetic as the title suggests, not much more than standard angsty 90s rock with some slower emotionally-oriented albums thrown in. Mann has some great vocals here and there, but the whole LP feels very unmotivated and lacking in purpose.

Odd choice - there’s significance in it being her debut but there was better material to follow, especially Bachelor No 1 and Lost In Space. This album has brilliant tracks, largely concentrated in the first half but it trails off towards the end.

I Should’ve Known 1-1.5/5

This sure was a 90s singer-songwriter album!

What a load of shite Singing is poor, music seems to be without any sort of hook, just wanted it to finish

Милый, почти напомнил разговорный жанр - больше эмоций чем вокала

Bright literate songwriting. Nice contemporary pop music with catchy hooks, driving beats and clean clear production. 4 stars

It's just whatever

Whatever. Low effort, middle of the road quasi-pop country.

Du petit folk ben plate 3/10

Some talent here for sure, though the lyrics are very, well, angst girl genre. Vocally a bit weak as well.

Nowhere does it get bad, but it's such a bland 90's pop-rock album, done so much better by legions of others in this genre, that I really don't know why this was an album I needed to listen to before I die. I can't think of any part of this that sets it apart, on equal footing or even above the rest.

Boooooooring

This album started out relatively strong but really fizzled out by the end. Definitely a victim of coming out during the CD era.

Magnolia elokuva soundtrack... 1001 elokuva.. tämä naikkonen.... Aimee Ann..

oh my god I loved this, poppy angst is so so good. Few moments that didn't hold up quite as well but I just had so much fun

Not good

I'd rather listen to crust punk.

pretty average 90's

Yllättävän vähän kuunteluita levyn kappaleita tälle listalle kuuluvalle. Rentofiiliksistä vähän countryfolkkimaista indie rockki tyyppistä singersongwriter musaa. Sopii ihan hyvin aurinkoiseen rekka-autoiluun. Kotona. Pelle-Hermanni lopetus

Incredibly non-offensive album

Surprised I hadn’t heard this album before, it’s right in my wheelhouse but 2-3 years before I developed my musical taste.

This is better than most of the albums I've listened to so far, so while I'm not sure why it's on the albums you must listen to list, it's still a 4 just for being listenable.

90’s alt-country-rock schlock

Not for me. I tried hard to listen and review but lost focus each time.

whatever

First time that I have listened to Aimee Mann...kind of sounds like a Sheryl Crow, without her gift for an infectious hook....

It's fine but not very compelling. Surprised I've never heard of her.

Aimee Mann really knows how to write a song.

Reviews for this album are a bit negative in my opinion, yes it’s certainly not the most unique album of all time and certainly not one of the best albums of the 90’s or even just 94 but there’s some good songs it’s all listenable and enjoyable. 3/5

Kunde varit en etta men nån låt drog upp det

Um uneventful is the best way I can describe this for me

alegre, brillante, producido por jon brion. empieza entretenido y se va apagando. mor para los 90s.

7/10. You know this only made the list because Elvis Costello likes it, but I did rather enjoy it. Little long, though.

Started off pretty decent but crept towards Tori Amos territory with some of the odder songs. 5/10

Some things are best left in the 90s.

Nice

I didn't really enjoy the album but it gets points for reminding me to rewatch Magnolia

Listened to a few songs in the background and don't feel like I need to listen further.

Between a 2 and a 3, but ultimately it just drags a bit too much (both individual songs as well as the album as a whole).

I probably missed something but this seemed like pleasant pop but nothing remarkable.

I might be more familiar with Aimee Mann as a podcast guest than as a musician, but I've always thought her to be a warm and intelligent presence. I think this is the type of album that would grow on repeated listens. The melodies are catchy if a little generic, but the lyrics I was able to parse were far more intriguing and honest. I'm typically unable to pay much attention to lyrics on first listen, focusing rather on the song as a whole, but I want to revisit this album while scrolling Genius. I think there's something here.

The solo debut of the vocalist behind Til Tuesday and their hit "Voices Carry." She has a jangly power pop sound and vocals with country and folk influence that match with 90s contemporaries Alanis Morissette, Tori Amos, and Fiona Apple. She has some great songs in other albums, and I like the production and songwriting here, featuring some cool instrumentation like in "Say Anything." But it was too long with too many filler tracks, and hardly anything stood out to me at all. Favorites: I Should've Known, Could've Been Anyone, Say Anything

I enjoy Aimee Mann's song writing but for some reason the way she delivers those songs always feels a little lack luster to me. Great production from Jon Brion as always. I can see how this would be an essential album to listen to, but it doesn't have a lot of replay value for me.

I think her best work was getting her toe cut off in Big Lebowski. Then prolly 'Till Tuesday, and then maybe this. It's decent song writing. Reasonably good melodies. But I'm not really into it.

90's chick rock, not for me

Before today, I'd never heard of Aimee Mann before, so was unsure what the album was going to be like. Aimee is a singer/songwriter, alternative artist with country influences. She sounds like Sheryl Crow, or Lucinda Williams. Her writing style is awesome, and really spins a story for the listener. The picture painted by her lyrics in the song Mr. Harris (her falling in love with an old dude who is raking leaves, and her mother dismissing it as a phase) was beautiful. Overall, a perfect album for a rainy Saturday. I was able to really listen to this record while sitting and drinking a cup of coffee this morning, it was perfectly suited for that. I enjoyed it so much I listened twice. Favourite songs: Put Me on Top, Could've Been Anyone, Stupid Thing, I Should've Known, Mr. Harris, Jacob Marley's Chain, Fifty Years After the Fair, I Could Hurt You Now, Way Back When Least favourite songs: Say Anything 4/5

It was ok. There was a lack of emotion on some songs and that's what I didn't like. Other than that, it was okay, 5.6/10

Well crafted songs. No complaints, but not striking lightning in me either. I do like her voice.

Aptly titled.

Totally fine 90s alt-rock. It's peak semi-boring 90s.

Even after all these years, this album is still not as good as I wanted it to be.

elvis costello likes this which makes sense. give me marshall crenshaw instead. "i know theres a word" we get it you cant write songs god this was pathetic the ff7 synth on jacob marleys chain made me want to fuck my eyeholes with pinecones

First Certainly sounds like it's from the 90s. Very boring and bland pop rock with some country influences. The start of the first track before we go into the dirtbag guitar makes one hope for something interesting to happen. no cigar.

Hmm nothing too spectacular, drags a bit too long for me. Felt like her voice was cracking a lot but idk Saved tracks: Put Me On Top, Say Anything, I Should’ve Known, 4th Of July

Was OK.

Whatever.

Whatever

whatever

Nothing jumps out to me here. If you told me it was Alanis Morissette I would believe you

I knew I'd hate this album when I saw how she spelled her first name. My granddad would have liked this album but he also liked the Corrs and being a racist so that doesn't mean very much. I found it a very standard album, from a very normal musician. Put it in the bin with the others.

I didn't like this album , it sounded very generic and all songs sounded very similar. I can see the emotional side to the album but I just couldn't see it. Some of the guitar solos were good and the vocals were nice but it sounded very copy and paste

Felt nice to discover Aimee 6.5/10 Fave: 4th of July

Hadn't listened to her before, it was alright, I doubt I'll ever listen to her again.

Appreciate the attempt to balance all the dad rock with a little mom rock. But the only thing I liked about this album was the cover. Very relatable.

First half I didn’t love possibly d/t some anti 90s prejudice but by the end I really started to enjoy it 3.75/5

This grew on me. Def was vibing by the end. Very 90s.

Not sure what I'm missing here but didn't get into this at all.

This was alright - very of its time. I think if I'd've encountered it around uni time I'd have been well into it. It definitely doesn't deserve the hate it's getting in some of these reviews! 🙄 Fave track - "I Should've Known" was a good opener - would've liked the album to carry on in that vein more! "I Could Hurt You Now" was also a stand out...

I had to listen to this a second time, because I felt I was missing something the first time I listened to it. It reminds me a bit of Tracy Bonham / PJ Harvey in some ways, but more in the troubadour-esque feel. Songs like "Fifty Years After The Fair" had a lot more maturity to it than I would expect for a first solo album. The opening number really kicked off the whole album, gave you a good sense of everything. "Say Anything" is probably one of my favorites off of this album. I felt there was a lot more to her voice here than what I was expecting (you know, the girl from 'Til Tuesday...). Hard to believe this is 30 years old. Really good starting album.

WTF? I started listening to the first song, I Should've Known, which was her lead single and I barely made it through. Sounds like radio pop drivel - intentionally pandering to the masses through glossy guitar strumming and oohs, ahhs, and bop-bops from backup singers. Sounds like the kind of stuff that Liz Phair got panned for when she toned down her edge in the 2000's - so why are we glorifying Aimee Mann's stuff? That's a hard first impression to come back from. 4th of July at song three was redeeming. Jacob Marley's Chain and Mr. Harris also caught my attention in a good way. The rest of the album was...whatever. Or worse...same drivel as the opener. Not deserving of this list.

Mediocre pop rock. There seems to be a lot of albums like this on the list that could be replaced with more varied and interesting choices.

More generic than I was hoping. There are traces of something more unique and interesting in the music, but this album fails to truly give it the time to shine. A song would usually start out in an intriguing way, and then nothing would come of it, which was frustrating. The music that was present wasn't bad, but the peeks of more interesting music just makes me frustrated that the whole album doesn't have that sound. My favourite song was Jacob Marley's Chain.

first listen great artistic pop record

I really like her work with the band Til' Tuesday and plenty of songs from her solo album Mental Illness, but this one just doesn't click with me. The entirety of Save Me >>>>> this whole album

Disc lluminós i radiant. Ple de melodies pop i harmonies vocals encisadores, perfectes per disfrutar d'un diumenge matí assolejat. El so i la producció són molt de l'época, però a la vegada les cançons sonen atemporals, si val la contradicció.

very tasteful, which is not entirely desirable

I didn’t finish listening to it but from what I did hear I did enjoy.

All blended into one song

Jon Brion you crazy bastard

This album was considerably better than I thought it would be going in. The first two tracks are quintessential 90s music--honestly could be part of a soundtrack to describe how they sounded. The most popular track, 4th of July, was comfortably the worst one for me. I appreciate this singer-songwriter album for approaching the music holistically--it made for a much more cohesive listening experience than most of the others here. Favorite track: Fifty Years After the Fair

Enjoyed

Really enjoyed this album, it was fun. Not much here to rag on, but also not much to rave over. 3/5

Not bad but it's just kinda there and not doing anything interesting.

I recognize the name but I don't think I could identify any of her songs. The first 25 seconds had me optimistic for something a bit more experimental, so I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed that this album was start to finish, singer-songwriter pop rock. Not that it's bad, it's just that the intro hinted at something that could have had a wider style palette. I kept waiting for a song to anchor this album for me, but it never came. The vocal delivery might have been holding this back. The lyrics have some emotion, but the singing feels a bit too laid back. Highlights: I Should Have Known, I've Had It, Way Back When 2.75

I've heard this album before...wasn't impressed. Seemed very average at best. We'll see how it goes this time.... After my second listening day of this album: Still not impressed. Fairly weak and unimpressive. None of the songs stand out to me. Some may like it, but it doesn't do anything for me. 2.5/5

Better than I expected. Decent background music. Lacked a standout track and the country vibe was not necessary.

Meh. Whatever.

Almost a 4, it's a very solid pop album. Not much else to say

Yeah pretty good

Good album!I I’ll be revisiting it for sure.

Not bad, quite pleasant. But not super interesting either. One and done.

Dear oh dear that's two duff albums on the trot now. This one sounds like even in 1993 it was 15 years too late. Generic girl vocalist and band. It could be Chrissie Hind's less talented younger sister. Dull as ditchwater. Next!

noh on miellekästä musiikkia... pop rokkia, parempi kuin oletin (underrated). ei mikään populääri albumi ainakaan spotifyssä, parhaat biisit max 100k plays.. miksi vitussa elvis costello mainittu album summaryssä jacob marley's chain

Mediocre at best. 2/5

Yeah, pretty good. First half of the album felt stronger to me.

Fairly dull indie pop. Needed a bit more oompf.

Ugh not feeling this one. A bit too folksy

This is appropriately named. Aimee's voice is okay at best - she's got a Carpenters kinda vibe. But, I never liked the Carpenters either. I can definitely hear how (maybe) subsequent artists picked up on a few of the unique "vibes" and ran with them later in the 90s, but those artists would fall mostly into the one-hit wonder category - so I'm not sure how impressive that is. Anyway, not for me.

A surprisingly decent collection of pop songs, but definitely could have gone to the grave without hearing them.

bien tranqui 7.5/10

Liked her sound most of the time

I was actually a little let down by this, not quite as good as lost in space or some of her other stuff, but still some great songs

I don't know what Ben was talking about, this was pretty good.

Pop suavecín de cantaautora. Ni fu ni fa.

Un poco rollo. Parecido a Shania Twain. Parece que tiene discos mejores. Los buscaré. Nada, otros discos me gustan más, pero no, se queda en un 3. No es mi estilo. Es como Shania Twain, un poco mejor. 3

I was excited to see an Aimee Mann album on this list, but I must admit I was a bit puzzled by the choice itself. I'd say any one of her next three releases would have been a better choice, especially Bachelor No. 2. This remains a very good album, but I'd struggle to justify its inclusion in such a limited format list. Since I do believe Aimee Mann is more than worthy of a nod, I'm giving this a 3, but it would surely be upgraded to 4/5 if a more relevant album of hers was selected. If you enjoyed this at all, I would recommend digging deeper into her discography, as there's certainly more good stuff to be found, even better stuff for a good portion of her career!

Does anyone else feel like the 90s are over-represented on this thing?

Ai.. Deze krijgt de eer voor de 1e 1-ster.

Nice easy Listening album

Lots of Aimee Mann sounding like Aimee Mann. Not an album I'd listen to again. Does capture some of that early 90's sound, but overall 2 stars.

Ok album, but not sure that it belongs in this list.

First song, it comes off as a little generic. Kind of original Bangles.

One of the best artist’s best albums

Se pone un poco denso en una parte con una seguidilla de temas acusticones (igual no lo termine de escuchar) pero en general me gustó bastante. Un disco sensible que prefigura un poco lo que iba a ser el pop punk emo. Algunos temas tienen buenos arreglos de las violas y en general temas interesantes

La verdad que es una lástima porque el primer tema me parece buenísimo. Intenta remontar con algunos temas al final, pero para ese momento ya me había perdido.

Tiene un par de temitas buenos pero medio que me empalaga.

It's a little bit singer-songwriter, a little bit americana, all cloaked in the hue of the 90s, a little irony, a little alternative. Aimee's voice is very far up in the mix, but I think that's a good thing to focus on her writing, which is very strong, save a few spots. It's all very earnest, and I like it. Favorite tracks: "I Should've Known", "Say Anything", "I Could Hurt You Now"

Eh

Pleasant but largely forgettable. Okay voice, good lyrics, a few catchy songs, mostly kind of downers.

Les chansons sont bien faite c’est une bonne artiste mais l’album est mehh parfois..2.75

Really great, nice mix of styles.

Catchy music. Clever lyrics. Nice.

Fairly boring country-esque pop-rock

Good tunes, can feel her story telling

I actually hate it

Pleasant but unremarkable, a few songs t9 enjoy but it kinda disappeared most if the time.

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.

Not my cup of tea. Not bad, but did not get me interested.

Nice one

Solid if unspectacular, but maybe an album that would benefit from repeated listening. Sounds kind of like a lot of artists I love, so probably someone I could get into. Really torn on how to score this - might as well err on the side of generosity!

too long favs stupid thing could’ve been anyone i should’ve known

Not my style.

This is really nice power-pop. I'm a sucker for jangle under any circumstances, and she just has a great sense for catchy hooks and fun harmonic touches. It starts a little stronger than it ends (the first song is easily the best), but pretty consistent quality. Lots of nice backing vocals, little flourishes on the organ, good stuff.

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

Ágætis gítar-köntrískotið-popp. Aimee er svöl.

I’ve always liked Aimee Mann’s voice. She’s a good lyricist too. This is a solid singer-songwriter album but there wasn’t a lot on it that stood out to me to make me want to return to it anytime soon. There were a few moments where the music took on a full-bodied rock sound (the second half of “Say Anything,” “I Could Hurt You Now”) and I would have liked more of that.

I've heard of her before but never listened on my own. I felt like the album was just OK. Maybe she is very influential and thus warrants a spot on this list, and this is one of the better of her albums? I really didn't love her voice. There's this concept in singing that I think about sometimes, where the anatomical sum of someone's voice can lead to them just not having an attractive singing voice- regardless of training and practice. It's just that they don't have a voice that attracts people on a more objective level than "well it's just not your preference", and I kind of feel like she has that. I think that a lot of indie rock acts have singers that "put on" a voice in order to make their voice interesting. Which is fine! But with her I just find her voice to be kind of dull, and the music doesn't do enough to pick up the slack. I think this is really prominent in track 4, "Could've Been Anyone", where it has a fun 90's sampled drum n bass groove to start, then a big room drumset rock sound smashes through and the energy quickly builds and then..... oh.. her voice comes in and the air is kind of taken out of the room. It's almost like the band is jamming together in one room and she is in another building. It sounds like it's produced like that and thus, it feels like that. Looking at the album in context, this came out in 1993. Also in 1993 was In Utero, Siamese Dream, Enter the Wu-Tang, Bjork's Debut. Doggystle - Snoop Dogg. Some singles from 1993: "I Will Always Love You" - Whitney Huston, "Can't Help Falling In Love" - UB40, "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" - The Proclaimers. Looking at this is context, the sound on this album just feels kind of pedestrian to me. Those other records that came out that year are probably on this list and in my opinion blow this record out of the water. Grasping at some positives here, I thought "4th of July" was a nice track. The downtempo ballad was nice and I liked it here early in the album (but not too early!). Bass playing was really tastefully done, and I enjoyed the other instruments like the synths and vibraphone. Her voice comes across nice here as well. I think it fits these ballad type of tracks better than the rock band arrangements, and I found these tracks to be the better ones on the album, like "Mr. Harris", "I know there's a word", "I've Had It" - which btw how can I not love a song with lyrics like : "And dan came in from jersey He went to get the drums And if buddy ever comes we can get if off the ground" I ended up liking the second half of this album much more than the first half, and I'm not surprised because there's so many more slower ballad like songs on the second half, but I am surprised that the album has such a big "first half / second half" contrast. I tend to write these in a James Joyce-ian stream of consciousness style and I started thinking this album was going to unfortunately be another 1 on the list, but then it built up to a 2, and now I'm giving it a 3. But it's a middling 3, like a 3.0. The second half saved it. I'm going to listen to some of her other music to see if she has more softer arrangements- because the ones with a more rock sound really didn't grab me.

Music is ok, but I don't like the plain-Jane tone of her vocals. I can tell a lot of crafting has gone into the songwriting and arrangement but the voice tamps it down.

Pretty interesting sound

Ok

Dull, just felt low effort and completely forgettable

Pretty inoffensive

Good singer and the music is right.

I need to listen to more Aimee Mann.

90's feeling, kinda pop-rock-ey

Eh. Not my cup of tea.

i like lilith but this might be too rock n roll for me. lets see. yea. its a fine album but not always my cup of tea. The playlist it recommended like it i dug.

I probably should've listened to this on release.

Nope, no thank you, I'll pass, please move along

OK

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.

Wonderful times less stories, sometimes can date itself in the music

riktigt trist

3/5. It’s an interesting perspective that provides a solid collection of songs to the indie rock scene.

Alright. Decent 90’s music

Nice.

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…

They should have shelved this in the recording studio. shit sandwich

Music for distilled water enjoyers.

Terrible voice

Nope, nope and nope.

Good 90s feel

Definitely hear the early 90s alt rock influence here. Gets a little slow for my taste after the first couple of songs though

Didn't enjoy it at all, a slog to finish

Found it a bit dated, however clearly some very good songwriting going on. The album seemed rather consistent too, which was nice.

Couldn't even make it through the whole album, thought it was shite.

Yawn.... I don't hate it but Christ it's boring.

It was fine. First songs were a bit forgettable in my opinion, but I think it got better into the second half of the album, though the last song just sounded silly and confusing. I thought Jacob Marley's Chain was really beautiful, and I kinda wish the album had some more folk-esque songs like it. Favourite: Jacob Marley's Chain

You could say I’m an Aimee Mann man

Not an unpleasant time, but I'm not sure why it belongs on this list. I will say, this is the rare album that gets better as it goes on. It's back loaded, and not front loaded! Wow.

Good album i never heard.

90's rock. Nicely played and sung, but without any interesting ideas or hooks it's nothing special. And at nearly 53 minutes it overstays its welcome. 2/5

Just made me really sleepy and relaxed but defiantly a relaxed and clam album with Beautiful vocals along with nothing ever to fast but just slow so not too bad

Not the Aimee Mann album that should be represented on the list. But it really doesn't matter since all of her solo work sounds the same. Let's be honest: Mann's best moments came from when she fronted 'Til Tuesday (Voices Carry is a 5), and she's a bit overrated as a solo artist because she's good friends with people like film director Paul Thomas Anderson. This isn't too say her efforts are bad. They all mostly fall into the "pretty good" category. Another way to put it is her solo work is fine. The West Coast Elite keeps trying to sell the world on how she's the Joni Mitchell of her generation. Thankfully, no one is buying buying it. I really like Aimee Mann's cover of The Cars' "Drive", but that's not on this album.

Dawson's Creek vibez

50 Years After The Fair Sounds like Tom Petty could be the guest vocalist. I am not a huge fan of the guitar sounds, reminds me a lot of country guitar from the 90s. The overall effect of her sound is this feeling of toothlessness.

I like her name. Otherwise...meh.

Never heard of this before, kinda Cheryl Crow vibes? Poppy, rocky, countryish sorta stuff with a coat of 1990s over the top. Not too bad really, didn't blow my hat off but competent enough. 3/5.

The early pop-country is all too unwelcome and lengthy. There's some above-average material, too, but it's quite buried.