So-Called Chaos

Infobox Album |
Name = So-Called Chaos


Type = Album
Artist = Alanis Morissette
Released = May 18 2004 (U.S.)
Recorded = 2003
Genre = Rock, Pop rock
Length = 43:59
Label = Maverick
Producer = Alanis Morissette, John Shanks, Tim Thorney
Reviews =
* "Allmusic" Rating|4|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:yvdsylm4xpzb~T1 link]
* "Entertainment Weekly" C+ [http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,637831,00.html link]
* "Jam!" Rating|3.5|5 [http://www.canoe.ca/JamAlbumsM/morissette_a_chaos-sun.html May 14, 2004]
* "Rolling Stone" Rating|2|5 [http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/alanismorissette/albums/album/6041333/review/6054034/socalled_chaos June 10, 2004]
* "Winnipeg Sun" (unfavourable)

Last album = "Feast on Scraps"
(2002)
This album = "So-Called Chaos"
(2004)
Next album = "Jagged Little Pill Acoustic"
(2005)Singles
Name = So-Called Chaos
Type = studio
single 1 = Everything
single 1 date =
single 2 = Out Is Through
single 2 date =
single 3 = Eight Easy Steps
single 3 date =
single 4 = Excuses
single 4 date =

"So-Called Chaos" is the sixth studio album (fourth released internationally) by Canadian singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette, released in May 2004 (see 2004 in music).

History

It had been two years since Morissette released her third studio album, "Under Rug Swept". In that time she had met her fiancee Ryan Reynolds, so her cheery disposition made its presence felt in many of the songs she wrote for "So-Called Chaos". The album found her in a more contented and relaxed state than ever, and her songs were brighter and happier than her more volatile works like "You Oughta Know" and "Uninvited". One reporter asked if the song "This Grudge" was based on the same person as "You Oughta Know", and Morissette replied, "Different person, same era." [ [http://www.icemagazine.com/stories/202/alanis.asp] Dead link|date=March 2008]

The first single, "Everything", was released to U.S. radio in the spring of 2004, and was met with mixed reaction. U.S. Adult Top 40 radio stations gave the song good airplay, but mainstream and top 40 stations were colder in their reception, and consequently it became Morissette's lowest peaking single on the "Billboard" Hot 100. "Everything" was included on the "Totally Hits 2004, Vol. 2" compilation, and in 2006 it was featured in the film "Clerks II".

Some reviews of "So-Called Chaos" were positive, with many critics calling it her most accessible and mainstream record since her landmark debut "Jagged Little Pill" (1995). Still, others thought she had "sold out" for the sake of sales and radio play; "Rolling Stone" magazine, for example, said the album "attempts to reverse the sliding record sales following ["Jagged Little Pill"] ." [Walters, Barry. [http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/alanismorissette/albums/album/6041333/review/6054034/socalled_chaos "Alanis Morissette - So-Called Chaos"] . "Rolling Stone". June 10 2004. Retrieved January 25 2007.]

The album debuted at number one on the United World Albums Chart, [ [http://www.mediatraffic.de/albums-week23-2004.htm "United World Chart - Albums"] . Media Traffic. June 5 2004. Retrieved January 25 2007.] at number two on the Canadian albums chart with first week sales of 11,200, [ [http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Artists/K/Krall_Diana/2004/05/26/746677.html "Krall beats out Alanis on charts"] . Jam! Showbiz. May 26 2004. Retrieved January 25 2007.] and at number five on the U.S. "Billboard" 200, selling 115,000 copies in its first week in the U.S. and 887,000 that same week worldwide. [ [http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000519117 "Usher Album Remains On Top"] . "Billboard". May 26 2004. Retrieved January 25 2007.] It spent a week in the U.S. top ten before falling down the chart. As of September 2008 it has sold 470,000 copies in the U.S. [Caulfield, Keith. [http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/ask_bb/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003847081 "Ask Billboard - Losing 'Flavor'"] . "Billboard". September 8 2008.] The second single outside the U.S. was "Out Is Through", which had a poor showing in the UK. The second U.S. single was "Eight Easy Steps", which, despite being accompanied by an elaborate music video, [Cohen, Jonathan. [http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000612055 "Alanis 'Steps' Back Into The Past In New Video"] . "Billboard". August 13 2004. Retrieved January 25 2007.] failed to chart on the Hot 100 or cause a significant increase in sales of the album, which had already fallen off the "Billboard" 200. "Excuses" was released as a radio single in Brazil, where it peaked outside the top forty.

Track listing

All songs written by Alanis Morissette.

#"Eight Easy Steps" – 2:52
#"Out Is Through" – 3:52
#"Excuses" – 3:32
#"Doth I Protest Too Much" – 4:03
#"Knees of My Bees" – 3:41
#"So-Called Chaos" – 5:03
#"Not All Me" – 3:58
#"This Grudge" – 5:07
#"Spineless" – 4:15
#"Everything" – 4:36

Personnel

*Alanis Morissette - Vocals, Producer, Piano, Keyboards, Art Direction
*Eric Avery - Bass
*Chris Lord-Alge - Mixing
*Kenny Aronoff - Drums
*Paul Bushnell - Bass
*Scott Gordon - Programming, Engineer, Drum Programming
*Bill Lane - Assistant Engineer
*Stephen Marcussen - Mastering
*Kevin Mills - Assistant Engineer
*Jamie Muhoberac - Keyboards
*Tim Thorney - Bass, Piano, Keyboards, Producer
*Guy Oseary - A&R
*Joel Shearer - Guitar (Acoustic), Bouzouki, Guitar, Guitar (Electric)
*Paul Livingston - Sitar
*John Shanks - Dulcimer, Guitar (Acoustic), Bass, Guitar (Electric), Keyboards, Programming, Producer
*Shari Sutcliffe - Project Coordinator
*Sheryl Nields - Photography
*Errin Familia - Assistant Engineer
*Mark Valentine - Engineer
*Zac Rae - Piano, Keyboards, Vibraphone
*David Levita - Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric)
*Jason Wormer - Assistant Engineer
*Jeff Rothschild - Programming, Engineer
*Rich Tosi - Assistant Engineer
*Danny Strick - A&R
*Frank Maddocks - Art Direction, Design
*Jason Orme - Guitar (Electric)
*Blair Sinta - Drums, Programming

Charts

Album

Other charts

¹ Remixes

Notes

References

* [http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/retrieve_chart_history.do?model.vnuArtistId=121494&model.vnuAlbumId=722607 "Alanis Morissette - Artist Chart History"] . "Billboard". Retrieved December 1 2006.
* [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:oad8vwmta9lk~T51 "Alanis Morissette - Billboard Singles"] . "Billboard" and Allmusic. Retrieved December 1 2006.
* [http://www.mariah-charts.com/chartdata/PAlanisMorissette.htm "Alanis Morissette"] . Mariah-charts.com. Retrieved December 1 2006.
* [http://www.musicsquare.net/charts/song/492 "Alanis Morissette - Everything"] . MusicSquare.net. Retrieved December 1 2006.
* [http://www.musicsquare.net/charts/song/3757 "Alanis Morissette - Out Is Through"] . MusicSquare.net. Retrieved December 1 2006.