Flavors Of Entanglement
by Alanis Morissette
Metascore
63

Generally favorable reviews - based on 18 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 18
  2. Mixed: 13 out of 18
  3. Negative: 0 out of 18
  1. Entertainment Weekly
    83
    Somehow, a devastating personal experience has galvanized her songwriting in a way that domestic bliss, as showcased on 2004's disappointing "So-Called Chaos," could not.
  2. Billboard
    80
    Morissette's superb lyrics leave you cheering for her--and assured that she's going to be just fine.
  3. AllMusic
    70
    It's a lot like "Jagged Little Pill," but musically this is far closer to the muddled mystic worldbeat of "Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie," thanks in large part to her collaboration with Guy Sigsworth, best known for his productions with Björk and Madonna.
  5. Rolling Stone
    70
    Scarjo may have her man, but Morissette has something Johansson doesn't: a heartfelt record.
  6. Boston Globe
    70
    It's a cluttered affair with bleeping, buzzing lows (harshly ambient tracks like "Straightjacket" and "Versions of Violence") and a handful of humble high points in a pair of lovely piano ballads.
  7. musicOMH.com
    60
    If Alanis lacks breadth in terms of her subject matter, and she does, she makes up for it in the rich variety of styles that have influenced each track.
  8. The Guardian
    60
    As ever, she provokes both compassion and impatience.
  9. Blender
    60
    Producer Guy Sigsworth (Seal, Björk, Madonna) adds a touch of Eurodisco to her infatuation-junkie rambles.
  10. NOW Magazine
    60
    While Morissette’s weaknesses are the same--her lyrics are still overwrought, as though torn from some broken-hearted schoolgirl’s diary-–this disc is an easier pill to swallow than her last couple.
  11. PopMatters
    60
    Flavors of Entanglement is better than expected, but not as strong as we hoped it would be.
  12. Hot Press
    60
    Canadian firebrand loses her spark.
  13. Mojo
    60
    The Ottawan's new record abounds with moments most arresting for the crazy chutzpah with which she'll shoehorn a line of verse into a line of music whose rhythm puts the stresses on all the wrong words. [July 2008, p.104]
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  14. Q Magazine
    60
    Morissette is rarely dull, but she can occasionally be wearying. [July 2008, p.107]
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  15. Slant Magazine
    50
    "Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie" was emotionally complex but never without a nerve; the new Alanis, it seems, has many things to say, but they're all half-formed and stuck inside her head.
  16. Paste Magazine
    50
    On some tracks, Morissette’s voice channels Björk (with whom Sigsworth has also worked), but the mood ultimately switches to watered-down Evanescence.
  17. Spin
    50
    Psychology textbooks are less linguistically challenged and just as littered with cases of emotional breakdowns. [June 2008, p.114]
  18. Hartford Courant
    50
    She has fresh relationship issues to work through on Flavors of Entanglement, her first set of new tunes since 2004, but she has difficulty striking a balance between soul-searching and dance grooves on a set that doesn't distinguish itself with either.
  19. Uncut
    40
    It's the no-frills productions like 'Not As We' which stand out, although these are marred by the lyrics--a mess of self-help-manual platitudes and environmentally minded bollocks. [July 2008, p.104]
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Awards & Rankings

55
#55 Most Discussed Album of 2008

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
8.7

Universal acclaim- based on 82 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 70 out of 82
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 82
  3. Negative: 5 out of 82
  1. aarondu
    Nov 11, 2011
    2
    This album makes it quite clear: Alanis Morissette doesn't have a single good album left in her. Whatever happened to the down-to-earth,This album makes it quite clear: Alanis Morissette doesn't have a single good album left in her. Whatever happened to the down-to-earth, levelheaded woman who wrote so many earnest, tell-it-like-it-is pop songs in 1995? Maybe the pressure of fame whittled down her edge: as she graduated from young woman to full blown adult over the course of five or six albums, she has steadily inundated her music with an ever-increasing amount of self-conscious psychobabble. And each album has been worse than the one before. On Flavors of Entanglement, she's as confessional as she was fifteen years ago, but after two decades of reading self-help books, her confessions are somewhat embarrassing and unpleasant to hear. Morissette frequently uses jargon that's usually reserved for a psychologist's couch, heightening the sense that we are in the unpleasant head of a too-self-conscious neurotic. Witness the laundry list of therapy terms in Versions of Violence: "Diagnosing, analyzing, Unsolicited advice, Explaining and controlling, judging opining and meddling"; the awkward phrasing of Moratorium: "I declare a moratorium on things relationship, i declare a respite from the toils of liason." And don't get me started on the sophomoric rambling of "Giggling Again for No Reason", which has lyrics and a title that would be embarrassing for a 14 year old girl to write, let alone a full grown woman. So the final result is an awkward mess of unmelodic, unsurprising and somewhat affected lyrics from the mind of someone who has become less than interesting. Not a jagged little pill...a big, bland, dry one.… Full Review »
  2. terra22
    Aug 1, 2022
    10
    Fantastic album. Citizen of the Planet is a banger!
    Tapes is a gem
    This album reflects a personal and artistic growth. She has more depth    Fantastic album. Citizen of the Planet is a banger!
    Tapes is a gem
    This album reflects a personal and artistic growth. She has more depth and more understanding of herself and the music reflects it. The music itself has many more dimensions . Like different parts of her personality, Alanis is able to skillfully mix and highlight sounds that seem like complete contradictions, but the end result is pure music to my ears.    … Full Review »
  3. brubruzinha
    Nov 25, 2021
    10
    This album is Alanis Morissette 101: great voice, clever lyrics and a good production
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