Aimee Mann - Whatever (1993)

Aimee Mann has been given a ripe opportunity to impress me. Coming off the grinding noisefest of Psychocandy I'm desperate for music with a modicrum of substance. I'm pretty sure I don't know any Aimee Mann music, but I'll probably wind up recognizing something seeing as how she was active while I was an impressionable youth.

Oh boo... is Aimee Mann an alt-country artist? Snooze. Wikipedia actually lists this album as "Pop, Rock" which I guess makes sense for the mid-90s. There was a segment of rock that got really light and wussy without counting as country music. What springs to mind right away are the Gin Blossoms, who had those 2 hit songs maybe around the same time Aimee Mann was releasing Whatever. Take Gin Blossoms, give them some twang, and a female lead singer. That's what I'm feeling with Aimee Mann out of the gate. "4th Of July" was a really lovely acoustic tune that sticks out and gives me hope as I trudge through.

"Put Me On Top" is yet another example of the wrong way to use a mellotron. I probably haven't mentioned this is a while, but this is at least the third time I've noticed a 90s rock album not realizing that a mellotron is meant to sound like a real string backing, not like a guy playing a synthesizer set to violin. There needs to be a smoothness between the notes. Maybe that's really hard to accomplish so most people just play it like a piano and say, "Eh, good enough."

I felt like album took a positive turn with "Say Anything" which was more of a punk-lite, alternative song with less twang and more attitude. That's kinda what I thought I was going to get judging from the album cover. "Jacob Marley's Chain" and "Mr. Harris" both explore  more extravagent folk stylings and are very well done. The rest of the album returns to the pop-rock style of the early songs but builds on it with fuller arrangements and more imaginative counter melodies. It makes the music build up to a very epic conclusion.

So, a somewhat boring first half but starting with "Say Anything" the album picks up steam. I guess I kinda liked it. I feel bad comparing it to Gin Blossoms earlier in the review, but I guess I'm assuming most people think Gin Blossoms are lame. 3 stars.