Rating:
Genre:
Rock
Release Date: 01/30/1996
Run Time: 52:59
From the opening of
"Long Shot," with its rolling
hip-hop-derived beat and its nonchalant profanity, it's clear that
Aimee Mann is trying to appeal to a wider audience with her second solo album,
I'm With Stupid. Taking her cues from
Liz Phair and
Beck, she adds
alternative rock flourishes to her music but never abandons her love of the basic, three-minute
pop single.
Mann builds from the more
pop-oriented songs on
Whatever, incorporating her confessional
singer/songwriter instincts into the
pop songs while working with a more adventerous production and instrumentation. Occasionally, the fusion is a bit awkward, but the best moments on
I'm With Stupid -- the sighing
"Choice in the Matter," the nearly perfect
"That's Just What You Are," featuring backing vocals by
Glenn Tilbrook, and the
Bernard Butler collaboration
"Sugarcoated" -- surpass even the best moments on
Whatever. However,
I'm With Stupid falls short of matching
Mann's debut for consistent song quality -- there are several tracks that are pleasant but simply don't lead anywhere. Nevertheless, the album confirms that she is a distinctive, talented songwriter. At her best, she is as capable of melding melody with intelligent lyrics as her idols
Elvis Costello,
Difford/
Tilbrook, and
Ray Davies.
~Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
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