WITHOUT FAIL, music critics enjoy labeling and compartmentalizing new talent--in a sense, trying to create neat categories that simply don't exist. Remember Alanis Morissette's much-ballyhooed arrival on the music scene almost four years ago?

Magazine covers portrayed her as the prototype of an "Angry White Female," critics attributed her success to an ability to "tap into the inner frustrations and rage of females," and music industry execs simply waited for her fifteen minutes of fame to tick away.

BUT, there was always something different about Alanis.

Maybe it was the way her debut album jagged Little Pill gathered a small fan base in the early summer of 1995, building momentum through word-of-mouth until it rocketed to worldwide sales of 28 million. Maybe it was her media savvy--her ability to shun interviews and avoid overexposure, even though her record was promoted by Madonna-helmed Maverick Records.

SUPPOSED FORMER INFATUATION JUNKIE

Alanis Morissette

Maverick Records

Maybe it was her wildly original lyrics, or thelittle "uh" sigh that punctuated each line ofmusic, or the fact that she never quite gave us anexample of true irony. Maybe it was all of thesethings and more--but one thing was clear. Thefollow-up to Alanis' debut would be the mosthyped, expected (read: feel the pressure) album inrecent memory.

Fast forward four years. After a worldwide tourof more than a year, a trip to India and a lot oftime to ponder success, "Alanis" is the buzzwordof the music industry once again. But this timethe hype is seething with expectations andpressure--especially since she is the primecandidate for the dreaded "sophomore slump." Aftera debut album that rockets to the top, artiststend to stagnate (i.e. Hootie and the Blowfish),boring their fans and reinvigorating theirenemies. With one of the top albums of all time asher debut, endless radio promotion and an elasticvoice that some consider grating, Alanis wouldcertainly find a worthy opponent in the sophomorejinx.

But congratulations are in order. Her newcollection, Supposed Former InfatuationJunkie, is a terrific album. More varied andsubstantial then Jagged Little Pill (SFIJhas 17 tracks), this new collection proves thatAlanis is indeed different from the rest--she isperfectly willing to take risks even at theexpense of alienating some of her audience. Thoughthe melodies might not be as catchy as those onher debut album, the new songs give us a sense ofhow much Alanis has grown in four long years. Herlyrics have matured, her voice has stunning newtextures, and she brazenly experiments with newstyles.

True, there was no evidence on Jagged LittlePill that Alanis could jump musical genreboundaries. In fact, the debut album was sooverwhelmingly popular because all eleven tracksseemed to flow out of each other without theslightest resistance or change. But SFIJhas major surprises in store. Can you imagine howAlanis Morissette--supposed queen of angst--wouldsound tackling R&B soft ballads, or even "dancey"techno? Not only is she versatile enough toexperiment within these genres, but she is alsocapable of combining them to create genre-bustingnew sounds.

Alanis' most recognized strength, of course, isher ability to write lyrics that might as wellstand alone as poetry. The songs generally avoidrhyme, making for a more fluid, unpredictablesound. Amidst the pulsing techno of "So Pure," weare treated to surprisingly profound lyrics: "Youfrom New York, you are so relevant/You reduce meto cosmic tears." Dance music that doesn't rhyme?Techno that actually means something?

The surprises continue with "Unsent," a musicalletter to past lovers: "Dear Jonathan / I likedyou too much / I used to be attracted to boys whowould lie to me and think solely about themselves,/ Dear Marcus / You rocked my world / You had acharismatic way about you." Yet, the song wouldn'tmake sense if the music didn't complement theunusual form. Each "letter" seems packaged in itsown mini-song--the verses (seeminglyintentionally) never gel.

Alanis' lyrics are not only intelligent andhonest, but also remarkably simple. True, sheoccasionally overshoots and ends up withimpenetrable babble: "We left the men and we wentfor a walk in the gatineaus / and talked likewomen like women would / womyn to womyn would?"But when she tightens up her meaning and finds thebackground in which to frame it, the result isoften perfection. "I Was Hoping," for instance, isthe best track on the album simply because itscatchy melody is complemented, rather thantrivialized by it lyrics. No line repeats in thesong, preferring to move in a limitlessprogression.

Indeed, none of the songs on the album seem theleast bit circular. "Joining You," for instance,offers us a rush of hypotheticals: "If we were ourfutures / If we ere our futures / If we were ourdefenses I'd be joining you." Instead of thestandard verse-chorus-verse form, Alanis, modifiesthe verses with added harmonies and sets eachrefrain against a new set of lyrics. Themusic--unlike some of the redundant tracks onJagged Little Pill--never stagnates, neverbores.

Though Alanis has matured and found newtextures for her lyrics, a few minor changes mightmake her music even more effective. At times,SFIJ besieges the listener with a torrentof words. "The Couch," for example, is an overlongconfessional that exhausts rather than involves.Verbosity sometimes clouds her haunting, oftenstartlingly beautiful melodies. "Front Row" thefirst track, is a surprisingly insipid start tothe album. Trying to muster resentment, she offersus a long stream-of-consciousness account of lovegone wrong. Words pile on words as the standardchorus is layered with dense sub-vocals thatslowly collapse into indecipherable clamor. Thesong turns out to be a mish-mash of etherealchattiness rather than a compelling introduction.

Ironically, for a singer who supposedly becamefamous for her unfettered anger, Alanis' best workis her most subtle. "You Oughta Know" might be thesong that made her famous, but tracks like "AreYou Still Mad" will provide her with careerlongevity and new creative outlets. Much like thehidden number on Jagged Little Pill, thesong asks seemingly apologetic questions to aformer lover: "Are you still mad that I kicked youout of bed? / Are you still mad I gave youultimatums? / Are you still mad I had an emotionalaffair?" After a series of these soft,rhythmically soothing questions, she answers themwith a reverberating "Of course you are." And sheends it at that. Instead of becoming angry,instead of raging about revenge and injustice,Alanis wisely refuses to explain herself.

But restraint still isn't her strength. Alanislikes to confess, she likes to solve and workthrough her problems in words. And suddenly, itseems like she has the whole world as her musicalcanvas. After a trip to India and an explorationof Eastern religion, she offers us her perspectivenot only on love, but spirituality andenlightenment. Indian themes and phrases pop upall over the album, especially in "Thank U," thefirst single off the album currently saturatingairwaves. (If the "Indian experience" revitalizedMadonna's torpid career and reawakened Alanis,imagine what it could do for someone like CelineDion.)

In fact, Alanis has so much to say thatSupposed Former Infatuation Junkie isalmost overwhelming. Like the title of the albumitself, this sophomore effort is moreaesthetically pleasing than coherent. But Alanisdeserves the highest of praise for herguts--instead of succumbing to commercialexpectations and replicating past hits, she hasevolved freely.

To those critics who love to label and packagemusic in categorical compartments, SupposedFormer Infatuation Junkie might as well be aRubix Cube. The cathartic rage that made JaggedLittle Pill such a novelty has been harnessedand channeled into softer explorations of theself. And for a singer who became famous becauseof her angry ranting and her springy, blaringvocals, this new album proves that Alanis willproduce her best work when she opens her heart tothe subtle (and softer) complexities of life. Nowisn't that ironic?Maverick Records