''Whitechocolatespaceegg'' is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter

Liz Phair Elizabeth Clark Phair (born April 17, 1967) is an American rock singer-songwriter and musician. Born in New Haven, Connecticut, Phair was raised primarily in the Chicago area. After graduating from Oberlin College in 1990, she attempted to sta ...

, released in 1998. It peaked at number 35 on the ''Billboard'' 200. allmusic ((( whitechocolatespaceegg > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums )))/ref> As of July 2010, the album had sold 293,000 copies. Unlike her previous two albums, with themes of sex and relationships, ''Whitechocolatespaceegg'' focused more on motherhood and family, as Phair had recently gotten married and given birth to a son.

Reception

The album received generally positive reviews. ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' called it "engagingly intimate" while at the same time "playful and pop-y, with just enough dry humor". The magazine also praised the album for its storytelling-esque lyrics. ''

The Washington Times ''The Washington Times'' is an American Conservatism, conservative daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It covers general interest topics with an emphasis on Politics of the United States, national politics. Its broadsheet daily edit ...

'' wrote that Phair had successfully proved she was "no longer an unbridled twentysomething but now, at 31, a wife and mother, hohas grown as an artist as well as a woman."Liz Phair grows confident about music. (Arts) , Article from The Washington Times
/ref> ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' praised the album, noting "droll in her truth-telling, devastating in her offhand insights, and dazzling in her homespun rock dominion, Liz Phair is arguably the most original talent of the decade, as ''Whitechocolatespaceegg'' powerfully reaffirms. For track-to-track subtlety, poignant wit, and no- bullshit pronouncements that carry real poetic weight, Phair is the backstairs bard without peer...Phair is a truly affecting songmaker. Moreover, she can take the pop vernacular in all its jukebox/folk-pop/dancefloor familiarity and make it subversive again on superb material like "Uncle Alvarez," "Only Son," "Ride," and "What Makes You Happy."

Track listing

Personnel

* Liz Phair – guitar, piano, vocals *

Leroy Bach LeRoy Fredrick Bach is an American musician, composer, and music producer. He has hosted musical gatherings, fostered musical collaborations, and led bands in Chicago since 1990. Bach is perhaps best known for his work as a multi-instrumentalist i ...

–

acoustic bass The acoustic bass guitar (sometimes shortened to acoustic bass or initialized ABG) is a bass instrument with a hollow wooden body similar to, though usually larger than, a steel-string acoustic guitar. Like the traditional electric bass guitar an ...

* Scott Bennett –

organ Organ and organs may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a group of tissues organized to serve a common function * Organ system, a collection of organs that function together to carry out specific functions within the body. Musical instruments ...

, bass guitar, drums *

Bill Berry William Thomas Berry (born July 31, 1958) is an American musician who was the drummer for the alternative rock band R.E.M. Although best known for his economical drumming style, Berry also played other instruments, including guitar, bass guita ...

–

bongos Bongos (Spanish language, Spanish: ''bongó'') are an Afro-Cubans, Afro-Cuban percussion instrument consisting of a pair of small open bottomed hand drums of different sizes. The pair consists of the larger ''hembra'' () and the smaller ''macho'' ...

Peter Buck Peter Lawrence Buck (born December 6, 1956) is an American musician and songwriter. He was a co-founder and the lead guitarist of the alternative rock band R.E.M.; he played the banjo and mandolin on several R.E.M. songs. Throughout his caree ...

– guitar * Jason Chasko – bass, guitar, piano, drums, background vocals * Nathan December – guitar, electric guitar * Tommy Furar – bass * John Hiler – organ, piano, keyboards, background vocals *

Scott Litt Scott Warren Litt (born March 10, 1954) is an American record producer who mostly works with artists in the alternative rock genre and is best known for producing six R.E.M. albums in the late 1980s and early to mid-1990s during the band's most ...

– acoustic guitar, bass, harmonica, violin, drums, keyboards, background vocals *

Scott McCaughey Scott Lewis McCaughey is an American singer, guitarist and songwriter and the leader of the Seattle and Portland-based bands The Young Fresh Fellows and The Minus 5. He was also an auxiliary member of the American rock band R.E.M. from 199 ...

– guitar *

Mike Mills Michael Edward Mills (born December 17, 1958) is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer, and composer who was a founding member of the alternative rock band R.E.M. Though known primarily as the bass guitarist and backing vocalist of R.E.M., hi ...

– bass * Troy Niedhart –

accordion Accordions (from 19th-century German language, German ', from '—"musical chord, concord of sounds") are a family of box-shaped musical instruments of the bellows-driven free reed aerophone type (producing sound as air flows past a Reed (mou ...

* Ed Tinley – guitar, clapping * Randy Wilson – keyboards *

Brad Wood Brad Wood is an American record producer and sound engineer based in Los Angeles. He has produced many albums, including Liz Phair's ''Exile in Guyville'' and Placebo (band), Placebo's Placebo (Placebo album), self-titled debut. Career W ...

– organ, bass, guitar, drums, keyboards, background vocals, clapping, drum machine

Production

* Producers: Liz Phair, Jason Chasko, Scott Litt, Brad Wood * Engineers: John Hiler, Liquid Grooves, Chris Sabold, David Schiffman, Ed Tinley, Brad Wood * Assistant engineers: Victor Janacua, Matt Judah, Brad Kopplin, Julie Last, Chris Sabold, Al Sanderson, David Schiffman * Mixing: Victor Janacua, Tom Lord-Alge, Brad Wood * Mastering:

Ted Jensen Ted Jensen (born September 19, 1954) is an American mastering engineer, known for having mastered many recordings, including the Eagles' '' Hotel California'', Green Day's '' American Idiot'' and Norah Jones' ''Come Away with Me''. Early life ...

, Katrin Thomas * Programming: John Hiler, Randy Wilson * Loops: Liquid Grooves * Treatments: Scott Litt * Art direction: Liz Phair, Frank Longo, Jon Mathias, Mark O.

Charts

References

{{Authority control Liz Phair albums 1998 albums Matador Records albums Capitol Records albums Albums produced by Brad Wood Albums produced by Scott Litt