The Independent - London

Copyright 1996

... On Wednesday, at the Empire again, AIMEE MANN introduced herself as Alanis Morissette. However ironic she intended the remark to be, there are similarities. Both are partial to ironic remarks, both write songs full of defiance, bitterness, intelligence and swear words. A closer analogy, though, would be to say that MANN is a pale imitation of Chrissie Hynde. Not a poor imitation, just frighteningly pale. MANN seems to be almost albino. Otherwise, she is a pretend Pretender. She is as skinny as Hynde and she has the brassy, nasal, quavering, high voice off pat.

What her vocals don't quite have is the emotional expression of Hynde's, not tonight anyway. Instead, the ironic tone is taken to the point of aloofness, as it doesn't serve her as well as she would like. It's attractively unusual when she swaps bass for acoustic guitar, and her guitarists switch to accordion and melodica. On a song like "Fifty Years After the Fair", it's spell-binding. Elsewhere, though, it adds to the impression of a slightly undernourished, undernourishing show. Seventy minutes may be a perfectly respectable length of set, but don't try to disguise it by stopping after 50 minutes, then returning for three pre-planned encores.

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