| Whitechocolatespaceegg | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 11, 1998 | |||
| Recorded | 1996–1998 | |||
| Studio | ||||
| Genre | Indie rock [1] | |||
| Length | 51:10 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer |
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| Liz Phair chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Whitechocolatespaceegg | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | |
| The Baltimore Sun | |
| Chicago Sun-Times | |
| Christgau's Consumer Guide | A [5] |
| Entertainment Weekly | A− [6] |
| The Guardian | |
| Los Angeles Times | |
| Pitchfork | 6.4/10 [9] |
| Rolling Stone | |
| Spin | 6/10 [10] |
Whitechocolatespaceegg is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Liz Phair, released in 1998. It peaked at number 35 on the Billboard 200. [11] As of July 2010, the album had sold 293,000 copies. [12] 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.
The album received generally positive reviews. Rolling Stone 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. [13] The Washington Times wrote that Phair had successfully proved she was "no longer an unbridled twentysomething but now, at 31, a wife and mother, [who] has grown as an artist as well as a woman." [14]
Billboard 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." [15]
All tracks are written by Liz Phair, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "White Chocolate Space Egg" (Liz Phair, Jason Chasko, Doug Stoley) | 4:35 |
| 2. | "Big Tall Man" (Phair, Chasko) | 3:49 |
| 3. | "Perfect World" | 2:15 |
| 4. | "Johnny Feelgood" | 3:22 |
| 5. | "Polyester Bride" | 4:05 |
| 6. | "Love Is Nothing" | 2:16 |
| 7. | "Baby Got Going" (Phair, Scott Litt) | 2:02 |
| 8. | "Uncle Alvarez" | 3:52 |
| 9. | "Only Son" | 5:08 |
| 10. | "Go on Ahead" | 2:53 |
| 11. | "Headache" | 2:53 |
| 12. | "Ride" | 3:04 |
| 13. | "What Makes You Happy" | 3:36 |
| 14. | "Fantasize" | 1:55 |
| 15. | "Shitloads of Money" | 3:39 |
| 16. | "Girls' Room" | 1:46 |
| Total length: | 51:10 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 17. | "Hurricane Cindy" | 2:54 |
| Total length: | 54:04 | |
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| Chart (1998) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 [11] | 35 |
| Canada Albums Chart [17] | 69 |