Liz Phair: Somebody's Miracle

Herald rating: ***

Liz Phair is still a siren but she's a grown-up, more centred siren than the one from Exile in Guyville.

As her lifestyle has mellowed, so has her music. Her eponymous album in 2003 seemed to be pitched at a generation of teenage Avril Lavigne fans, and although Somebody's Miracle isn't quite as poppy, this time it feels destined for Sheryl Crow's audience.

That's partly thanks to Crow's producer, John Shanks, who gives Phair's solid, rock-pop fare more polish than her bedpost has notches.

She often sounds swamped by the production, and the soaring, high-pitched phrases don't always suit her.

Count on my Love shows she knows how to write a big melodic chorus - but Hilary Duff might be better off singing it.

Lyrically, too, it's a mixed bag. Tracks like Leap of Innocence and Got My Own Thing - "Ooh boy, I'd love to help, gimme enough rope to hang yourself" - hint at the cynical humour that made her an indie pop pin-up. But lines like, "Each frog has a prince just waiting inside"? C'mon, Liz. Just because you've grown up is no excuse.

Label: Capitol