Amazon.co.uk Review
Bachelor No. 2 is the product of a woman whose 40th birthday looms months ahead and it illustrates how a little seasoning has paid off creatively for Aimee Mann. Always an incisive lyricist, the eloquent singer-songwriter further hones her wordplay to a razor-sharp edge. Her subjects are so adroitly sliced and diced that little blood is shed, though they're permanently cut down to size. "Calling It Quits" targets some cad who is "numbering himself among the masterminds 'cause he's hit upon the leverage of Valentines". Not that Mann spares herself from a steely assessment: "I know I had it coming / From a Caesar who was only slumming" she admits in "The Fall of the World's Own Optimist". Though this 13-track collection borrows three songs from its immediate predecessor, Mann's
soundtrack to
Magnolia, its musical ingenuity and consistency (notable considering five different production teams are credited here) make the scattered redundancies irrelevant. Mann's artistic growth has been evident with each new release and
Bachelor marks her biggest leap forward to date.
--Steven Stolder
CD Description
Given her surprise success with the soundtrack to the 1999 film MAGNOLIA, Aimee Mann seems more assured than ever on BACHELOR NO. 2, OR THE LAST REMAINS OF THE DODO. The album builds on the steam of her first two solo releases, refining their intelligent melodic songcraft to greater complexity and grace. While the production on her previous records could seem a bit middle-of-the-road, BACHELOR NO. 2 boasts a sound that, while still clean and straightforward, is full of layered detail. But beyond the excellent arrangements and backingvocals are Mann's songs themselves. With her penchant for winding, Beatlesque melodies and her literate, captivating lyrics (she deftly combines narrative detail, metaphor, puns, and emotionally resonant images), Mann's songwriting impresses. Whether on desultory folk ("Deathly"), groove-driven pop("Red Vines"), or music-hall musings ("Nothing Is Good Enough"), Mann is at home here, and her lovely voice, which charms with its unaffected subtlety, is the icing on the cake. BACHELOR NO. 2 finds this fine singer/songwriter at the top of her powers, and is easily one of her strongest offerings.
