Monday, November 21; check local listings. Usher, Alanis Morrisette.

"Most of the songs sound like declawed tigers. Or like other singers. The new version of 'Perfect' sounds like a Shakira ballad, albeit a good one. 'Right Through You' sounds like Faith Hill country. 'Hand in My Pocket' is so tamed and thoughtful it belongs on a television commerical for life insurance."

"Where there was once a sense of honesty, there is now a sense of the ironic (not like the song)."

"One reason you might bother recording acoustic versions of your songs is to strip them back and reveal some form of deeply hidden beauty. But without any good songs all Morris can do is strip them back to reveal their not-so-deeply hidden utter sh*tness."

"The result? Songs that are toothless interpretations of the originals."

"She’s lived, she’s learned. She’s gone on spirit quests, ingested all the Zen money can buy."

Washington Post pop culture writer Hank Stuever reviews the new acoustic version of Jagged Little Pill, the 1995 album that introduced Canadian singer Alanis Morissette to American audiences and helped popularize a style of songwriting for women that embraced anger. Morissette is revisiting that earlier success, but taking a softer approach to the songs.