Somebody's Miracle is the fifth studio album by Liz Phair, released on October 4, 2005 (see 2005 in music) on Capitol Records. From September 2004 through April 2005, she composed 14 tracks spanning from lo-fi guitar-driven to high-gloss produced tracks. Much like her debut album, Exile in Guyville, Somebody's Miracle was originally modeled after another canonical album, Songs in the Key of Life by Stevie Wonder, though only elements of this exist in the final product. The first single, "Everything to Me" was released to radio on August 1, 2005. Somebody's Miracle debuted at number 46 on the Billboard 200, and has sold over 83,000 copies in the U.S.

Album information The album features a somewhat softer side of Phair, with themes of innocence, loss, and love. Many critics and fans accused Phair of having lost her edge. Phair responded to backlash by saying, "If you are an old fan and it doesn't fit what you need, don't buy the disc."

Release and promotion Prior to the album's release, Phair embarked on an acoustic tour in the summer of 2005 in which she previewed the album's material. The tour, which had nine stops, commenced on July 26 in Boston, Massachusetts, and concluded on August 19 in San Francisco, California. To further promote the album, Phair headlined a month-long North American tour. The tour commenced on October 6 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and concluded on November 16 in San Diego, California.

Phair also performed the album's title track on the Charmed episode "Battle of the Hexes". She was also the last artist to perform on the show.

Reception

The album has a score of 54 out of 100 on Metacritic, indicating "mixed or average reviews". One critic wrote, "Miracle contains the singer's most winning melodies to date, not to mention her most confident vocals." MSNBC wrote that in comparison to her 2003 self-titled album, Somebody's Miracle was "less blatantly commercial, but still smooth, reflecting her increasing shift toward a clearer sound". Rolling Stone, however, gave the album just two stars, calling her vocals "thin and dry" and the album as a whole "plain and forgettable". The A.V. Club wrote that Phair "has grown into the role of an MOR songstress."

This was Liz Phair's last album for Capitol Records. Her next album, Funstyle, was released on the independent label Rocket Science Records.

Track listing

Personnel Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.

Production

Liz Phair – writer John Alagía – producer, mixing, additional production, background vocal arrangement Brian Scheuble – engineering, mixing, recording Jeff Robinette – assistant engineer, additional engineering Dino Meneghin – producer Joe Zook – co-producer, engineering, recording John Shanks – writer, producer, mixing Jeff Rothschild – recording, mixing Lars Fox – additional engineering Shari Sutcliffe – contractor/project coordinator

David Campbell – strings arrangement Allen Sides – strings recording Joel Derouin – concert master Tom Lord-Alge – mixing Ted Jensen – mastering Mary Fagot – creative direction Eric Roinestad – art direction, design Dusan Reljin – photography

Instruments

Liz Phair – vocals, guitar, background vocals Dino Meneghin – electric guitar, acoustic guitar, lap steel guitar, keyboards, guitar, drum programming, hand percussion Aaron Sterling – drums, percussion Oliver Kraus – cello Tim Bradshaw – keyboards

Sean Hurley – bass John Alagía – guitar, keyboards, B3 organ Bill Mohler – bass, acoustic bass John Shanks – bass, guitar, keyboards, background vocals Jeff Rothschild – drums Joe Zook – tambourine

Charts + Chart (2005) Peakposition

Singles + Year Single Chart Position 2005 "Everything to Me" US Adult Top 40 27 2005 "Everything to Me" US Pop 100 99

Release history + Release formats for Somebody's Miracle Region Date Edition(s) Format(s) Label United States October 4, 2005 Standard Capitol

References