#19 – Aimee Mann – Charmer
In counting down my top 20 albums of the decade so far, I’m considering only albums that are meaningful to me. That might seem obvious, but I want to be clear that I’m not necessarily looking to capture the most important, ground-breaking or ambitious records of the past five years — just the ones I like the most.
In other words, you won’t find any Kanye West or Radiohead here.
I don’t imagine Aimee Mann’s Charmer would show up on too many critics lists. Mann is well-regarded, sure, but this 2012 album came and went rather quietly.
Mann’s spotlight period for most critics was the 2000’s, which kicked off with Bachelor No. 2 and saw the releases of Lost in Space, The Forgotten Arm and (my personal favorite) @#%&*! Smilers.
Following a 4-year hiatus, Charmer felt more like a one-off than a continuation of the streak.
But the songs, in typical Mann fashion, are excellent. The record is more upbeat than her usual fare — fewer ballads and more pop rockers — but her gift for melody and the turn of a lyrical phrase are intact.
Too bad
Here’s a circumstance in which the stakes are high
Everybody’s got their secrets out
So sad
Go around the room and see who doesn’t cry
Chorus:
Soon enough you’ll be free to write it off
You don’t know enough to call a bluff
And the one who does will never ever tell
Soon enough, you can say we made it up
Just for fun I guess
To make amends cause whats more fun
Than other people’s hell?
So go ahead and say you’re done with it
It’s cool
Baby you could go whatever way you choose
Though you ought to kill the whole vindictive bit
Cause you’ll
Someday realize there’s ties you’ll want to use
Chorus:
Soon enough you’ll be free to write it off
You don’t know enough to call a bluff
And the one who does will never ever tell
Soon enough, you can say we made it up
Just for fun I guess
To make amends cause whats more fun
Than other people’s hell?
Soon enough you’ll be free
Everybody’s got their differences
Too bad
Meet Me In Montauk 
While I enjoy her sound, including this song, there is a general sameness that stops me from listening to greater quantities of her music. Perhaps critics and the public feels the same way.