the storm before the calm

Equal parts artistic exploration and therapeutic exercise, Alanis Morrisette’s newest album finds her in the midst of a musical sea change. Leaving behind the aggressive, deeply personal alternative pop and rock that defines her career, The Storm Before The Calm dives headfirst into meditative music. The set contains no words, save for the album’s name and its curiously titled tracks. Each of the instrumentals gently explores slow, musical movements accompanied by a variety of sounds pulled from both western and eastern traditions. There is little dynamism on display — fine considering the album’s purpose — but Morrisette also fails to offer any breakthroughs in the genre.