Whatever conjures up the best elements of surf-pop, new wave, and folk rock (Roger McGuinn has a benevolent eye cast over this recording). Out on her own with a truly great batch of confessional but self-assured songs, Aimee Mann crafted a classic right out the bag with her first solo record.

I'm with Stupid was more openly defiant and rougher, but way back in 1993 Whatever already found Mann at the peak of her emotional and musical strength. Check out the layers of distorted guitars on "I Should've Known" coupled with an irresistible melody; the Byrds-isms on "Fifty-Years after the Fair" with its wonderful vocal harmonies and McGuinn's 12-string guitar resounding; the gang voices on "Say Anything" and the poignant "4th of July". Mann even tackles a May-September romance on "Mr. Harris" and sounds as dark as Days of Open Hand-era Suzanne Vega on "Jacob Marley's Chain".

Meticulously produced (by Jon Brion), written and performed, Whatever is a pop powerhouse.

I was a reluctant Aimee Mann fan. I don't know why. I liked Til Tuesday, liked "I Should've Known" when it was released as a single. It wasn't until I'm With Stupid was released that I finally decided to listen. I kick myself now. How often does an album come along that is so superb, so perfect, so much the soundtrack of YOUR OWN LIFE? That was I'm With Stupid for me... and it lead me directly to Aimee Mann's first solo album. At first I was disappointed with it because it just wasn't I'm With Stupid. (Yeah, I know, I thought at the time that that was a bad thing!) However, as I listened to it more and more, I found that Whatever is different from I'm With Stupid... just as hard-hitting, emotional, and powerful... but stylistically different.

From the painful lyrics of "4th of July" and "Stupid Thing" to the somehow touching songs like "I've Had It", Mann writes the most intelligent lyrics-- which never fail to hit a chord with listeners-- of the last decade (at the very least.) Mann writes poignant and thought-provoking lyrics to which anyone can relate; she has the special gift of putting into clever word constructions what most of us feel but cannot express. She does all of this without being contrived or sappy. Definitely a songwriter unlike any other, although like many great songwriters (Mann's husband, Michael Penn or former Crowded House frontman Neil Finn)Mann has been the darling of media critics but never noticed by mainstream audiences. (This has a lot to do with the corporate structure of record companies and the ownership of artistic material; another story for another day.) Mann, though, has never compromised her artistic values and vision, and this is clear from her earliest solo recordings through to the present day.

I was one of those people that only knew Aimee Mann from the Voices Carry video - until Magnolia. I read the liner notes from PT Anderson on the Magnolia site and was intrigued. I was lucky to find a copy of Whatever a couple of weeks ago and it has become one of my all time favorites. The cd contains one of the greatest lyrics I've ever heard. From Jacob Marley's Chain: "Well, I had a little metaphor to state my case. It encompassed the condition of the human race, but to my dismay, it left without a trace...". This woman is very special. Deny yourself no longer. Discover Aimee Mann.

My first acquaintance with Aimee Mann is this near perfect pop record from 1993. Formerly singer with the horrible Til Tuesday, Mann's debut solo album is simply lovely stuff. Written at the end of her long-time relationship with Jon Brion (he still co-wrote and produced most of the tracks), it's the sound of somebody finding their feet - I Should've Known - and then losing it again - Stupid Thing. Very special, and heartily recommended to Tori Amos, Sheryl Crow, Natalie Merchant fans and anyone who likes a classy, tuneful album.

Up until "Whatever" I dismissed Mann as the face of the one-hit wonder 'Til Tuesday, even though my husband insisted that their last album "Everything's Different Now" was a masterpiece (it is). But this album is a miracle. Not only is it a showcase for Mann's flawless singing and ridiculously great lyrics, but it also shows Jon Brion for the genius producer he is (his vocals on this are great, too). "Say Anything" is as perfect as anything Neil Finn's Crowded House ever produced, and the heart-stopping "Mr. Harris" is a beautiful homage to the work of Harry Nilsson and George Tipton. A gem, and only the beginning of a fabulous solo career that continues to this day.