I remember Ed down at the hotdog wagon, about two years ago, flipping through all the channels on the little boombox he kept strapped to the umbrella post, grunting that "there ain't nuthin' on but these bitches screamin' about their boyfriends!" Ah, the passing heyday of the Age of Alanis. They're still around, led these days by Fiona Apple, but where, oh where, have my disgruntled ladies gone?

Jen Trynin's been around since before Alanis splashed down, so that gives her a shred of credibility in my book. And though I wasn't terribly enamored of Gun Shy Trigger Happy at first listen, I have chosen to reform my position. Trynin could be pretty easily pigeonholed musically with the Cole/Brooks/Apple/Crow crowd, but this disc has an offbeat, quirky quality to it that's grown on me like a foot fungus. First of all, her vocal delivery is, well, unusual. Her voice comes across as hard, dry, and gritty like a piece of coal, with a minimum of feminine pseudo-sexual cooing. No wood is good. Instrumentally, the tracks call on classic rock/folk roots, with no shortage of guitar riffs to keep things moving along. In addition, she employs some nice bass work (though the drums are strictly functional, but aren't they always?), and a fair share of creative flourishes to keep it interesting. Self-conscious, well-crafted songs demonstrative of talent, but nothing at the level of Tori Amos. Not yet, anyway. She's more resigned than pissed off, it seems. For the listener who can't get enough of the disgruntled ladies of the 90s.

-James P. Wisdom