After a seemingly- endless musical drought that left fans chewing off their fingernails and critics scratching their heads, the incomparable Liz Phair has returned with whitechocolatespaceegg, a project that experienced more delays than 737 flights in December.

Phair, of course, was also responsible for the unexpected masterwork Exile in Guyville, one of this decade's classic albums and one that helped kick off the whole "women in rock" affair in the pre- Lilith years. Since then, we've witnessed her passage through the traditional phases of womanhood, her metamorphosis from a freewheeling single girl grabbing the world by the throat and her men by the crotch to a wife and mother.

Vocally, spaceegg is Phair's best work yet; her alto crosses the once- prominent break between her registers with effortless ease. The 16 tracks are good, but they lack the power of "Girls! Girls! Girls!" or the pile- driving bombastics of "Supernova." The self- professed "Pottymouthed Girl" has toned down her act; she rarely talks dirty here. The sexual politics she addressed with such bravado in Exile are still present, but diluted into few- and- far- between lines like "sticks and stones can break my bones/ and boys can make me kick and moan."

The title track boasts guitar work in the classic Phair tradition, plus some interesting electronic elements. It contrasts the fetching softness of "Perfect World" well, as does "Johnny Feelgood." "Polyester Bride" is more cheery and sing- songy than Phair's usual fare, but on "Headache," she reveals a periodic return to her low-fi beginnings. From the looks of it, she won't be revisiting Guyville anytime soon. But whitechocolatespaceegg proves that through it all, Liz is still the Phairest of them all.

-Susan Moll