Mann's 'Lost in Space'

To fans, Aimee Mann is an artist who doesn't like to compromise her work just to sell records.

Once, she even secured a release from her contract because her label wanted more pop-friendly singles for a new album. She then bought back the masters and created her own label — SuperEgo Records.

Singer/songwriter Mann visited The Saturday Early Show to sing some tunes from her latest CD, "Lost in Space," a collection of songs about alienation and addiction performed in soulful folk-rock melodies.

Mann's music has been heard in films such as "Jerry Maguire," "Cruel Intentions," "Sliding Doors," and "Magnolia." Some may even remember one of her songs played on the television series "Melrose Place."

Mann, who taught herself guitar at the age of 12, attended Berklee School of Music in the 1980s, where she formed her first band, a punkish outfit called the Young Snakes. But she soon dropped out of Berklee, to replace her formal schooling with a real-life education. The Young Snakes faded and Mann formed 'Til Tuesday. That band made a name for itself with the single "Voices Carry" - it went gold within seven months.

Mann's work in the 1980s caught the interest of other artists, such as Elvis Costello, Matthew Sweet and Jules Shear, who would eventually wind up working with her as a solo artist.

Critics applauded Mann's solo 1993 debut, "Whatever." Reviewers call Mann a master storyteller who doesn't sacrifice style while writing words that are sharp, witty and clever.

In 1999, Mann was again launched into the public eye with the release of the soundtrack for "Magnolia," the P.T. Anderson movie starring Tom Cruise. After contributing most of the tracks for the soundtrack, she was rewarded with nominations for both an Oscar and a Grammy.