During the '80s, Aimee Mann led the post-new wave pop group, Til Tuesday. After releasing three albums with the group, Mann broke up the band and embarked on a solo career. Her first solo album, Whatever, was a more introspective, folk-tinged effort than Til Tuesday's albums, and received uniformly positive reviews upon its release in the summer of 1993. However, the album was only a small hit, spending only seven weeks on the American charts, where it peaked at 127. Nevertheless, Whatever rejuvenated her career -- after its release, critics were praising her songwriting, as were peers like Elvis Costello, Difford and Tilbrook, and Andy Partridge.