Fiona Apple "Tidal" (1996) - got it
It is my opinion that Fiona Apple improved with each of her releases,
peaking with "Extraordinary Machine". I mean all of her albums are
brilliant, but that one just hits the right songwriting and production
sweet-spot for me.
Apple was classically trained on the piano and had been writing songs
since she was 8 years old. Apple got some of her compositions in front
of Sony records thanks to a friend who babysat for a music publicist
('who you know' and all that).
This is Apple's debut, and she comes with her sound pretty well formed
(I guess working on songwriting from childhood gets you good and
ready). Apple's love of jazz, particularly artists like Billie
Holliday and Ella Fitzgerald translates into beautiful, jazzy, moody
piano with her voice that ranges from a gentle croon through to almost a
passionate roar.
Right from opener "Sleep to Dream"
she comes out shooting (featuring the brilliantly caustic line "you say
love is a hell you cannot bear, and I say give me mine back and then go
there for all I care"), raging over its jittery percussion and its
string-like oblique background sounds. "Criminal" also feels vaguely
unsettled and dangerous. But there are moments of serene beauty too
with "Slow like Honey" and "Pale like September".
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