Record Boy Ink:

I feel bad for Fiona Apple. Her debut album “Tidal” sold almost two and a half million copies. People really connected with her lyrics, her assured musicianship and her smoky vocals. The fact that her debut was recorded when she was all of 18 years old made the record that much more fascinating. She appeared to be an artist of startling maturity and depth with fully realized songs of experience that belied her youth. Then she opened her mouth…

I think her first public display of her inexperienced youth was her MTV award speech where she attempted to address her young fans with a warning not to buy into image. It came out like a disjointed diatribe of unfathomable angry gibberish. She didn’t help her credibility by making a sex kitten video either.

Her second album was met by alarm before a note was heard when she decided to title it some 50 word nonsense. When The Pawn… (Clean Slate/Epic) got off to a rough start critically because it seemed that confident music on “Tidal” was an illusion put out by an immature little girl not much older than Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera.

Record Boy thinks this new work’s failure to take off is directly related to Fiona’s negative public persona in contrast to the high quality of her music.  “When the Pawn…” has sold a little over 600,000 units, which is only a failure when compared to her debut album’s sales but in the music industry-trust me- it’s viewed as a failure. Fiona didn’t help her image any with her recent tantrum at a New York show.

But I gotta tell you folks, if you haven’t picked up this record you are missing a treat.

Fiona Apple is a talented songwriter. She knows her way around a lyric and doesn’t stay stuck in any identifiable groove. Her lyrics reflect her profound search for love and acceptance and she is a musical natural. Her singing is evocative and her phrasing extremely impressive. Having uber-musician Jon Brion produce this record was a brilliant choice as he adds so much texture and color to her songs. Listen to “Fast as you can” and see how Brion adds depth to Fiona’s tune and makes it groove.

There is not one clunker on this record. When you combine solid tunes with great performances and great production values, you’ve got a project that’s a worthy listen. Record Boy urges you to get past Fiona’s public inarticulateness and her twentysomethingness and pick up this record. I will do my part by asking Fiona to otherwise shut-up.