Tidal

Listening to an artist's debut in retrospect is always fascinating because you could observe the aspects of their artistry that they have retained after all these years. And even more so in the case of Fiona Apple, because her sound has never experienced radical shifts but only ever progressively evolves. On "Tidal", you could hear the signature piano and drums, the colourful tinges and hues of jazz, her sultry vocal delivery, and even down to the lyrical angst -- all present. The basis of her art which she would further twist and experiment and expand upon on her future works. But on "Tidal" these aspects are mostly all Fiona has in her disposal to work with, and that's not necessarily a bad thing; The smaller scope of this record evokes a sense of intimacy and juvenility, like watching a performance from a child prodigy in a home theatre.

I could imagine the expressions on record executives once they pressed play on the first song "Sleep To Dream", the heavy-hitting drum line and the anger in Fiona's vocal delivery -- they must have knew they struck gold when they signed her. "Shadowboxer" is another highlight, with its clever descriptions on a person's wrestle with temptation, and the biggest hit on the album "Criminal" is surprisingly fantastic (which is usually not the case with the more commercial songs of alternative artists), the drums on this one have reserved a permanent residency inside my head.

P.S. I realised I've been talking about drums a lot but they really are the star of the show here

There is a noticeable dip in quality in the middle of the album, while I did appreciate Fiona venturing into bossa nova for "The First Taste", I did not find the song to be particularly compelling. "The Child Is Gone", while a heartwrenching tale on the lost of a person's innocence, is instrumentally one of the duller moments on the record. "Carrion" however, closes the album fantastically, with the tempos oscillating between the chorus and the verse, it culminates into an incredible climax where Fiona declares the death of her current relationship.

"Tidal" is impressive, not only in its own right, but also as Fiona's roar into the industry, and a stepping stone to the even greater projects that she goes on to conceive in the future.

Favs: Criminal, Sleep To Dream, Shadowboxer
Least Fav: The Child Is Gone