Tidal

Nou, dit was mooi! Deze appel ga ik onthouden!

This is a terrific album. Fiona really explores a lot of genres: jazz, classical, soul, etc. She has a such a depth to her voice and her lyrics that make this album feel magical. This album is sensual, soft, sensitive, soulful in lyrical content and sound, and mystical. She has a commanding presence in her music; she is the star and she makes it known. But, even in the world contained in her music, we can all relate to these feelings of desire, inadequacy, existentialism, sadness, etc. We can insert ourselves in her unique world. It almost sounds like if a Bond Girl released an album. Little vignettes of emotion. Favorites: 1) Sullen Girl 2) Slow Like Honey 3) Shadowboxer 4) The First Taste 5) Never is a Promise 6) Pale September

I had this album, and listening to it now, I don't know why I got rid of it. Obviously "Criminal" is the song everyone knows and remembers. But every song is solid. The vocals are so... sultry. And the musicianship behind it really gives the vocals and oomph. Really digging it. Her other albums have been highly regarded, I should look into those as well.

I've been waiting for more of those fierce female artists of the 90's. I have always loved Fiona Apple's Criminal - her vocals, lyrics, and plunking piano kick serious ass, and they're nicely combined with other instruments. I think I've always wanted the rest of her songs to be just like it, which is unfair. Because on songs like Sleep to Dream and Shadowboxer, her lyrics, vocals, and piano work are still great, she just doesn't let the rest of the arrangement take it to a rock place. And I now appreciate her measured, haunting intensity on other subtler pieces - Sullen Girl, Slow Like Honey, Never is a Promise, Pale September. The album is not quite a masterpiece but shows how talented she really is.

I love Fiona Apple but haven't listened to her debut much. I thought it was a great record and could hear the elements she would come to push further on later releases (Idler Wheel, Fetch). The closing track was especially theatrical, it gave me a lot of Beatles vibes. I think the most impressive part was how strongly formed Apple's musical voice was right off the bat: unapologetic, unflinching, and truly confident. Fantastic album!

The only thing I know about F Apple is that she had an album with a very long title. Thought I was going to be underwhelmed with some Tori Amos type thing. Nope. The textures (often jazzy) and the subtle experimentalism of the tracks grab me a lot. The tracks are diverse but hang together well. Needs several plays I think. And i need to explore the other albums...Four .

It's Fiona Apple, of course it's gonna be good. Best song: Sleep To Dream, Worst Song: Slow Like Honey

Disfrutable, algunos momentos muy simples, su voz un poco oculta en la mezcla, pero en términos generales muy disfrutable, el piano excelente, y sus letras, de tan buena calidad muestran lo privilegiada y pura cantautora que es. Su atmósfera noventera me encanta, aunque sean la mayoría instrumentos acústicos, su producción con esos reverbs y ecos son distintivos. Debo darle otra escuchada con mejor atención

Geil

Criminal

I know Fiona Apple from a few of her singles but mostly from 2020's absolute masterpiece "Fetch The Bolt Cutters." Strangely enough I had never, until now, taken the time to listen to her debut album. What Fiona Apple shows on this debut is astonishing maturity. An atmospheric melodic album with substance, and that for an 18 year old woman. One of the qualities that sets Fiona Apple apart from other female singer-songwriters is her voice. From low and cool in the opener "Sleep to Dream" to darling sweet in the choruses of "Never is a Promise", it contributes to the dark, intimate almost poetic atmosphere that covers the entire album like a veil. There is never any sweetness or tacky romance, instead she gives the listener a sometimes enlightening and sometimes frightening glimpse into her psyche. It's encouraging that she hasn't given up hope for love after a traumatic childhood experience ("but he washed me ashore and he took my pearl and left an empty shell of me") but it's a wry feeling to enjoy music with such a pain in it. Because I know what's about to come afterwards, I know she'll grow even better in voice and especially instrumentation. But this is a stunning debut. 4*

Este es un clásico de fines de los 90

I'm not sure about this - it demands a few more listens before I decide.

28th October 2022 Listened at the end of Friday and into Saturday. Had yoga first thing in the morning then went to Exeter game with Crofty. I love Fiona apple, she has haunting soft melodies with a jarring tone but beautiful musicianship.

The hits are legit bangers. But there is a lot of fluff here.

"Tidal" is the debut album from then 19-year-old Fiona Apple. She actually wrote one song when she was fifteen. The lyrics were inspired by a break-up with her first boyfriend. What a break-up that must have been. She was compared to Alanis Morissette and Tori Amos at the time . I don't think that comparison would be made today. The music is classified as art pop and jazz fusion. That works for me. There's a t of dramatic piano and vocals. Six singles were released with "Criminal" receiving a Grammy for Best Female Rock Performance. "Sleep to Dream" start things off with her soulful, forceful vocals and dramatic piano/synths. Fiona is being independent and telling a guy to get lost. "Shadowboxer" is one of my favorite Fiona songs. Slower. Great lyrics and vocals. About a former lover and a way of preventing falling for someone who will do you wrong. "Criminal" has a darker start with the keys, piano, bass and drums. She's doing the wrong here. "The First Taste" has a more jazzy, poppy, R&B and almost Caribbean feel with the percussion. "Never is a Promise" is the song she wrote at 15. It's more classical sounding with the piano. This is a very good album with a few very high- end songs in "Criminal" and "Shadowboxer." Fiona continues to put out great music and albums especially her last two. She doesn't put them out often but when she does, there worth a listen. This was a great start to a great career so far.

Never heard before. I like it.

listened to again interesting and artistic songwriting and compositions

4 1/2 Stars, i really liked it, potentially a 5. A pleasant suprise

A stunning debut album from an incredible talent. Lyrically I don't think there is a lot that I can personally relate to in the album. I am not a woman and I have never actually gone through a nasty breakup. If I did check those boxes this would be an all time banger of an album to listen to as I got over a broken heart. Musically it is pretty incredible. I've never been a massive piano head but it is amazing how Fiona Apple manages to keep the piano the star of the show even as she has many different feels and types of music arranged on top of it all. 4/5

Great debut album that is more impressive considering Fiona Apple being only 18 at its release! Apple shows off her immense talent sounding more mature than her age both lyrically and musically in my opinion. Love the piano and the variety of instruments that accompany it throughout. Big fan of the warm and slightly dreamy feel to many of the tracks with no real low points from start to finish. Favorite songs: - Sleep to Dream - Shadowboxer - The First Taste 4 / 5

Female singer-songwriter? Yep. William likes it. Not a lot of variation in her sound but it's a sound I can grove to all day.

I avoided this album when it was released because "Criminal" was ubiquitous and unavoidable, and to my small mind, that meant "too commercial to be any good." Kids are dumb, this album is amazing, and I'm worse off for never giving it a chance back then. At least I get to experience it for the first time here and now.

Fiona has a great voice that never waivers through the whole album. The backing tracks are lush with great keyboard arrangements (piano, mellotron, etc.) The production on the whole record is top-notch though I don't like whatever effect is on the vocal track for Criminal. The singles from this album are amazing. If the whole album had tunes that good, it's an easy five star record. The lower tier cuts are still solid three-star material. I was debating between a three star review and four stars. Considering this was her debut and recorded when she was a teenager, I'll give it the edge toward the higher score.

Really nice album. The songs feel delicate but still have a good direction and Fiona’s lyrics/voice are angelic and pleasant. Wouldn’t mind coming back to it. 7/10

Good stuff!

Quite liked this one

I almost didn’t want to listen became an ex used to ruin Criminal at karaoke a lot, but I’m glad I did.

It's Fiona Apple, my dudes. Šta se ima drugo za reći? Tu je oko četvorke, (jel to men drugi dio albuma malkoc bolji?) međutim nije mi među najboljima u njenoj diskografiji (nisam ju baš detaljno poslušao tho), ali zasad je tako dok me ne pukne opet kao na putu za Vruju u Dalmaciju na čišćenje gdje mi se ona slušala. // No, nakon boljeg slušanja je u top 3 - promjenjivo je naravno.

Неожиданный сюрприз.

I have no recollection of this woman or her album. But it's pretty good.

7/10

She has a unique sound and style.

Never heard this album before but very much enjoyed it. Will defo listen again.

fantastic songwriting and melodies

Girl's got attitude. Definitely an artist with a unique spin on songwriting.

Underrated 90s classic

"This world is bullshit". Boy howdy, did young Fiona Apple get grilled over making that statement all the way back in 1997. The world was not quite ready for such honesty from a young musical genius. But people just lost their collective shit because she accepted an MTV Music Video Award by telling everyone a simple truth. That moment has certainly aged well. And so has this incredible debut album. We should have known that Fiona's best work was ahead of her (culminating in her most recent masterpiece, Fetch The Bolt Cutters). This was just a foretaste of the feast to come. The world Fiona Apple called out will always be bullshit. This album is not.

Wow, what an interesting listen this was. Again, didn't know the artist and haven't heard even a snippet of her music before. The album cover didn't really show what direction the music inside would take, so it was a surprise for me overall. And to be honest, I am not sure Fiona knew what direction she was going to take either. This album is such an eclectic collection of songs. You have your jazzy ballads, old-school hip-hop beat driven songs, Nick Cave-ish instrumentals, creepy soundtrack-like tracks and combinations of all these influences in one. Yet, somehow all these crazy influences don't feel out of place, but spice up the listening experience in a great way. A lot of elements in this album feel like a stream of consciousness. Lyrics don't always rhyme and some vocal melodies are broken up rhythmically in weird ways. Fiona's choice of vocal melodies really makes this album unique. The influences from jazz shine bright in her vocal delivery. Some lines feel like they have been written on the spot or improvised in the moment. Her singing is so dynamic in this. In some songs she sounds emotional and vulnerable, then sexy and reckless in some, and in some switches seamlessly between different deliveries. I wouldn't call Fiona Apple the most technically advanced singer I've heard, but she has a lovely low to mid range timbre and uses it amazingly. Her personality shines through each lyric and melody, and for a debut album this it is a hard task to accomplish. Now let's give a massive credit to the arrangements and the mix. The piano was recorded flawlessly in this one. Sounded raw and authentic and at the same time very technically proficient. Some of these songs would have worked great as piano and vocal pieces, but the added strings, synths, guitars and percussion elevated the record to another level. Each song surprised me with a synth or cello line that I was not expecting at all. Even the upbeat songs had an eeriness about them, created by dissonant piano or synth lines, drenched in reverb. This underlying theme of ever-present darkness found a way to manifest itself in every song. The uneasy feeling of an abruptly ended childhood and general unease that the artist was going through can be heard clearly in the masterful mix. Crazy to think that this was Fiona's first attempt at writing a record. Having said all that about the brilliance of the album, I have to address some thinks that didn't rub me the right way. First of all, some of these songs drag on a lot longer than they should, in my humble opinion. The pacing of the record was a bit off for me. When listening to the second half of the album it was a struggle at times to stay awake. Songs started to blend together and the soothing production was slowly but surely closing my eyes. It would have been great to hear more rhythmic and upbeat tracks in the latter half, but heyyyy, what do I know. All around, this was an amazing discovery for me. I will definitely check out more Fiona Apple, but maybe a bit later. I think I've had too much of her for today Rock on

Várias músicas e voz interessante

Like picking at a scab on the roof of your mouth - you know it's not good for you but you want to do it anyway. There's anger here and a lot of scabs being picked at. Brilliant. Best Tracks: Sleep To Dream; Shadowboxer; Criminal

Very good 90s album.

First 4 songs are killer.

I'd give this a 4.5 if I were able. I could definitely see it getting to a 5 if I spend more time with it. Fiona Apple's voice and writing are both great, but the piano-blues-pop got just a little bit tired for me by the end of the album.

I actually quite liked this album. Definitely some bob dylan elements but I liked the piano and lyrics

Enjoyable and chill

I like Fiona Apple :shrug:

Fiona Apple is one of those artists I know I should check out more because I'm sure I'd dig what they're doing, and this album confirms that impression. Really enjoyed it. Can see it rising to five stars with more familiarity! Fave track - "Criminal" maybe?

I liked this album more than I expected to. I don't know exactly what I expected from it. But it was in my backlog of albums I had to skip for one reason or another, right next to another Fiona Apple album. I put them off for months but I was so pleasantly surprised and regret putting it off. This will be an album I re-listen to at least one or two more times to pick it apart.

Just my luck to get two albums by the same artist on consecutive days, although this came up second... I'm glad I listened to this before Fetch The Boltcutters, which is mostly 51 minutes of shite. There are some good tracks on here - Criminal, Sullen Girl and Never Is A Promise were good. Pale September the standout.

Enjoyed this one. Lots of cool mellow vibes. Some great songs although some not overly memorable. Sound got a little old for me by the end but I enjoyed it.

Four stars An all-time classic, and an album which still holds its own many years after it was released. As is usually the case with those classic albums, I won't write a full-blown review here given that others have already written wonderful stuff about them and there's not much I can add that I feel could be relevant and interesting. *Tidal* is just a timeless gem for anyone who has even a remote interest in Fiona Apple. Go and listen to it a.s.a.p. Number of albums left to review or just listen to:  more than 900, I've temporarily lost count here Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens:  approximately a third so far (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: a quarter Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more important): the last quarter

A wise-beyond-her-years vocal tour de force. De facto her weakest album but so so strong and beautiful

What a stunning debut album. How was she this good right out of the gate? Her singing is powerful and expressive, her lyrics are razor sharp and the music is rich and complex. I love how she turns the piano into something aggressive and angry. Or on “Never Is a Promise,” how that one sour note complicates the whole song. “Criminal” is a classic (even better than I remember) and “Sleep to Dream” and “Shadowboxer” are incredible songs too.

-An interesting enough alt rock album, with also hints of a blues-y sound in a few songs. -I liked the more rock-focused vibe of the first few songs. "Criminal" was probably my favorite -"Carrion" was a good ending track. Cool vibes in that one.

Pop mezclado con soul, jazz... está bien. Un 4.

Before this I'd only listened to Fetch the Bolt Cutters and Chloe belting out a few of her other hits around the house, so I had high hopes and was a little disappointed by the album in the end. But her voice is great and full of emotion, and there's some proper bops here. Really enjoyed criminal and shadow boxer especially.

This is my first repeat review, as I did a few ratings before creating a group. Here's what I said last time: 'Probably my least favourite Fiona Apple record, but still a hell of a lot better than most artists' best albums' It's really good though and grows on me with every listen

incredibly potent songwriting

Nostalgic. Love her voice and the feel. Wish I’d heard this at 18 rather than 8

Fiona Apple’s debut album is really good and well-done. Just not my thing.

This was a change of pace from all the rock we've had for awhile and I truly enjoyed it. Relaxing smooth music while I cut and welded some steel!

So the opening tracks are just as amazing as I remember… and then I remembered how slow the rest of the album is. Very lounge act. Lyrics are incredible, but this is too sleepy for me to listen to the whole thing on a regular. A shadow boxer is just too much. 3.5 stars. Rounding up because she was young and that voice is amazing.

Solid through and through, haunting, tortured and catchy piano tunes. Highlights - Sleep to Dream, Criminal.

I should listen to Fiona Apple more

Alanis Morrissette, eat your heart out.

Very good album, I really liked her voice and the style of the songs. Favorite songs: Shadowboxer and The First Taste

Jazzy and orchestral. Her voice is very unique

Mind blowing that this is from 1996. The mood of this is bitter and resolute. She bares her heart, no matter if it hurts. The Technical proficiency here is stunning for a debut and its Angrier and subtler then other albums of the same time. Like it a lot. 4/5

Album starts great; cool drum-machine sample, great piano hook with lots of spicy dissonance added at the end along with ambient effects. Such a cool track. Pedal steel guitar, vibrophone, and mellotron instrumentation is great on Shadowboxer. I've never noticed all the great counter-melody in Criminal, though I think I've only ever heard it on the radio or on PAs; this is the first time listening on good headphones. Rest of the album continues to be interesting and dynamic. All in all pretty good.

Was a fun jaunt. The singles were as good as I remembered, and the songs I didn't know were mostly as good as the singles. 4/5

First artist on this journey where I know virtually nothing about them, but managed to captivate me quite quickly. Love the swelling piano and strings on the first track and Apple has a great voice, which especially powerful on the swingy "Shadowboxer" and the piano rock song "Criminal" (also the bassline on this is sick). Middle run is a little less exciting, but picks up again with the beautifully fragile piano ballad "Never Is a Promise". First half is definitely the most engaging but I found this very good.

This album is so dense and lush. Beautiful music. At times the tracks are hit and miss but the first half of the album utilizes an elegant darkness. Sleep to Dream and Criminal are bangers.

I was quite enamored with this album. More than I think I was in the 90s. I'm not sure why. Maybe because I am more aware of its older jazz influences. A pretty amazing talent all around.

I hadn’t listened to this entire album before. It is well worth the listen.

I bought this album back when it came out and listened to it for a year or so, but drifted away and haven’t really revisited it since then. I’m glad it has come back to my attention, because this is a great album. It’s strong, feminist themes pull no punches as the songs explore strength, vulnerability, anger, exploitation, fear and a myriad of other emotions and isn’t afraid to create some discomfort. The feel of the album has a Tori Amos meets Alanis Morissette kind of vibe, two artists I really love. While this album’s more subtle approach doesn’t quite grab me to the level of those two artists, it’s still a very good listen.

She has such a sonorous voice! When the Pawn...tops this, I think. But as debuts go, it is something special

Voz feminina fundamental que sempre é preciso escutar mais.

I quite enjoyed this one. "Slow Like Honey" is excellent

Good listen

4.2 - listened to this a bit when it was originally released and feels like it still holds up well. Solid soulful blues with an amazing set of pipes on her. “Shadow boxer” remains a solid listen.

While I don't love every single song of hers, I've grown to really like Fiona Apple as an artist. Her songs are incredibly unique and I keep learning new things about her as time goes on. This album was a good one with hits like Sleep to Dream and Criminal. Each song feels familiar yet all are different from each other. She is just a very dynamic artist, great way to end the week! Also we watched Eyes of Tammy Faye last night so this album cover hits today.

Niin kaunista ja soljuvaa 💜

Well that's more like it, this is a beautiful album. All of Fiona Apple's stuff is great.

calming piano music

Sterkt fyrsta albúm. Mjög gott stöff.

Nice

Great. Not as far away from Fetch the Bolt Cutters as I thought it would be. Lost some traction by the end but the same can be said about her new stuff. First 3 songs are hit after another.

Darker than I remembered. That production! That voice!

I’d only ever heard of Fiona Apple and after this she might be one of the best female rock artists from the 90s that I’ve heard. Much better than Aimee Mann. Fav: criminal

I had no idea what this was going to be going in, but I was pleasantly surprised at what I heard. A chill mostly low-key album, jazz singer vibes. I think it fell off towards the end, but the closing track was my favorite. Favorite song: Carrion

Probably my least favourite Fiona Apple record, but still a hell of a lot better than most artists' best albums

good, but not something i'd listen to on a daily basis

Right from the first few seconds there's a darkness to this album that made it one of the more impressive debut albums I've heard. I can't remember why I originally bought this album but likely for something in the first single "Shadowboxer" - there was something there but the rest of the album proved how deep this all was. The opening track "Sleep To Dream" is bold and creepy, minimalist but powerful - a really unusual album opener and a captivating one - it feels like it's going to explode at any moment but it's all kept together by that tension... ...and then she hits you with "Sullen Girl" which starts with a gorgeous piano line and soon Fiona enters with her dry intimate vocals. And when the band gently kicks in after the first few lines it's hard to not be fully engaged - there's so much emotion and melody in this music and I particularly love the piano-driven aspect of it - here and in the rest of the album. "Shadowboxer" and "Criminal" were the big singles and very worthy/catchy bluesy hit tunes. But the rest of the first half shows so much more. The fact that she was a teenager when writing this albums ideally shouldn't have much bearing on how likable it is but... a teenager!? Borderline unreal to display this much depth in singing and restrained songwriting. The downside: I always felt this album started so damn strong over the first 5 songs and faded after that - I'm a sucker for at least a killer album closer - this second half really drags; needed at least one big uptempo track. But overall the strength of the first half is enough that I can listen to this album pretty much any time and in any mood. Love it. 7/10 4 stars

It's nice that this influential album's cover was used, a decade after its release, as the inspiration for the Doctor Who villain Lady Cassandra. The music itself is strong. It holds up well as any of its direct contemporaries, and I think I'd go for this over Jagged Little Pill. Some tracks, naturally, are better than other but overall, I'd probably listen again.

The first impression of this album was a bit misleading, as it opens on the only bad track of the album, which made me restart the album after a few songs to give it the proper listening it deserves. And that was well worth it because it's actually very good. Good enough to make me curious about the rest of Fiona Apple's catalogue. Fiona Apple is a pretty ridiculous artist name by the way - but what's in a name.

I once next door to a married couple. Whenever the wife was on her own, she'd play Tidal, loudly. Singing along, loudly. The couple used to have terrible rows and it seemed like their marriage was a youthful mistake that they were grappling with as they headed towards their 30s. A lot of the time she never made it pas the first three tracks, usually replaying "Criminal" a few times. But now that I've heard the full album, I hope that she made it to the final track because that's all about having the strength to leave a shitty relationship.

Very smooth silky jazz, was easy listening but not every song was fantastic!

Though this isn't the first time listening to Tidal, I missed this when it was first released. Though I did become a fan of her later work. I was assuming that Jon Brion had something to do with this album. I find his influence here and know they'd collaborated before, but he's nowhere to be found on the credits. Highlights on this album are the ones that you'd expect because they were played on MTV / radio endlessly. But the one that stands out for me is the opening track, Sleep to Dream. It's just so badass, and unique. I love the sound of the strength coming through in her voice.

This world is bullshit. And you shouldn’t model your life — wait a second — you shouldn’t model your life about what you think that we think is cool and what we’re wearing and what we’re saying and everything. Go with yourself. Go with yourself.

This album starts out very strongly with 4 of the first 5 songs, Sleep to Dream, Shadowboxer, Criminal, and Slow Like Honey. Her vocal delivery on Slow Like Honey is intoxicating and sounds likes the voice of a much more seasoned, mature singer. There is only one song I don’t really like, The First Taste. Some of the songs drag on unnecessarily. Like Criminal for instance, it should have ended with over a minute remaining. The final 4 songs are decent, but not as good as the opening half. All in all a solid debut.

Riktigt kanon! Inte hört på förut vilket är galet?? Shadowboxer babyyy

Kalaspop, kul!

Great instrumentation, interesting chord progressions, unique songwriting.

7/10

Apple's excellent debut. She is a unique songwriter for the end of the 20th century, giving her haunting production a jazzy edgy as she plays along on her piano. Apple's on the stage at the back of a smokey club, but she's no background singer. An aside, I love the drummers on this album. Matt Chamberlain and Danny Frankel are so tight, yet so smooth. Great job by Fiona Apple

Starts out with a bang with that killer rhythm in Sleep To Dream. Criminal is an impressive song that will continue to age impeccably. Unfortunately the album slows down in the second half for me, but still a remarkable debut.

Een zwaar album gezongen door een vrouw. Leuk

I love Fiona Apple. This is an excellent debut album. 4 stars.

I had never listened to one of her albums before.

I liked it a lot more than I thought I would! I enjoy this much more than most pop out there, especially pop from the last few years. It's much more than just autotuned 4-chord bs. Lots of nice soulful jazz and alt influences here. It had lots of chord progressions that interested me, and many songs had a lot going on in the background i appreciated. Her voice expresses real emotion very effortlessly. Would recommend, I will definitely return to this one

It was good, nice soothing driving music with a little spice!

A stunning debut album by at the time teenager Fiona Apple. The album is a bit all over the place but every once in a while like on Sleep to Dream, Criminal, Carrion and especially Shadowboxer she hits the sweet spot and the results are pure magic. A talented pianist and vocalist, this debut points to the musical riches to come. 4 🌟

I’m often not a huge fan of typical singer-songwriter albums like this but Fiona just has such a powerful voice and creative and lush instrumentation that I can’t help but love it. Absolute classic album totally worthy of being here.

The cover itself deserves some stars. Simple, elegant, unpretentious. The music is strong and melodic.

Привет, я Фиона, мне 17 и я выпустила альбом Альбом звучит очень новаторски для своего времени. Я бы даже предположил, что он задал вектор музыки след. десятилетия. Потому что всё время прослушивания, меня не покидало ощущение, что я слушаю альтернативный альбом 2000х, но никак не 90х. Кстати, за песню “Criminal”, Фиона получила Грэмми. Песня затрагивает проблему сексуальная девиация в подростковом возрасте, которая актуальна до сих пор.

Approaching this album as a fan whose first exposure to Apple was 2020's wild, unrestrained and cathartic Fetch the Bolt Cutters. It's strange hearing her more "conventional" beginnings, but the seeds of greatness and thematic ties with her later work are here in spades. This is a striking listen and very assured debut. Generally simplistic arrangements allow Apple's strong and soulful vocals and insistent piano playing to take front and centre for most of the album. The lyrics don't immediately jump out, but her delivery is fantastic. "Criminal" and all its brooding intensity is a highlight, as well as the slow build of closer "Carrion" (my favourite here) and the lovely chorus in "Never Is A Promise" when she darts into the upper register for the first time. Knowing what's to come from Apple makes me give this a 7/10 but rounding it up, partly because my attention was held and also because I gave Robbie Williams 3* yesterday and no way am I putting her on the same level as him.

Another album defined in my mind by the very heavy presence of videos in the MTV rotation, during what turned out to be a relatively brief window when what MTV broadcast meant dick in the world of popular music. Going back to it I find it still very good but with limitations showing. There is the perennial eye roll of a teenager delivering super deep, world-weary relationship drama with irony-free gravity. The music was produced to a high gloss that’s to some degree superficial. There was never any doubt that Apple was the real deal here though.

Очень неплохо, но не моё. Пианино это хорошо.

I'd revisit this

I felt like this album went by really fast, but mostly in the background. I like it overall, and I can see myself listening to it again in the future 4/5

Such a great album. Her writing and her voice are perfect.

Beautiful songs and compositions, haunting in many ways

I was surprised by how much I ended up enjoying this album!

It is such a nice and calming album, and Fiona's voice is so nice too. Is an easy listen if you're doing other stuff, but if you want to pay attention it also has nice parts that you can follow without it feeling boring.

A strong first album from Fiona Apple. I love her voice as well as the compositions of piano and drums. My biggest complaint is that the back half of the album kinda merges together and bores me a bit. Highlights: 1, 2, 3, 4, and 10.

First 4 songs were all awesome

The songwriting here is stunning, both on its face and in retrospect: Apple never lost that skill. Hers is a smooth voice, but there are some jagged songs and the sequencing also has its peaks and valleys. The instrumental palette is wonderful, and could use a little bit more space.

8/10- good songwriting and vocals, just nice to listen to although it was a bit slow

It was slow and that'll probably keep me from listening to it too often but I really enjoyed the music. 8

I didn't think I knew her, but Criminal is a classic where I just didn't know the singer's name. This album is fantastic and while it clearly fits into the era it was released, you can hear the older rock influences in it. It's very bluesy overall, but then songs such as Shadowboxer sounds a bit like Grace Slick from Jefferson Airplane. You can really hear where many recent singers where influenced by her, Billy Eilish being the most obvious recent influencee Favorite Songs: Criminal, Sleep to Dream

Very comfortable and easy to listen to.

pretty good.

It's very good, a first listen for me. Reminded me of early Maroon 5.

Ornate and dramatic.

I liked it a lot more than fetch the bolt cutters

Fiona has a fantastic voice. Great album. The first 4 tracks (through "Criminal") are very strong, but it's weaker through the midsection. "Carrion" is a great finish, though. I don't know if it's really worth 4 stars, but it's worth more than 3 to me, so I'll just have to go with 4. If you had told 1996 me that I'd give a Fiona Apple album 4 stars, I would probably have laughed at you, but here we are. Oh also, this is surely a better album on headphones than on speakers in a crowded room. Easier to hear the great production.

First time listening: 8/10 songs liked Unlike her 2020 album (while lauded, I personally found noisy and annoying) this one is the right amount of tasteful experimentation. Very soft alternative rock, and I'm always a sucker for piano. 3 songs saved

Slow like honey could be a James bond theme song.

very good, triphoppy and snazzy vocal melodies

1- Sleep to Dream- Decent song, not the most suited to be a intro, good empowerment themed lyrics. Probably not top 5 in the album 2- Sullen Girl- Probably the most emotional song in the album, where Fiona speaks about how the fact that she was raped when she was 12 affected how her family viewed her, the piano is captivating and matches the emotion of Fiona's voice, overall great song, might add to the playlist. 3- Shadowboxer- Great chorus, talks about her fear of falling back in love with an ex lover which makes her defensive, pretty good vocal performance. 4-Criminal- This album's biggest hit and a pop banger, femme fatale energy, talks about how women can play men when they want to, not necessarily the best lyrics but pretty bumpable with a cool outro 5-Slow Like Honey- The gravitas with which she sings the words that give a name to this track astounds me and even gave me goosebumps on first listen, might be top 3 in the album, great track that almost has a James Bond feel to it. 6-The First Taste- Funky. No better way to describe it, when that chorus comes in it just sweeps you off your feet and the whole song from there on out is just pure sex in a good way, the way her voice glides across such a playful instrument makes this probably my favorite song of the album. Outro also rocks. 7- Never is a Promise- The piano absolutely takes over this song in a hauntingly beautiful way while Fiona has one of her best vocal performances of the album as she sings about being betrayed by the first boy she had sex with. Pretty good and powerful song. 8- The Child is Gone- Another song with a bit of a 007 vibe sound wise, the lyrics are good and it has a good subject matter but I wouldn't consider it one of the highlights of the album 9- Pale September- Nice themed lyrics but I feel like this song should do more for me than what it does, maybe with a few extra listens it will. 10- Carrion- Has a good vibe for the last song of the album and ends it well, not necessarily a stand out song but decent enough. Overall thoughts: Good album even though it's not one of my favorite genres it has some pretty good and fun songs, I could definitely see myself revisiting it soon and even adding some of them to my playlist, seems like the type of album to bump in a light breezy spring afternoon. Fav Songs: The First Taste, Slow Like Honey Least Liked Songs: Pale September, The Child is Gone

Actually, would never have thought to lis

Lush and beautiful! The vocals were nice, and the instrumentation was unique.

Before: I heard Criminal a little while ago and liked it. Looking forward to listening, should be a good start to this! First listen: Wasn't expecting to love the slower stuff more than the louder songs at the beginning. Love her voice, piano parts are excellent, and a lot of good percussion too. Favourite song is Pale September

Best song is "The First Taste"

bueno

I think 4*. It's really interesting, and I WANTED to listen to it again.

Spoken word poetry bullshit. But, in a good way. A great songwriter with a great voice who has carved out her own sound and style. How d’ya like them apples?!

Some brilliant tracks on this album, Shadowboxer and Criminal to name but two, stunning voice and talent. Lacks the spoken word poetry bullshit that could get it to a five

Liked it a lot and will listen to more of her stuff in the future.

Aina tässä samalla pitää wikipedioida artistia ja levyä. Varsin vaikuttava levy siinä mielessä, että levyn kappaleet ovat syntyneet 17-18 -vuotiaan kynästä. Pääosin savuisten baarien hidastempoista pianon säestämää tunnelmointia, mutta siihen päälle paljon väriä eri jousisoittimista ja aina muodissa olevasta kellopelistä. Se on onneksi varsin lahjomaton mittari, vangitseeko joku levy huomion vai soiko musiikki vain taustalla. Minulla levy ei jäänyt vain taustamusiikiksi, vaan tartuin levyn luomaan tunnelmaan kiinni. Olin antamassa kolmosta, mutta palasin levyyn vielä seuraavana päivänä ja 3,5 pyöristyy nyt ylöspäin. Tykkäsin Fionan tavasta tulkita.

Fantastic

cinematic moody alternative vibes. bumping up to 4/5 since I'm digging the variety of moods here

That album takes me back in time to the time of the release of that album And what I was doing at that time to pass the time which in turn makes me reflect on the time I spend thinking about old times. That's good times. I give this album four Cameron Diaz's

Fun lounge singer

Brings me back to college. I enjoyed this album.

Great Listen. Never heard of Fiona Apple before but will seek out more of her music. What a voice

Fiona Apple is just so good. Such a nice jazz-pop style.

Never hear of her and is actually pretty good

Yea noice. Like an old school chiller n feels esq.

Flashback to the 90s

holy.fuck. this album was amazing! I never listened to Fiona Apple much, and i'm kicking myself (which seems to be a running trend with this musical list, lol), but man, "Sullen Girl" has got to be my favorite track on this album, hands down. beautiful composition, track placement is perfect, and just the rawness of this is amazing

Fiona Apple is just so good. Such a nice jazz-pop style.

I remember her hits and they are still amazing but some of the ones I didn’t know hit lyrically too. Better than I knew.

Gets better every listen!

fionna apple always amazing

great album, slow like honey was a favourite

Great album. loved it.

Pretty enjoyable. More in line with my preferred genre. Will probably keep listening to this artist

Very nice instrumentals, not exactly my speed, but I did appreciate the album.

Love it! Hadn't listened to the whole album, but Criminal is such a bop--probably still my favorite on the album, but pretty solid overall.

Ein bisschen Florence and the Machine, ein bisschen Bond

Listened 1/12

Very 90’s. She has a great voice and Criminal is a hit.

Muito bom. Uma voz linda em melodias muito boas

Hipnotizante.

really moody, full voice with thinner instrumentals and just a powerhouse of a voice, kind of darker tone, i really like the way this feels to listen to... as in, i feel pretty Kool while listening to it

Jazz singer vibes. Really good album but probably will never listen to it again.

another fucking 90s album are you fucking kidding me. oh my GOD. listened late relative to when i woke up. 11pm. not that late but im still fuckin rtired bc i woke up at like 8. this is a good thing because it gives me more time with my girlfriend star (or yufi? not sure which shed rather be called here). the album is good too but not as good as my girlfriend. not rly a fair comparison though since no album is. sorry all you nerd asss bitches making music u cant even compare. anyway ummm this album is pretty cool. ive been tired this whole time so ive just been letting it wash over me. first 4 songs and the first taste are all really good, shadowboxer is my fav. rly good sound. idk. nice mixture of energetic and kinda dense and alternative and a tiny bit edgy with some piano grace and restraint. after that it leans too far into the slower side of things and its very pretty and shes a good singer but it doesnt hold my interest quiiite as much. it.s worth checking out this album though :)

Never heard of Fiona... this sounds really good though.

Enjoyed this. Great energy. Criminal the standout track.

Husker ikke så mye av albumet, mek husker at jeg tenkte 3 stjerner :)

Likte dette. Litt dystert og melankolsk til å begynne med, men sånn er jo livet også. "Criminal" gir litt mer fart på albumet!

Noen kule tendenser, men litt kjedelig i lengden

Very talented performer, sophisticated compositions ... I just don't connect with this material. It's not doing it for me.

Really good debut. Fiona Apple’s voice is soulful, dark, and melodic. Some good songs here. I enjoyed the first half of the album better than the back half. I think I listened to Fetch the Bolt Cutters in full at one point but otherwise haven’t delved into her collection. This is a solid start.

Ok. I think there was a song in which I thought hmm that's nice. The rest is just music in the background, not bad, but not something I would intentionally choose. 2,5/5.

I don’t know what it says about me that my standout track here is the obviously tier-5, middle of record fusion sophistipop oddity “The First Taste”. In amongst a collection of focussed, defiant anthems and poignant, melancholy confessionals – songs that twist and pirouette; calling to mind Joni Mitchell and Tori Amos, Maya Angelou and Emily Dickinson; some, when you’re caught up on the context, powerful enough to stick you to the spot as if turned into a pillar of salt – it’s a sort of freaked out calypso fever dream. There’s no trip hop drum sound, no vertiginous or lush string arrangements, no arresting moment of vulnerable honesty …. nor any evidence of the sort of artistic restraint that produces the atmosphere across rest of the record. Instead, there’s a shimmering sound effect here, a bell tolling there, an electric guitar or three, at least six types of keyboard, potentially a marimba, lots of whining, uncharacteristically on the nose lyrics, then a two-minute outro with another guitar playing a thoroughly unconvincing solo. My favourite song on Tidal, an album full of songs with grit and power, is, potentially, the dorkiest of Fiona Apple’s entire recording career. So yeah, I suspect I do know what it says about me. But how’s about we just let the kid be a fucking dork sometimes, come on.

sounds very 90s but i respect fiona apples game

On a recomendation i bought fetch the boltcutters when it came out and absolutely loved it. Never actually got as far as exploring the rest of her stuff until.now. Three tracks in i thought i was heading for a masterpiece as good as bolt cutters but it didn't quite maintain the quality throughout. I will listen again though!

won't deny her talent, but the constant negative vibes just get me down. love her voice. Music is like a hip Norah Jones, but better. Sullen Girl and Slow Like Honey stand out from the rest.

3.5

Not a bad album by any stretch but it also just feels like background noise at a coffee shop

Not aged well.

At age 19 btw

5/10

Vraiment mid

Started strong but kind of lost me as it went. Might not have been in the right mood, but no tracks were grabbing me.

Yeah it’s good. Not my taste but undeniably good.

4/10

Parte de hype de los 90 de chicas con piano. Una vez pasada la moda, algo quedo, y aunque creo que es una de las mejores tuvo algún lío con la discográfica o algo de eso que es la muerte en vida. Lo he escuchado un par de veces, en orden y luego en orden de popularidad. Criminal está bien y la guardaré. He subido la nota a todo desde "Captain Beefheart", así que le voy a meter un 3.

I saw a review saying the lyrics are cliché, I must agree. Instrumentally sophisticated and sometimes jazzy with a pop voice.

Great voice, bit boring. In the end, held me more than I was expecting

It's fine? I think it's even good but I wasn't feeling it

Fiona Apple is one of those artists who gets a lot of praise, and definitely is a good musician, but I don’t get the amount of hype. Like Elvis Costello or Beck. I’ll have to give their albums a lot more listens to see if I can find whatever it is I’m missing.

Fine, if a little unassuming. The album just kind of blended together despite the cool low-key vibe and the admittedly great singing. Parts of this album would be great for a coffee shop playlist which isn't I can't quite consider a compliment when saying it, but I don't regard it as a criticism either.

Huge highs. Boring others

Quelques pépites qui exploitent bien sa superbe voix (notamment Shadowboxer), un peu trop d'uniformité dans l'album. Les musiques hip-hop sont particulièrement dispensables.

Du pop/rock basique. C'est ok.

Some good moments on here but I’m not fully on the Fiona Apple train yet. This is the first album I’ve heard by her, and the first time I’ve properly heard any of her songs in full.

Mehhh.

Fionna Apple has a great voice and fearless lyrics, but I find myself zoning out after a while when listening to this album. Criminal is great.

Was different sonically than I would have thought. Her voice was nice, songs were okay.

Damned by already knowing her superior later-career albums. A good start though.

3.5

Sleep to Dream Criminal Never is a Promise

Criminal Slow Like Honey The Child is Gone

Me gustoooo! me la habian recomendado (ahre nadie) pero me gustaron sus ultimos temas mas uqe los principales

Can see the influences on later indie musicians

Most definitely a "sour apple" but a good album.

It's a little lightweight for my tastes. She's clearly got a very good voice and the songs are mostly crooning poppy piano ballads. I'm sure a lot of people who like Adele and that style would also love this. I'm not really one of those people.

Started off strong but suffers from 90s album syndrome—too many songs. Mostly good though.

3.5 rounded down to 3.

I like this album, and it was an interesting listen as somebody who is only really familiar with her most recent few releases. Incredible Lyrics, as I am used to, but slower and less obviously angry. Criminal is a well known banger and ends a great run across the first four tracks. I really enjoyed The First Taste and the vocals on Never Is a Promise are stunning. However, I also found that quite a few of the tracks veer toward the boring side of slow - specifically the final three tracks (although Carrion picks up a bit, i'd still say the album ends with a whimper) and Slow Like Honey. 6/10

she has a really beautiful voice. a little too moody/sultry for my everyday rotation

Worst track- ‘The first taste’ Best track- ‘never is a promise’ is beautiful, lovely piano arrangement and a truly great vocal. Anybody who hasn’t given up before this album have missed what this album could have been. Unfortunately this was the only standout throughout the entire album but it’s great. The rest of the album however just felt as though somebody was singing in a cabaret. Pleasant but nothing special and the only way she could have released an album is by shagging a music producer. All that been said lovely background music and if I was at the cabaret I would listen along and certainly enjoy the best track! 6/10

Yeah, I liked this one. I liked Fiona’s voice, enjoyed the piano. Liked the ballads over anything else.

I have a perhaps unwarranted dislike of Fiona in general, perhaps due to her latest album, 2020’s Fetch the Bolt Cutters, which was painful to listen to as I recall. This was pretty decent, though. 3.5 rounded down.

This album was everywhere when it came out. Couldn’t avoid the six singles on the radio, and every female friend I had in college seemed to have it in heavy rotation. Looking back, I didn’t give it a fair shot. This is a well crafted album and an impressive debut. 3.5⭐️

Grew on me

It had some decent tracks, but tailed towards the end. S’OK in the general 90s vibe, if not that distinguishable from her obvious peers of the era.

Hey, it's the album with that cover image which reminds me of the Silent Hill 1 album artwork. Cool. I'm confident that I've never listened to a Fiona Apple song before, though I'm expecting a jaded 90s alt rock album similar to that of Alanis Morrisette's "Jagged Little Pill". Here goes. Dead wrong on the prediction front, but hey. This wasn't bad. It's kind of a proto-Amy Winehouse album, albeit without the sardonic edge that gets on my nerves after a while. I had a good time listening along to this album. Apple has an alluring, sultry voice which is paired effectively with the jazzy, noir-influenced sound that lingers in the background. Befitting of this album's name is the fluid songwriting approach, which I consistently thought was the best aspect of this album. Fiona is constantly chasing wavy, lofty falsettos, but with a sultry, understated tone that keeps the vocal performances from being airheaded, untethered or annoying. As far as the individual instruments of this album are concerned, there are many that I favour. I particularly like those noir-sounding organ instruments, the steady percussion and the many string instruments that feature on this album. All in all, I am favourable to this album. It's nothing I'm too invested in or enthralled by, though it is pleasing and well paced despite its long runtime. It gets a hearty thumbs up from me. Book time. Fiona was 18 when this album released. Apple was heavily compared to Alanis Morissette, Tori Amos and PJ Harvey when this album released. Go figure. "The album's minimalist artwork - mostly black-and ­white portraits of Apple - reflects the tone of the album: self-reflective and self-indulgent perhaps, yet breathtakingly beautiful, stark, and powerful also." "Heartache [...] had never sounded so good." Has a wide range of influences. Won many awards. Wikipedia says "Criminal" won a Grammy for Best Female Rock Performance. Critics loved it, and the album has received enduring acclaim in the years following release. The album notably peaked at No. 22 on the New Zealand charts, No. 21 on the French charts and No. 15 on the US charts. In the US, it was the 41st and 98th best-selling albums of 1997 and 98 respectively. Yeah, this definitely appears to be a solid pick. I cosign this inclusion.

Probably not my favorite Fiona Apple album, but it's the first one I've ever heard. I can appreciate the poetry, even out of context. It's stunning for a teenager to produce this quality of lyrical expression, but it's impressive for anybody, really, extremely well executed. This album is great if you're reading the lyrics along with it. Otherwise it's just ok, the production hits if it's pegged against the lyrics, otherwise it's just in the background. I'm glad I gave it the time, it's a high quality listen under the right circumstances. Big respect, would catch her live, but I probably won't listen to this again. 3.1/5

Kaunista laulantaa, mutta ei erityisen kolahtavaa ittelle.

Siento que es un álbum bien, para ser un debut se ve muy bien elaborado Contiene instrumentales variados, pero mostrando mucha calidad en la gran mayoría de las canciones Personalmente este álbum me hizo interpretar que Fiona como artista es muy ingeniosa y quería mostrar eso con intención a lo largo del disco También siento que quienes escuchan su música tal vez son personas que se perciben como bastante intelectuales(?, pero tal vez no se les sube a la cabeza (esa fue una opinión extremadamente subjetiva ) Criminal estuvo bien y también Slow Like Honey Sé que su trayectoria es basta y muy aclamada por muchos, así que este fue un viaje interesante a sus inicios

A 90s staple for a reason

Quirky, and compositionally impressive. Not my usual cup of tea, but has real merit as something unique and of value.

It was good and expressive stuff but not quite my vibe.

Very first Fiona Apple album so I'm very excited! I like the production in Sleep to Dream and the lyrics are very interesting and enticing Sullen girl seems like the perfect song to listen to when I'm in a depressive episode. I like the production, is very calming but with a unsteady rhythm beneath in parallel I think to the lyrics "It's calm under the waves of the blue of my oblivion" I love her mellow voice so much, in Shadowboxer she sounds like she's dragging the words out of her mouth and it makes the lyrics hit harder. Shadowboxer is such a good name for the feeling of fighting something before it happens, like anticipating the punch so you just start kicking the air. Again incredible production and Criminal is so relatable to me, she's putting so many feelings I wasn't even aware I had into the lyrics. "I know tomorrow brings the consequence at hand but I keep living this day like the next will never come. " First thought about Slow Like Honey is that I love the production, the slow mellow melody and her sultry voice is a beautiful combination. She genuinely is one of the greatest lyricist of all time. Her little high notes in the end oh woah The First Taste does not sound at all like what I was expecting based on the other songs but I'm not complaining. Very sensual and enticing sound and her voice just complements the production perfectly Never is a Promise is such a delicate and, at the same time, strong song. I don't have much to say about it now because I want to spend more time on the lyrics. The Child is Gone seems to be about a miscarriage or something among the lines, I can't be sure but gut wrenching lyrics either way. Pale September seems to be about the baby she lost(?) Again I'm not sure but to me it feels like she's talking about her son. Maybe I'm taking metaphors too literally Not much to say about Carrion now but I feel like it's gonna grow on me later

Can't deny the influence this brought

I know she's a genius and all. I mean, I know. And the songs are smart, inventive, cool. But there is something dramarama about her delivery and voice that stands between me and her genius and all.

Noen låter er kjempefine, og duoen Sullen Girl og Shadowboxer er fantastiske i min bok. Andre låter får meg til å tenke på hippiedamer med hårete legger og hjemmestrikk på sommeren. Ikke noe for meg, altså.

I remember being mesmerized as a kid by the Criminal video. Not the best music to workout to, but I can dig it.

My brother had and loved this album. I liked the song Criminal but the rest of it all kind of sounds the same to me. It's still good, just not something I revisit often.

3.25 - I prefer "The Idler Wheel...", but there are some great songs here.

Enjoyable!

This was Slow Like Honey.

Really was blown away by the first track, but it became more self similar as the tracks went on. Enjoyable but not perfect for me.

I have never got into Fiona, listening to this has made me reconsider giving her catalog a deep dive. This was an enjoyable listen, a little repetitive but still interesting enough to keep me engaged.

I thought it was fine but nothing jumped out. A nice vibe with the lounge singer style that I tend to be fond of.

I had definitely heard of Fiona Apple but had never sat down and listened to her before. Her voice is great and this album makes for decent easy listening.

vaca come back

Number: 211 Familiarity: Aware (2) Rating: 3 ======= I think I've tried to listen to her stuff before but didn't really care for it. This time was no different. My favorite tracks were First Taste and Carrion but I did not like either of them enough to add to my 1996 playlist. On a track by track average, it works out to a 2.7 for my personal opinion, so I'll rate it a 3.

Amo a fiona

Never listened. Expectations: High - Verdict: Good - I have high hopes for this as I absolutely love Fetch The Bolt Cutters. Sleep To Dream is very good. I also quite like Shadowboxer. Criminal has a great beat and is almost like a less spacey take on trip hop. Slow Like Honey and The Child Is Gone are also great tracks as is Pale September. I probably didn't like this as much as I had hoped but still a solid album.

Ok album. Not necessarily for me all the time, but it’s good. Sometimes it’s a little too wordy for a song I think. The lyrics come at the expense of the song at times. Still, some good tracks here.

Pleasant enough although did tend to fade into the bacground

I like Fiona, love the singles. The back half of this album gets really boring. I think she really matured as a songwriter (and, frankly, as an editor) after this, and I look forward to getting more into some of those records.

I liked this more than I thought I would. I was only aware of the song Criminal prior to this.

Álbum tenso, misterioso. Sentimento legal, voz boa. Provavelmente não voltarei a ouvir, mas foi uma boa experiência.

This was nice. I knew of Fiona apple and I know criminal but the album had more variety than I expected. I get why this was such a moment back in the day

I wish I got into music a bit younger…I could have used Fiona. The album is too slow-jazzy for me at times though. Also, why is she considered so angry?! She’s seems a very reasonable amount of angry to me.

I enjoyed this despite myself. Not really what I was expecting - I would struggle to describe it. A bit Feist-like I suppose but before Feist's time.

really nice

In 1996 I couldn't be bothered with the Fiona Apple hype. Deep into noise rock and the second wave of Pacific Northwest indie (Built to Spill, Modest Mouse, Sleater-Kinney, etc) I wasn't interested in the machine's moody, jazz-inflected answer to or continuation of the Tori Amos mold. Listening now, maybe it was unfair, maybe I just had boy blinders on, or maybe there was something about the packaging of Apple in this debut album that she'd also want to get away from or that didn't feel fully representative of her direction that I was immediately allergic to. I don't have insight into those golden handcuffs but we do have access to what would happen next that demonstrates she breaks away from the beast and begins to create albums aligned to her own goals more than those of the record company. And yet astute listeners can hear traces of Tidal in her Fetch the Bolt Cutters over 20 years later. Respect.

I'm not a fan of sad music, but this album is pretty good. Her voice is very beautiful. The most interesting thought I had while listening was "Fiona Apple is like the female Rufus Wainwright." which is a compliment because he's one of my favorite singer-songwriters ever. Thanks❤️🍏

Middle of the road for me...I actually liked the songs that sounded a little more 'jazzy'. 1/2 star bonus for being her debut whilst being so young.

Je l’ai écouté dans le bus pour aller à BSL et j’ai apprécié, même si certains sons étaient moins intéressants à écouter. J’ai aussi du skip certains sons tristes pour éviter de fondre en larme #goumin. J’ai préféré les sons qui bougeaient un peu, comme The First Taste.

Moody, melodic, familiar yet fierce. I slept on Fiona Apple when she came out, but I’m glad I listened through this album. Has a lot of reasons to go back again and again.

I mean it was... fine? Nothing special, especially for the popularity of some (at least one) of these songs. Nothing I'd listen to again, and didn't particularly enjoy it, but it wasn't bad either?

Bit depressing for a Monday morning

She’s so good, but I am not a lover :(

Good album and she definitely very talented did enjoy but doubt ill return to it anytime soon

Heard good things, Expected more. Rather than cool/moody which i tend to like, this strayed more into whingy/moany/boring territory I Liked 'The First Time' as it was a nice upbeat change Carrion decent. Generous 3

I have some friends who are really into Fiona Apple. I’ve listened to her a few times over the years but, whilst I have enjoyed her, she’s never stuck around my playlists for some reason. Enjoyable enough and glad to throw this album on again. But not sure when she’ll next be taking up residence in my ears.

Kinda lacks some of the fun from her earlier album, maybe she sold out eh

This is a 90s female empowerment pop album. From the era of "Girl Power", there were a few strong female vocalists like Fiona Apple that put out some really good music. This album has a really interesting mix of almost TripHop with Tori Amos piano undercurrent. Fiona Apple's vocals feel a bit like Sarah Mclachlen. In that it feels both powerful and melancholy at the same time. I love a trip down 90s memory lane. Especially when it is an under represented artist like this. (3.000)

eh it was fine, I don't think ill listen to it again.

Fiona Apple is a hit-or-miss artist for me. This is a good album with powerful tunes and interesting musical concepts. I would listen to it again, but don't have it on heavy rotation.

Favorite song: Shadowboxer

I didn't dislike this, but wouldn't be in a rush to listen to it again.

The bass is killer on the first track. I also love the instrumentation like that trippy noise that periodically appears. Catchy tune all around. Sullen Girl is more low key but still pretty musically. Shadowboxer’s chorus is great and her vocals standout the most here. She’s so commanding with how she sings. Criminal is the perfect example of this. What a banger. I dare you not to sing along to that chorus. Slow Like Honey is a fitting title because this does drag a bit. I still didn’t mind it though lyrically. The hand drums and what sounds like xylophone are a nice change of pace on The First Taste. Even get a little electric guitar too. Very soft but powerful vocals on Never Is a Promise but the instrumental didn’t grab me as much. There’s a part in The Child Is Gone that sounds like an angel singing and I love it. Pale just washed over me. I didn’t get much out of it. The last track has got this instrumental that sounds like a spy movie at first, then it switches gears for a little before going back. And then we get a cool guitar solo with chimes that is fun.

Very surprisingly pleasant listen. Even added one song to my favorites list.

Some nice tunes and I enjoyed Fiona’s voice. Would revisit in the right mood.

i think no longer being in an abusive relationship takes the wind out of my sails a little bit... still reminds me of him tho! 😝

Fiona Apple would produce some outstanding artistic statements later in her career - “Fetch The Bold Cutters” is a terrific example. This early debut shows her promise, but on the whole it’s rather pedestrian, down the fairway, soulful piano jazz/pop. The potential os obvious, but its not realized here.

An enjoyable listen. Probably should have paid more attention.

6.5/10 - Feels like what Adele could have been if her voice was a bit worse. Hard to explain how I mean that as a compliment but I do.

First half was better than the second, found myself enjoying the instruments more than the singing

Fiona Apple's music has never really clicked with me and this is no different

не моя исполнительница, уже не в первый раз убеждаюсь

Fiona Apple obvs iconic n gr8 but not my fave record

Solid alt-pop listen

If you are Gen X then you remember exactly where you were when you first heard/saw Fiona Apple

Not as legendary as When The Pawn… in my opinion, but still a very decent record and worth a listen.

I like this LP, not great but not bad either.

Very chill, my ex needs to sing Criminal to me.

Much more loungey than expected, very nice vocals. Highlights: "Sleep to Dream", "Slow Like Honey", "Carrion"

A boring kind of average.

Good album.