Tidal

She's got talent but this ain't for me. I'm just not the audience I dont think.

Ein solides Debütalbum, das mit emotionaler Tiefe und Apples markanter Stimme punktet. Songs wie „Criminal“ und „Shadowboxer“ zeigen ihr Talent für introspektive Texte und jazzige Arrangements. Doch trotz der lyrischen Stärke fehlt es dem Album an musikalischer Vielfalt und echten Überraschungen. Die Stücke wirken stellenweise zu gleichförmig, und nicht jeder Track bleibt im Ohr.

There were a few good surprises in this album, specially Slow Like Honey, but not enough to give it 4 stars

Qué decir. No es lo mio. Igual muy bien hecho. Nota: 3.4

This is #day450 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… I'm revisiting this one after watching Rick Beato's recent interview with Mike Elizondo. Now, this is a very, very '90s singer-songwriter record, albeit with plenty of influences from earlier decades: jazz, blues, soul, and whatnot. As before, I'm still not a fan of the vocal style, but I can't deny the instrumentation or just how the whole thing sounds. Let it be a 3 out of 5 this time around. Looking forward to #day451.

Background music. 3/5 Highlights: Criminal Carrion

Beautifully performed with deep lyrics. But it’s a bit too long for me without much variety. Each song could be about a minute shorter and you wouldn’t lose anything.

I wish I had more to say, but I don't. This was like a 3.45. Better than The Band, worse than early U2.

Criminal is a wonderful, 5-star track, and Carrion is pretty good too, and I like her voice -- but most of the rest of the album doesn't grab me.

Enjoyable album. Thought the instrumentation was very good. Not sure if there's much replayability for me

Album 41/1001 "Every addict should just get locked in a private movie theatre with Q.T. and P.T.A. on coke, and they’ll never want to do it again" ~ Fiona Apple 🍎 🍏 Favourite song: Shadowboxer 👥🥊 Honourable mention: Criminal 🥷 Sleep to Dream 🛌💭 Sullen Girl  😔👧 The Child Is Gone 👧🧳 Pale September ⬜️🗓

Wasn’t sure what was expecting but it wasn’t this. Sultry, smooth but angry. Enjoyed it to be fair but nothing memorable stuck out particularly on one listen

I'm beginning to think (since I haven't actually looked into it) that there might have been some sort of feminist counter-culture movement happening in NYC during the mid-to-late 90s 🤔🤔🤔. Only a theory though... I think a lot of the lyricism goes over my head, to be completely honest. I did enjoy The First Taste and I think Miss Apple's vocal performance is quite good. It may be little too NYC-core for my taste, though.

7 Ya pretty cool not bad! I would have preferred Fiona orange thlugh

Tidal by Fiona Apple I’ve spent a lot of my life thinking Fiona Apple and Rilo Kiley were the same. Shadow boxer is a bop. Criminal is a song I know! Slow like Honey feels like it could be playing in the bar scene of a 1950’s noir movie. Peak jazz singing. The First Taste sound like a white lady’s take on making Sade’s music We followed this up with some of her more contemporary material. I do feel like her later stuff is more fleshed out, a bit more unique, and she does find “her” sound. But this album felt like she was trying on a lot of different hats in search of that sound. I really liked all the variation and the fun that came with that.

Die Musik gefällt mir, aber der Gesang ist gar nicht meins!

was one of my favorite albums from the 90's

Great play among the genres, with some downright groovy tracks and thoughtful. I just don't like Apple's singing voice.

This is my second go with Fiona Apple, and I much preferred this to the first album overall - especially the first half. I felt myself zoning out as the album went on, as the songs were still too long and the lyrics were still a bit too wanky.

I really enjoyed that first song. Worth revisiting. The next two went to dull, followed by another hit, then more drag. I like her voice when it strains a bit, but find the more pure moments dull.

pretty good, poor gal seemed pretty unhappy

*Wish I could give this a 3.5 *She has a great voice but I wish more tracks stayed a little faster with the temp and beat behind it...the first track is great and I was hoping for more like that *Probably would appreciate this more after multiple listens

My estrogen levels went up a lot. She's great, but I like Tori Amos's crazy lyrics better.

I have a friend who's a huge Fiona Apple fan, and I know she still has a hugely devoted cult following. She has a great voice, and her whole thing works, but it doesn't do much for me. (Although my 20-year-old self was a fan of the "Criminal" video, as were many straight dudes).

Great find. Bits of Tori Amos, PJ Harvey and Alanis Morrisette but quite clearly her own amalgamated style.

Enjoyed it, decent and had some beautiful sounds and vocals.

Some good songs in here (I liked shadow boxer) and there’s a blend of different feels/genres. If I could give 2.5 stars, I would.

This was certainly way better than her newest album, I was surprised by some parts because they were really great... BUT, I am sorry, I wanted to give it a 4 but I'll stick with 3 star rating, at least for now. As a whole it wasn't that interesting and the previous Fiona Apple album I've heard unfortunetaly still left me quite a negative taste in my mouth that Tidal was not able to fully wash out, which makes my opinion on this record kindaaa blinded and maybe even stupid but hey, 3/5 is still "hey, I enjoyed it"!

What a talented badass she was at 19! Fierce album.

Soulful vocals over various genres of piano-based music (some jazz, rock, soul). Like a better version of Adele. Or older version of Regina Spector. Some hip-hop style beats. Much better than the other of her albums I listened to. Criminal is a good song, great ending section. Latin elements on The First Taste. Album is much more varied than other one on this list. Best track - Shadowboxer, Criminal 3.5 stars, almost 4 but it's just not my style

I like it. It sounds a lot like Mitski, but I think I like the poetry and imagery Mitski uses more. And some of the songs started to blur from one to another.

Cover 7 I think this is her most accessible album, althrough it's pop jazz, which was never really popular (minus this album and anything Norah Jones). In any case, thematically, her most neutral album (less overt feminism). But not her best (unless feminism hurts your feelings). For that, I prefer Fetch the Bolt Cutters. Or When the Pawn..

Would have been 4 but it suffered from classic 90s CD issue of not culling some fillers and as a result the first half is the hangers and the last half fillers.

Vahvaa laulantaa

Very mixed feelings about this one. Never explored her music before and was excited to do so. Started off great, but then boredom took over, and 3/4 in I thought it was great again, then meh again. I thjnk I actually like it better than 3 stars but it was the wrong day to listen to.

Not necessarily my thing (cue In Bruges), but I do enjoy when the instrumentation branches out beyond the piano. That said, this is undoubtedly impressive as a debut album from a 19 year old.

Great debut album. These songs sound ao polished for being written by a teenager. Very interesting blend of alanis morissette and nora jones energy. Also very glad to finally get a female voice on here again. However im missing a few banger songs to rate this higher than that.

I didn't really want to listen to this at first. I didn't really like it in the 90s. But listening to it with a fresh ear, it is absolutely incredibly impressive, especially including her age. The maturity of it is really breathtaking, and the production choices and instrumentation are awesome. Her vocals are actually my least favorite part, I find her singing in her low register to not be so great... but I can appreciate this album for its production, and the songwriting for its preternatural maturity. Some of these songs aren't so great... The First Taste, that's a no from me dog.

Day 38 Great voice, can see why this album is so popular, amazing she was so young writing this. Not entirely my cup of tea 6/10 Highlights Sleep to Dream Criminal

Great! Nice listen right before bed. Calm peaceful. Kinda sad vibe, but I like that. "Days like this I don't know what to do with myself" - Sullen girl Lots of piano too. Raw(?) vocals. Interesting. 6/10

I really enjoy her voice. ‘Criminal’ is a great tune. Don’t love some of the ballads quite as much. Solid, especially for a teenager.

non mi fa impazzire, da riascoltare

Un bell’album da ascoltare in sottofondo. Non mi ha impressionato peró non è nemmeno brutto

solidissimo album pop rock, fiona apple non si smentisce mai anche se non è il mio album suo preferito. brano preferito Criminal

Started out strong, kinda lost me towards the end ngl. But for a debut album, this is phenomenal. Gonna dive more into her music (because tbh I've never really heard her stuff before, just have always heard of her). This album feels like the late 90s/early 2000s in the best way possible.

A great voice and some amazing songs 3/5

3.7 cool vibes good voice

Generelt et virkelig behageligt album.

3.5/5

Interesting voice but a bit whiney. Enjoyed the grooves. I've heard other stuff so knew the sort of thing to expect.

Fairly quintessential '90s femme indie rock. Not really something I'm going to actively put on very often, but also not something I'm likely to skip if it comes up.

Kuuntelin pari kertaa aamulla ja opiskellessa, oli kyl ihan hyvä. Kuuntelen varmaan jatkossakin aina silloin tällöin :)

The opening track reminds me a little of Billie Nomates, which suggests she’s definitely been an influence. By the same token I can hear touches of Kate Bush on ‘Never is a Promise’, which is the standout track for me. Not a bad album but not outstanding

😄😢

Кілька заходів в мене було у музику Фіони Еппл і жоден не закінчився успіхом. Tidal аналогічно.

Cool a lot like Natalie jinju. Pleasant but the sound got old, kinda repetitive. Sounded like 2000s pop.

Good

Curioso. Me gustó

Never heard of this artist before so it was a pleasant surprise. The stars are for the beautiful voice I really enjoyed listening, unfortunately the songs are pretty forgettable.

Mellow yet powerful.

3.5

D Fiona Öpfel, Side-Project vom Steve Jobs, macht ganz hübschi musig. Paar lieder dezwüsche sehr guet pässlet, over-all aber biz zu herzig. 3 system updates

Always forget what a great voice she has and I’ve never listened to the album, but that one was pretty good

Edgy and melodic.

Amazing voice and solid album

I get it—Fiona Apple is great. Her voice is beautiful, her lyrical craftsmanship is sharp, and the production—on this album and everything else I’ve heard—is ingeniously polished. But for whatever reason, I never get hooked. The highlight of this album for me was the pedal steel slides, though I’m admittedly a sucker for that shit. Maybe one day I’ll be in the right mood and her prose will hit me like a ton of bricks and I'll be hooked (hooks is what this is all missing). Once again, today just wasn’t that day.

Можно иногда послушать под меланхоличное настроение. Если внимательно слушать - довольно заунывно. 6 из 10.

En lyssning in var frågan om Fiona skulle orka kravla sig över till en 2:a. Låtar dom inte satte sig och en störig röst (låtsasbas?). Beslutade att ge henne en lyssning till, nu mer koncentrerat, inte mitt i jobbet. Den växer rejält. Störs fortfarande på rösten men betydligt mer intressant än vid första örat. Trean lutar absolut snarare uppåt än nedåt. Vem vet med några lyssningar till hade de kanske blivit ett riktigt högt betyg, men nån jävla måtta får det ju vara på undertecknads ansträngningar.

Although not my style of music and roads of depressing melancholy lyrics i give it 3 stars cause it's impressive that a teenager can be so advanced in poetic writing and portray the angst of teenage females.

Eh. Quite melodic, very 90s

Pretty good sound. Never listened to her before.

Pretty good, though it felt like a bit of 'generic female singer.'

Man, she has some charged lyrics.

Pretty good.

Fine.

3.5!

Not my type of music

The beginning was def stronger

lot of piano

Didn't really remember many of the tracks other than the hits, but this is a really solid album. I wonder if my listening is now influenced by Fetch the Bolt Cutters? 3.5 stars

The first half of this album is good, the second half is not.

It's ok. Nothing special for me. She sings ok. The music is ok. A solid 3 to 3.5/5.

“Sleep to dream” strata so strong like a rocker, then fades into a Beatles song. This is pretty clever. Blended right into sullen girl. I’m really impressed with the production. Still not a fan of criminal, but I like the rest of the record.

Loved Criminal but not so enthralled with other tracks

Liked this more than I thought I would but I was primed for a patented one star pan so you could say this gazpacho soup burned my lips.

Commercially acceptable Fiona rants aren't that bad, not remarkable but decently catchy. 6.8/10. Strip clubs like Criminal, that's when you know the exact opposite context of her songwriting has been used for the most humorous reason of all time, her MTV music video premiere wasn't really rolled out in the correct manner, I remember the video but additionally understood why nobody within a larger audience would ever care for any particular reason. Much better album releases prior and post. There is clearly emotion there, might be the onset for the rest of her releases, I just don't feel like I'm hearing her quite yet. She held back, I think so.

Individually all these tracks are really solid, collectively they become repetitive and a bit of a snooze fest. I like Fiona Apple and teenage me had a huge crush on her when this album came out. She’s a good poet/songwriter but the album as a whole is lacking. 6.8/10 112/1001

I really liked this to begin with but by the end I was a little bored

Fine.

Boring

2.6

This was a good album. I personally don't love it - the slow-paced singer-songwriter isn't my favorite and I didn't listen closely enough to the lyrics to find out if they were great. The instrumentation was diverse and pleasant to listen to in the background. None of the songs were bad. This was a background album for me, and I was bored enough to be looking at the next album by the end, but that's largely on me and not on Fiona. 6/10

Fine.

If so could give 3.5 stars, I would.

Yeah, this was good. Nothing too interesting or groundbreaking tho

Fan-fucking-tastic, I absolutely love a man hating album, and this one knocks it out of the park. 'Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned', is the phrase that comes to mind whilst listening to the album, from a teenie bit of research I've learned she was 18/19 whilst writing on this album and the teen angst certainly comes through. That being said, the maturity of her song writing is pleasantly surprising, with beautiful lyricism and concise instrumental arrangements. Her vocals are genuine and have a frisky feel to them, the blend between them and the raw energy and minimalistic approach in the production creates a really moody atmosphere (slay) that's consistently present throughout the entire album. I really really enjoyed this album and there is some new additions to my liked songs on Spotify. Bitter women are fantastic. 3.8/5 - HF x No skateboard today - we’re on a big emotional boat with an all-female crew captained by a fucking titan. One of my favourite recent albums is Black Rainbows and you can hear the influence straight away. The clear influence continues throughout and you hear everyone from Phoebe Bridgers to Jorja Smith and Regina Spektor via Amy Winehouse - which is impressive when you consider how genre-spanning that is. Another frankly excellent debut record in an era when every fucker got a record deal and there were some truly forgettable debuts. After years of having to write feminist anthems subtly (what big fat horrible male record label chief was gonna OK feminism in music??) I love going back to the 90s and listening to thumping well-produced records carrying on the good work so many independent artists started coming out of punk in the late 70s. Shadowboxer took me back about 15 years to a wild place in my life but it was a nice little trip. Never is a Promise is a fine example of coming across as so strong but via vocals tinged with the subtle fragility that any true and meaningful singer-songwriter has. Being so in touch with the words in your songs and performing directly from the heart and soul makes for some of the finest records you’ll ever hear. 4.1/5 JF Going into this album blind and I was not disappointed. Definitely a lyrically strong album, from the first track on the album it's very clear in its theme of heartbreak and longing. And that voice, oh my god, at times soothing, others demanding but always a stand out performance and that incredible range? Ooof I need to have a sit down. Tracks like Sleep to Dream and Shadowboxer give a punchy (pun intended) start to this album and it does not let up later on in the album, with tracks like the almost haunting Pale September and the subtle start and enthusiastic close of Carrion. Definitely would give this album another rotation. 3.8/5 MTW

Different and I enjoyed it!

Trage jankmuziek, wel mooi

3.4

the most commercially impactful of her career maybe, but the least of her records for sure. Her voice is on fire here, her perspective surprisingly mature, but the music is informed by its producers and being polished and shined for radio play. it's too bad that as she has gotten more interesting and idiosyncratic she also gets more reclusive; we'll be lucky if we get even one more album from her... If it were her last couple of records- they'd be five stars. albums 2 and 3 from her, 4 stars. so this one gets 3.

I’d give this 3.5 stars if I could.

I think she has a great voice but her music is too sleepy for me.

Impressive for a 19-year-old, and I think I can finally distinguish her from Ani DiFranco. The songs do kind of all sound the same, but that's understandable.

Cool album

Quite a good album. Didnt know her music but saved some songs to my playlist

I imagine this is what people who don’t like Sarah Bareilles hear when they listen to Sarah Bareilles

Love the vocals on this record !!! Lyrics are also really poetic and well written. Just too slow and boring music-wise to make me come back or recommend it. 6,5/10 fav song : Sleep to Dream & Never is a Promise

Good but not great.

There's an intimacy created by her vocals. Both the vocals and songs are well crafted. but lack a little diversity. Well executed, but not a go-to for me.

Solid, but not something I would regularly listen to.

Great lyricism Some bangers, but most tracks are forgettable

Not my style but ok music

OK but tracks and album a bit to long

Okkkk

Didn't love it. Didn't hate it.

I see why it was a popular album, but it is a bit to slow and moody for me

Decent album, had a couple of songs that I enjoyed.

A little slow and one-note imo. Not really my thing but her voice is nice and the music is fine

I think you really need to love the vocals for this kind of album. I can't say I do unfortunately. Criminal was a good song though

Debut of a really great singer/songwriter. And all the pieces are already there, and a couple strong tracks - I just prefer her later work. 3.5 ⭐

Right up to Criminal the album is near perfection after that it just loses pacing. Not that this is a bad album, but maybe just a tad front loaded. https://youtube.com/shorts/Hq-s6YU5ZDc

I really really wanted to love this album. I feel like I'm the kind of person that SHOULD like Fiona Apple. But all in all this was just a bit too sleepy. It was NICE but I wanted more umpf.

I found this album to be not my usual music, but there were a few tracks to that i found to be quite a smooth listening.

I appreciate Fiona Apple much more now than I did when she came out, but this isn’t m favorite album of hers. Definitely amazing in its own way, though.

Good but not nearly as good as her later albums

Pretty decent

Never heard this before. Pretty solid, no complaints. Pale September is fave.

2.6 Not really my cup of tea. The faster songs are alright, album peaks with Criminal. But just too many dull lifeless tracks. 51 minutes is Criminal, more like.

"Criminal" is still great but I feel like expecting the rest of the songs to be like it distorted my enjoyment. Still a solid album though.

I like the sound of this album but didn't stand out as something special to me. Her voice did throw me off a bit as well.

Nice.

This is a good album. Not my favourite.

When I saw this come up I kind of dreaded it, and put it off a couple of days before listening. I don't what I remembered from the 90s when she came out, but I was pretty much into more hardcore metal, rap and grunge back then. Anyway, this isn't at all bad. Definitely has a groove to it, and a hypnotic personality. 3/5

Meh

A good album with some nice songs on it. Look forward to hearing her later stuff

Such a talented artist, good starting point but for me Fetch The Bolt Cutters is her magnum opus.

Fiona Apple walked so Sara bareilles could run.

A good enough listen but as her debut seems a bit in thrall to Tori Amos' debut...

Pretty good

A very accomplished album for a teenager. A great variety of styles across the set giving the album depth.

I know of FA but never listened to anything by her imagining her music to be some hipster 90s rubbish. So the first track Sleep to Dream was mind blowing..but after this it got very forgettable. Sounds like Macy Gray and others. Not bad, but too much filler for me.

This really makes me want to listen to her other albums. I had only heard Fetch The Bolt Cutters which I slightly prefer. Her voice is great, maybe a few too many ballads for my liking on this one. You can really hear the sadness in the songs though. Strong 3

You couldn’t go anywhere in 1996 without hearing criminal. Several good songs and huge debut album for a young singer.

My expectations were low, but I was mildly impressed

Not bad. Gives me Regina Spektor vibes.

I was initially expecting this debut album from Fiona Apple (no relation to Tim Apple) to be along the lines of other singer/songwriters like Alannis Morrisette and Tori Amos, but I ended up preferring this to both of those. This is actually closer to a shoe-gaze sound (with the occasional torch song) and has considerable depth and complexity to it. I then found out that she was just 18 when this album was released and had written the songs during her teenage years. Wowzers!

That's not my taste in music, but ok.

Not too shabby, but probably not something I'll seek out to listen to again.

This album washes over me in a really beautiful way. A beautifully controlled, patient, well composed LP. I’ll admit that the moments that grab me most though are the slight glimpses of freak out jazz pop, like the backend of Criminal. I know on later records she specialises primarily in this more esoteric approach, which is where my interests lie. That aside, the debut provides a series of accomplished ballads from a 19 year old with a phenomenal voice, who sounds several years her senior. In fact, 30 years later her voice sounds exactly the same as it did back then.

This is a solid album to start the career of Fiona Apple. Side one is full of some great songs that are well produced with some good lyrics. Fiona’s attitude comes through in the vocals and makes for a biting satire on certain songs but then she settles into a more calm and agreeable tone on others. The second half of the album falters as it slows down and lost me a bit. Favorite songs are “Sleep to Dream”, “Shadow Boxer”, and “Criminal”.

I've heard this one several times before, but not for a while. Some of my coworkers at the record store loved it when it came out, so it got played quite a bit back then. I've always liked the opening track, "Sleep To Dream", but other than that didn't remember much of the album. I've always felt Fiona Apple has a lot of talent, but also has an ego that is much larger than the talent, and that keeps me from paying much attention to her career. Going purely from the music, and laying aside her personality, it's a good album. Solid songs, well produced and well performed. Fave is still "Sleep To Dream", "Criminal" is pretty good. I found "Shadowboxer" and "Never Is A Promise" lyrically pretty week compared to the rest.

Ok but nothing fenomenal

Not my style of music, but I can see why she has fan. Her vocals are strong and soulful. The instruments bring a good backing to the music. Criminal was my favorite song on the album, it makes sense that it has the most streams.

Generally nice vibe, but I was bored about halfway through this album.

Better than fetch the bolt cutters...Still not so great. Highlights were first taste and criminal.

First time listening to Fiona, quite the treat. Nice tones and an easy feel

Great voice, but not up there with the best. Kind of sounds like an Adele album, but not quite as good. This came before Adele though.

She was 18-19 when this came out. I was 21 so it didn’t seem weird then. It does now.

Vom Genre her ned ganz mis, aber trotzdem voll okay.

Album 764 of 1089 Fiona Apple - Tidal (1996) Rating : 2.25 / 5 I've had this in my CD case for nearly 30 years and not sure I had ever really listened to it. I didn't miss a lot. It was meh but not up to par with other releases of the same genre during that period.

Rather pleasant

Fine, but annoying.

I enjoyed the first half more than the 2nd half. Overall I enjoyed the album though, will be listening to some more of her work.

I understand the importance of it but it's not really my cup of tea. sleep to dream is good though.

Heard before. I like her voice. Laid back, bluesy, sensual. Liked a lot of songs. + Sullen Girl + Shadowboxer + Slow Like Honey + The First Taste + Carrion

This record starts off really great. The singles are singles for a reason. It gets very durge’ish as it goes along.

Lots of piano! Some moody 90’s music, reminds be a little bit of Alanis Morissette

Not bad. Not my type of music to listen to for enjoyment.

I like this one pretty well, holds up well as a decent 90s female vocalist album. Impressive for a debut album, but unfortunately I got it just a couple weeks after Jagged Little Pill and it pales next to that one.

Rainy late night drive from a murder mystery party. Slow like honey and the first taste brought this up

My first full Fiona Apple album. The songs were all rather long and it became a bit of a chore by the end with no respite, but some gems to be found too. Sullen Girl and Tastes Like Honey were my favourite songs. Overall, interesting accompaniment for the most part, and Fiona Apple's attitude added a bit to the performance. High 3*, probably 6.8/10

The album is sexy as hell. I remember seeing the video for Criminal back in the day but never fully appreciated Fiona until this moment.

3 estrelas

This is her 2nd album in the T1001, the other one BLOWS. This one I knew from it's release in '96. It had hits, it had videos, it got airplay and she was smokin' hot & could sing. "Sleep To Dream" was always on the radio but the real gem was "Criminal" which got her on everyone's radar and sold her a bunch of CD's! The disappointment to most of the purchasing crowd is that the radio songs didn't mesh with the sleepy-jazzy mix of filler songs and her perceived image. She was pushed by her label to make a few hits, and she delivered. "Shadowboxer" was the third track that got some airplay but I don't remember her having another hit after that. If you have a hard time sleeping just throw on the last 5 songs on this album, it'll help! Not T1001 for me, but "Criminal" & "Sleep To Dream" are top 90's songs without a doubt and you still hear them today. 3 stars for hits, impact at the time and longevity, the but back half of this album is a giant miss.

I still really like the song, Criminal, but the rest of the album is a little slow and boring for me

Felindra cherry - Wavy

Meh. The couple of hits still hold up but the rest of the album is pretty repetitive.

Not bad at all for a debut. The album with like 54 words in the title gets pretty far ahead of this one, but the Criminal video was a gift.

I expected to like this album a lot more. Criminal is a song I've always loved and I kind of expected more of the same, but it was much more subdued than I thought it would be. Not a bad thing, its still a good album with the right mood and setting but not something I would rush back to listen to very often. Standout tracks are Criminal, Sleep to Dream and The First Taste. 6/10

Through listening to this pretty decent album I realised that Fiona Apple is absolutely capable of producing something I love, because this is the kind of music that really appeals to me. However, as of yet that potentially 4/5 star album is unrealised. Maybe the next Fiona Apple album will be kino?

Still like Criminal the most. Rest of the album was easy listening, but no other standouts for me.

sleep to dream het sehr cool ahgfange! hans denn aber leider chlii langwilig gfunde jaa weiss nöd, chan wenig degege sege ussert "meh" sue het e cooli stimm, s album isch bis jz rechr villsitig aber macht echt wenig mit mier slow like honey het sehr e intimi atmosphäre, mega schön the first taste het en geile rhythmus!! au wenns schad isch, dass es sich eso wiiterzieht aber cooli abwechslig never is a promise isch sehrsehr schön! die sanfti giige als understriichig wauwiii! bis jz glaub s beste pale september au schön langsam ihlullend, die zweit hälfti, bzw. chli die langsame trurige holed mich meh ab hahaha s gitarresolo am schluss isch scho gad echli cheesy he ja. ide zweite hälfti paar seehr schöni lieder aber allgemein ischsmer chli zu seicht gsi

It's good, just not for me. Helps to be an angsty teenage girl, the ton and lyrics probably more relatable then.

Criminal is a classic, not too shabby from this lady

Sleep to Dream and Criminal are great, the rest didn't really land with me.

A fav for me in the 90’s Reminds me of good easy art times.

I only knew two things about Fiona Apple; she sang the song, Criminal, and gave a cringe-worthy speech at some award show. That being said, I was surprised by this album as it is full of songs that reminded me of old torch songs. It’s very mellow and does not at all sound like something a teen would produce. I am especially impressed as it appears she wrote most of these songs.

Liked this one more than I thought I would, solid vocals and 90's rock. Not my preferred genre, but an ok listen. Best song: Sleep to Dream

More alt-girl cool rock. Or cool girl alt-rock. I can dig it, but don't love how inconsistent the style and mood are across the album. This record is best when it gets dark and quiet - when it lands, it lands really well! Favourite tracks: Shadowboxer, Slow Like Honey, Pale September

There are some really good songs on this album, and I’m positive if I listened more, I would grow to like them more. This style just isn’t in my current listening tastes.

Nothing I would particularly seek out, and a bit boring. 3 stars

While this is Fiona's most commercially successful album, it's also the least representative of her, and the least essential. There's some good stuff here -- "Criminal", "Sleep to Dream", "Carrion", and "Sullen Girl" are the highlights for me -- but, she hadn't really found her groove in terms of songwriting yet, and a lot of the rest of it is just merely okay. 3.5 stars.

I usually listen to each album that I review once, but this one got two listens as the first time round was with a car full of people so it didn’t really get any of my attention. When relistening today, I found it to be quite a lively, calming, chilled out album. There weren’t any tracks that I recognised, so I’m not sure which were considered the bigger hits, but Criminal stood out to be as the best of the track list here. I doubt I’ll be returning for another listen, but I did enjoy my time with this album.

I like her voice the songs are generally pretty good but nothing ascends to greatness.

It’s good!

Not bad, not great, just... a thing? I don't really get it, I guess. Pop-rock with a side of jazz, I'd listen again, but only if someone else suggested it.

90s lady pop music of a jazzy variety.

Owned this one back in the day. Great voice. Great debut.

Respectable piano and drum dramatics.

Kinda mid, overhyped 3/5

A solid debut from Ms. Apple but a work she would only grow from

Bunch of songs are way too long. The slow ones were putting me to sleep toward the end. Did enjoy the originality though. She's basically a more punky Regina Spektor.

Some pretty good songs on this album. She has a great voice and the different instruments they use to layer the songs sound great. Added a few songs to playlists and when in the mood this feels great as background listening at an afterparty while cooling off.

i think i heavily disliked fiona apple because she was interrupting my very rude alternative rock and grunge airwaves in 1996, but this is pretty good throughout

Languid and jazzy, sometimes meandering and low-every. My favorite new-to me track was The First Taste--Sade vibes. The greatest strength is her poetic, emotive, lyrics.

This stuff is not particularly my thing, but I do recognize that Fiona is indeed talented. She is a small person with a big voice. Some of the songs are edgy. I am interested in seeing what her other albums are like.

Rigtig godt album. Synes ofte sangene har nogle gode outros. Blender jazz pop med chamber pop. Chamber pop er lush Sound som blander rock og pop. Der er orchestral Sound og strings. Top 25 debut albums of all time i følge Rolling Stone Magazine.

Nice and soothing, a tad bit boring. This album definitely has some impressive songwriting and is sequenced very well.

Listenable but not my thing

не так тяжело как остальные альбомы Фионы, но грэмми я бы не криминалу дала (дженерик) а другим не похожим на её творчество (номинация песня не похожая на творчество Фионы)

really pleasant listen. remembered me a little bit of michael buble

It's a nice enough album. The artist has a nice enough voice. But there are not many songs on here that I would ever seek out to listen to again. The album also tends to wander too much across different styles, which might be a plus for some, but is not so for me.

I've listened to one other Fiona Apple album (Fetch the Bolt Cutters) listening through it once, and remember it as being quite strange. This one is from an entirely different era, so I have no idea what to expect. Sleep to Dream Dense production. Interesting verse structure. Transitions suddenly. Strangely catchy. Concludes solidly. Great. 4/5 Sullen Girl Stylistic shift from the previous track. I do enjoy the ocean imagery, fits well with the deep piano playing. The instrumental evokes a wave effect alongside the drums, adding some beautiful rhythm. Passionate performance carries throughout the track. Surprising. 5/5 Shadowboxer Deep moody vocals, sounds almost confrontational. Great tempo. Chorus feels a bit weak on first impression. The strings sit oddly in the mix. Slightly jazzy. Enjoyable. 3.5/5 Criminal The writing seems very of the era. A bit boring instrumentally. I don't really like the chrous, comes across as cheesy. I do like the synth(?). Fine. 3/5 Slow Like Honey Slow, calming. Not sure about the mix, especially the bass. I appriecate the measured vocal performance. Lyrically solid. Great. 4/5 The First Taste Sparse, intimate to start. Quite different instrumentally, though I'm not sure it works. Conflicts with the vocals, is too loud in the mix and feels distracting. I like the structure of the song. Has issues, but ultimately seems decent enough. 3/5 Never is a Problem Subtle. Well written lyrically, descriptive. Fantastic chorus. Beautifully performed. Fantastic. 5/5 The Child is Gone Nothing really comes to mind immediately. I think the lyrics are interesting, she has a particular writing style that seems to carry over throughout the album. Not to interesting, but above average. 3/5 Pale September Sullen and vulnerable performance. Slightly unclear. I enjoy the progression of the chorus. Sort of makes me sleepy, though not necessarily a bad thing. Enjoyable. 3.5/5 Carrion The subtle guitar is nice. The instrumental shift in the chorus is too loud in relation to her voice, drowns it out. Flat performance. I don't think the closing instrumetation has the punch it intends to have. Disappointing closer. 2.5/5 Great effort for a debut at 19 years old. The songwriting is obviously great, it's perfomed splendidly and there are some moments where the vocal melodies are absolutely fantastic. While it is hard to evaluate lyrics on a blind listen I do recognize their consistent quality and a signature style throughout the album. However there are moments where the production choices do let her down. I also think instrumentally there really isn't too much interesting going on. I feel myself more attracted to the songs where it's less instrumentally dense, and I do think that the weaker tracks are the ones where they go overboard with it to the point of it being distracting. While I do think it is well performed it isn't always that it works for me. I don't find every track on here engaging, finding it slightly difficult not to drift off at times. Still the tracks that work, really work, finding myself enamoured by them. Some making me exlaim my appreciation for them aloud to myself. I find myself wanting to check out more of her discography after this. Inconsistent but still good, would recommend. Fave Track. Never is a Problem Least fave track. Carrion

I wouldn't say i've actively avoided listening to Fiona...but it's never been something i ever sought out. Nothing personal - nothing targeted. Just never really fell into sync with my listening profile. Let's see what this is about! Ok - Criminal fuckin rips. Wow. I'm gonna play it back again because it was so good. Shadowboxer is also right up my alley. B Side definitely does slow down a bit - but still lyrically beautiful. Overall very surprised this falls right up my alley given that I've honestly never given it the time of day before. Could be something that i've aged into the taste, or just a classic case of I've never heard of this before!

It’s aight’

Sort of what I expected it to sound like, not a genre that will ever be a go-to-listen for me, however it's genuinely very good, some great compositions and her voice is excellent.

I have some deep nostalgia for the first half of this album (up to and including criminal), but feel like the second half kinda drags a bit. She’s got a great voice and solid song writing.

OK, 3/5

Mellow jazzy pop, enjoyed more than expected. A high 3.

2025-02-16

Nice voice and piano. Always heard the name but never listened to anything. I knew the opening lines to criminal. Overall it was an enjoyable listen and left a favorable impression of the artist

Good groove, felt kind of sassy. Definitely liked some songs a lot and others I didn't care for

Ihan ok taustamusiikkina, muuten ei kiinnostele.

I definitely understand why she's controversial. I'm not going to take sides. 3.

Un pò troppo vacuo per i miei gusti, troppo blando e slavato

I do like a good gutsy female vocalist and this fits the bill. I will be looking for more of her stuff

Decent but not my cup of tea, like I wouldn't turn it off if it came on in the car

Strong 6- light 7 good production but some bad vocals and a bad start as well gets better in the middle.

Great singer no doubt. The album as a whole feels a bit of the same from track to track.

In Fall of 1995 I went off to college. In the dorms at college I was randomly assigned a roommate. That roommate was a dude who was absolutely obsessed with Debbie Gibson. Posters, yearly birthday cards, the whole thing. So he was primed when Alannis released Jagged Little Pill. I probably heard that album 500 times over the course of the first school year, blasting out of our shared CD player. The next year when Fiona Apple released Criminal as the first single off of Tidal, that song (along with the evocative music video) became his new obsession. I worked at the Walmart electronics department at the time and had to watch the first 30 seconds of the video on loop for every 6 hours shift so I friggin' hated that song. With 30 years of hindsight, I can now appreciate the quality of this album, even if it still isn't really my jam. Fiona Apple resides somewhere between Tori Amos and Alannis on the female dark quirky pop music spectrum. She has forged a long career for herself that I would not have predicted while I was hating on the Criminal music video during my shift at Walmart all those years ago. This album is well written and well performed, but maybe a touch to 90s cheesy for my tastes.

Omppunaiselle 3... Aikoihin... Jo on.... & Elettty

Nice easy listen 3/5

Quite ok. Nothing great. Not offensive that's for sure. Three.

It was a solid listen, just didn't really stand out all that much, even after two playthroughs. Maybe a 3.5 rounded down. Certainly was a massive upgrade from listening to Napalm Death.

A pretty strong debut for the most part. Fiona Apple sounds like a seasoned vet despite being only 18-19 during recording. A lot of the tracks venture a bit in an artistic sense (which is very noticeable at the end of almost each track), but the overall theme of self-discovery and angst stays consistent I guess. This is one of those albums that burns brightly early and leaves you a little fatigued after the halfway mark to be honest.

3.5. Hi ha hagut cançons que m'han encantat i n'hi ha hagut algunes que se m'han fet una mica pesades. Overall, m'ha agradat bastant el "flow" de l'àlbum i és un tipus de música que gairebé mai escolto però que aniré ficant-me més sovint

Liked her other albums more.

Ihan keskikelpoa poppia. Vähän semmoinen jazz ja rock fiilis tässä on. Parhaat: Criminal, Shadowboxer

3*

Good album but outside of criminal I can’t see myself listening to it much.

Another new one for me - this was real mellow to have on in the background and I wasn't really focused on the lyrics, but I sense that if I were to listen to this more, I'd really get into it. Definitely the kinda atrist I like so a new one on the listen list

mixed feelings. definitely good but almost felt boring by the end

Great music to put in the background when you’re trying to get that hippie chick.

Ganz nett, mir blieb aber nichts besonders in Erinnerung - Musikalisch für mich mittelmaß, vielleicht sind die Texte ausschlaggebend

Another appropriate early January listen.

I've seen other complaints about this and wanted to get it out of the way. Yes, the songs go on a bit too long. If there is anything we know about Fiona Apple is that she doesn't do anything just halfway. I was surprised about the jazzy feel of this album at times. I didn't think Fiona Apple would sound like a lounge singer, but she does, especially on Slow Like Honey. This is probably on me for assuming but Fiona Apple isn't as angry on here as I thought she might have been. There are good songs on here and I like this better than Fetch the Boltcutters. I didn't listen to this album back when it came out and I appreciate the sound but probably isn't an album I would re-visit.

Muy buen álbum. Increíble que alguien con 19 años pueda escribir poesía de este calibre. La música no es nada especial, aunque su minimalismo está hecho con muy buen gusto y complementa muy bien las letras melodramáticas. Le daría más puntuación, pero la segunda mitad se me ha hecho un poco tediosa. Sin embargo, los primeros 5 temas son buenísimos. 3.5

HAHAAA fiona apple my bread and butter. E ngoj tash apet kejt yessss.

Favourites: Sleep To Dream; Shadowboxer; Criminal; The First Taste

Great song writer, easy listen, can imagine my wife being an angsty teenager listening to this.

For some reason I confused Fiona Apple with some or even several other singers from this era and was thinking maybe I would get bored with this album. I did not. It has that kind of jazzy feel but remains more contemporary in a popish way. It has aged perfectly well and could have been made yesterday so that is a plus. I actually don't know much else about Fiona Apple or where she is now, but than again, the whole music world has been run over by neoliberal ideologies and only a few "known" names are really ever in the press. So be THAT, but it should make me reflect a bit and look up some of these musicians regardless of A list status now a days...

Good background music

korreeekt, néhány szám uncsi számomra szóval nagy a kontraszt mert vannak nagyon bombák is, háttérzenének amúgy korrekt meg azért fiona apple egy girlboss kedvenc: sleep to dream

A cohesive album, sounds like it was written in a particular mood with a particular vibe and it flows well together.

You would be forgiven for mistaking Fiona Apple's voice for the likes of Amy Winehouse at times, or at others for Patti Smith's. In truth, her powerful, jazz-inspired vocals are really the strongest part of this record, with impressive variations in pitch and tone throughout. This album captures a dark and mysterious mood which is driven by the sullen, meandering piano chord progressions which seem to always take you in a different direction to one you were expecting. However, given the fairly similar tempo and soundscape of most tracks this mood arguably becomes monotonous, with few variations of style to break this up. As stand-alone songs, many of the tracks in this album hold their own and are genuinely unique, but when played consecutively on a 50-minute long-player, I found myself looking for a breath of fresh air.

A great debut album with a solid vibe. It's honest and skilfully done. Doesn't blow me away but solid album and worth a listen for sure.

Some strong instrumentation, vocals and lyrics. The compositions are good but feel safe. The production feels slightly flat.

Nice voice, but didn't think the music was that special

I owned this already and have listened to it many times - I'm less of a fan than my wife. I went to college with the guy Shadowboxer was about. That taught me an important lesson - he was a really ordinary guy, likable and attractive, but not, like, otherworldly. So artists are humans with relationships like mine, huh! Everything isn't always dialed up to 11 unless they do that in their art! On relistening, i noticed a few things: -There's a lot of Elton John in her piano. That's great! I love Sir Elton! -There's a lot of hip hop derivative drum work and that's an odd choice. Feels appropriative, and that's not usually a critique I appreciate, because music is like herpes, once you hear music from other cultures, it's difficult/impossible to pretend you didn't. But this feels more like "We set Elton John to some beats we got from the Meters." Very 90s move, one not discussed as often as I'd hope. Natalie Imbruglia did it in Torn, Fiona did it, Alanis did it, Liz Phair didn't that I remember. -In the video for Criminal, Apple was treated like some voyeur's idea of a teen sex victim. That's fucked up. But this whole album has a seductive teen vibe (The Child Is Gone) and I'm wondering how much was engineered into the music as opposed to just the video. -I don't think this album has aged all that well. Was she exercising agency? Was she a teen sex victim? Were the Calvin Klein video visuals a commentary on that or drafting on it? I don't want to have to wade into detailed oral histories to enjoy a record tbh. There's a lot of weird fetishism here, like this sexy Jewish girl doing flirty hip hop inflected jazz, and maybe she breaks free of it on "When the pawn..." but maybe not. In terms of the songs, I think the singles were pretty well selected here, although Slow Like Honey and Never Is a Promise are kind of weak. I like Criminal and Shadowboxer, even though they both make me feel like I should take a shower. I love Fiona's piano playing but don't love that someone found an apparently pretty naive teen and had her do kiddy porn for her music videos.

6/10 There is just some energy missing in this album. Fiona has a beautiful voice, but the album ends up becoming a bit dreary and slow. It loses all its energy on the song 'Never is a Promise' and doesnt pick itself up again. Favourite songs: Sullen Girl Shadowboxer Least favorite songs: Slow like honey Never is a promise

I like some of her more recent stuff but didn’t know this album. After one listen I liked some of the tracks but thought that it sounded more middle of the road than I expected.

The name is familiar and I knew 3-4 songs on this album but I'm not sure what happened to her after this release. It's a decent debut but you have to be in the right mood for it because it's pretty dramatic and angry. I do like her voice but I'm only good for 1-2 songs before the glitter peels off. There's a few really slow songs and a couple that sound the same so some skips. I give the sullen girl a 2.75.

Fiona is no sour Apple. I liked this album more than expected. Only song I remember is the hit "Shadowboxer" but most of the tracks are good ones. Pop this on with a nice dinner and bottle of wine. Pure golden, delicious...3.0.

Nothing against Fiona Apple, but if I’m not mistaken this is the second of her albums on this list. Nothing against Fiona Apple, but I would not have thought her to be someone who produced 2 albums worthy of this list. As for this album specifically, I think I like this album a slight bit more than the other one we reviewed, but again it’s not something that blew me away.

When this came out, her videos got a lot of play on MTV. But they all seemed to fall into the category of ‘lady singers who wriggle around on the floor, singing everything unnecessarily provocatively’. It was just like what Jewel and Britney were doing. Boring, undermining, powerless pickme bullshit. So, I never wasted my time listening to her. It’s a shame. This woman is clearly talented, but she marketed herself as a sexy, defenseless wittle gworl. She should have had a better career. This record is decent, but she lost me a long time ago.

Abwechslungsreich, melancholisch und kritisch. Kann man gut durch hören. Manche Harmonien gefallen mir nicht. 3,5 Sterne

Mid af

Pretty good. I surprised myself because I didn’t think I would like this album. However, Fiona’s sultry, velvet vocals were quite nice and a departure from her previous album I listened to.

If I got a big enough bucket, could I catch a cloud?

Eh, kinda just boring woman music. Sorry ladies 😐

Uh. Sure whatever. I really want to like this, but there’s never a point that feels…impressive? Bombastic? Worthwhile? I dunno. I think her voice is let down by the instrumental, which I can only describe as “mid nineties jazzy piano beats to sleep to” it all melds into this singular mass that never gets good. It never gets bad either. A 2.5 all around

Didn’t hit as hard as Fetch the Bolt Cutters. It’s less fierce and more drawly. The First Taste slaps though, and I did enjoy the album in general more on the second listen, so maybe it's a grower. Will revisit eventually anyways.

Have listened to Fiona Apple before, haven't really got into it. Sort of slow and a bit boring. Gave it two listens. First half is decent, but think it drops off a bit.

Aside from the (few) hits, hard to distinguish between songs, but an amazing performer.

Great voice, album kind of dragged on toward the end, hard to believe that she was only 19 years old when this was released

Fiona has a great voice. Excellent Debut Album.

2.5

Pretty decent album, nothing too exciting but I can see people enjoying this pre-2000s. It was alright for a background listen but I feel like it'll be a little bit too meh if you properly focus on it.

El disco es muy bueno. Tiene una gran calidad. Las mezclas de piano y guitarras es top. Tiene más arreglos en cada tema y varía la dinámica de los mismos.

3+

Okay... moody

I don't get it. Fiona Apple seems to have a good reputation, and this album IS in the 1001 Best Album listing, but I only hear a fairly average, over-produced album of OK songs. Nothing special, really. Sorry Fiona.

Meh

Top

Criminal is a GREAT song. A solid album all around.

Some great songs and a solid album.

The 90s were a weird time for music.

Had a much more sultry, lounge singer vibe than I was expecting, but in the end nothing really stuck out to me.

I like the way she sings. It feels mysterious and is captivating actually. Makes you want to listen to lyrics even more. 3.5 gonna keep it a 3 but some good reasons for a 4.

Solid. 3.5

Really great and a 90s vibe that is hard to describe. Did get a little stale by the end.

this album dropping when i was the tender age of 0 means i mostly associate fiona with legions of vh1-airplay adult-alt knockoffs of this sound and like, while this record feels clearly successful in its aims of being pop-soul singer-songwriter shit, it is also responsible for some of the worst tunes to touch my ears and some crimes cannot be forgiven

Really grew on my on repeat listens w headphones!

Back when this came out it was my first introduction to Fiona Apple's music Shadowboxer Criminal, Sullen Girl and Never is a Promise, were all in a big rotation. It was nice to hear the remainder of the album.

Starts well then turns bland in the 2nd half

Core blimey

This was also nice but not my jam, good vocals. 3*

I got tired of this halfway through. And she's slightly off key all the time, which is annoying.

This one is a bit of a strange one for me. It feels pretty average, maybe a bit above average, but doesn't seem to be super special. The wiki article is very small, critical reception was on but not blown out of the park. I'm struggling to figure out what makes this so important. The music is fine, the first 5 tracks were close to a 4, but then it took a dive on the last half of the album so it lands on a solid 3 for me Standouts Shadowboxer Sullen Girl 3/5

Not sure i get fiona