Apple creates lyrical 'Pawn'

Some people might think that such an unconventional album title can only mean that Fiona Apple is hiding a poor record behind a lot of words. Those people would be wrong. "When The Pawn," the follow up to her 1996 debut album "Tidal," is every bit as good, if not better than, her previous effort.

The album is full of new musical twists for Apple. The album maintains much of her characteristic piano-driven music and husky, seductive vocals that fans grew to love in songs like "Shadow Boxer." But the new release features scathing, distorted guitars, keyboards, and even a few intriguing beats that seem to belong on a hip-hop album, some of which can be seen on the first single, "Fast As You Can." Somehow, she manages to mold all of this into one of the sweetest sounding albums of the year.

Lyrically, this record is everything one would expect from Fiona Apple. With barely a happy song in sight, she reveals her pessimistic view of a relationship on tracks like "On the Bound," where she sings "Baby say that it's all gonna be alright / I believe that it isn't." While the lyrics aren't terribly surprising, they have a very powerful meaning to anyone who has ever thought about love or relationships. On "Love Ridden," she relates, "Nobody sees when you are lying in your bed / And I wanna crawl in with you / But I cry instead."

Her message isn't simply obvious in her words, but in her music as well. On what could have easily been the first single, "Paper Bag," a slow beat opens into a remarkably catchy song where she sings, "Hunger hurts, and I want him so bad, oh it kills / cuz I know I'm a mess he don't wanna clean up." You can almost feel the yearning in her words from her piano and the strings accompanying it on their own.

"When The Pawn" manages to deliver Fiona Apple's constant feelings in a remarkably pleasing way. With guitars that seem to be pulled from the studio of a funk band, beautiful strings and Fiona's perfectly complimentary piano skills, this record is a wonderful display of musical talent.

Apple's voice, clearly one of the most distinctive in all of music, only accentuates everything that is perfect in the album and makes it more than worth purchasing.

11-09-99