So when I saw Tidal sitting in the rack at EPFL, I couldn't contain my excitement. I love writing bad reviews, and this would surely be a home run in the ballpark of cynicism.
But dammit, Tidal isn't complete crap. Her voice is strong, even if she occasionally overstates her intent instead of trusting her listener. Her piano playing is interesting, and rarely oversteps its boundaries. The lyrics are decent, but her choice of words often belies her young age. Her songwriting is sophisticated and accessible, even if she's trying too hard. Tidal is not a great album, and I seriously question whether or not Apple deserves the praise that has been heaped upon her over the years, but this is a solid debut from an immature artist with an impressive talent.
Music:
It's not a perfect album, but it deserves far more credit than I've given it in the past. By taking her voice out of its natural range in the chorus of "Never is a Promise," she adds vulnerability to a song that would be dreadfully cold otherwise. Her inflections on the sultry "Slow Like Honey" say far more than her words possibly could. Unsurprisingly, there are a few bombs, the worst of which ("Carrion") sounds like Sgt. Pepper's tour bus ran over Sade.
Packaging: n/a The original packaging got lost or destroyed, but it was really nice of the staff at EPFL to print out the cover art and the track/time listings.
Listen if you like: Tori Amos, Aimee Mann, Liz Phair. At times, she reminds me of George Michael's Listen Without Prejudice, Vol. I, and she even hints at David Sylvian once in a while.
If it were food, it'd be: young Pinot Noir. It tastes good now, but with the proper care, it could be fantastic in a few years. (Whether or not Apple aged as well as a good Pinot Noir is debatable.)
5: should be heard by all music fans; a "perfect" album
4: best of genre; sets a standard within its genre
3: just better than average; good for fans of the genre, and okay for everyone else
2: below average; listenable for fans of a genre, but only if there's nothing else to hear
1: poor, and whatever good qualities it has can't save it
0.5: no redeeming qualities whatsoever.
3 comments:
I listened to this again a few years ago when Bettye Levette did "Sleep to Dream" and I couldn't get through the whole thing. Fiona Apple is incredibly dull. You might want to rethink your rethinking there.
I actually agree with you, at least in some way. I wouldn't be surprised if I forgave its weaknesses because they weren't as bad as I remembered. Now that the album doesn't hold a bad taste in my mouth, I'll have to re-relisten and see how it sounds. Oddly, I have absolutely no desire to do so.
While I am a huge Fiona Apple fan, I have to agree; Tidal really isn't the best album. I don't think I've listened to the whole thing past my initial listen. When The Pawn... and Extraordinary Machine are where it's at.
Post a Comment