Digital Cult 6/97

The music industry in general has really evolved and taken on new challenges in the 90's by giving the "pissed off" female artist exposure to the highly critical and unloyal young American culture. Artists like Alanis Morrisette and Tracy Bonham have come and gone leaving behind a couple of hit songs and a few million records out the door. Yet, Fiona Apple, the latest to come out of the woodwork, is already on her way to changing the norm. With this potential, it remains without question why The DigitalCult grants her the JukeBox Artist of the Month honor for June.

When you sit and listen to her debut album, Tidal , you are taken on a rhythmical and lyrical journey through the 19 year old's feelings, ambitions and unnerving drive towards her music. The first single off the album, "Shadowboxer," is a clear example of these attributes. The song allows you to see just how powerful her music is and how true and revealing her lyrics are in relevance to her own life. Each and every song depicts its own story, most of which contain implications from her personal experiences. Lyrics that divulge the suffering and pain of being raped at age 12, lyrics about her whole childhood and the harassment she endured during her years of adolescence.

"I played piano since I was about eight, and always wrote songs -- I sang them because it wouldn't make sense for anyone else to," and sing them she does. Fiona says she has been influenced by such artists as blues great, Billie Holiday and famous poet Maya Angelou. The ten songs on this album are the exact product of these influences and are without a doubt masterpieces.

It seems that Fiona has overcome more obstacles in her life than most of us have. She has taken other people's opinions and her personal struggles and just turned them around into success. It is these accomplishments that brought her up to stardom, and it is these accomplishments that will defy her chances of becoming a one time sensation. fin