Female singer/songwriter keeps her promise

When I first heard the ridiculous title of Fiona Apple's second album several months ago I was afraid she was planning to be the even more eccentric little sister of Tori Amos. On the first listen it turned out there was nothing to be afraid of. When The Pawn is an incredibly strong album that surpasses her debut Tidal and justifies the fact that it took Fiona almost four years to come out with new material. The best part of the album is Fiona Apple herself who doesn't only prove herself as a songwriter but also as a performer.

She's been able to come up with original, coherent songs without lending herself to unnecessary idio-crises. The second best part of the album is producer Jon Brion, the man who also brought Aimee Mann's brilliant album Whatever, and who has provided Apple with a divers and original sound without having her choke in it. Tori Amos became too eccentric that it started affecting the quality of her music after Little Earthquakes, but Fiona Apple shows us that a certain amount of normality doesn't have to make the songs "more normal", only stronger.
Four stars out of five.

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Many thanks  to Jessica for the translation!