Sour Apple? Bitter perhaps, brilliant as usual...

Fiona Apple is kind of a well-kept secret. She has been around for a while now...since she was a brooding teenager, with her first album, Tidal. I think her angry-girl vibe, waif-like stature and sunken blue eyes sort of scared off the mainstream, however she has continued to impress me.

Her latest album (a Christmas present), once again showcases her lyrical talent and she easily blends genres with her music. She mixes a nearly 1920's Hollywood Vaudeville sound at times, with bluesy, jazzy melodies, and combines classical instruments like her piano with almost electronic sounding arrangements. The end result is a moving, sometimes comical and always genuinely unique experience, which makes her album's title undeniably fitting...Extraordinary Machine. Give it a listen. http://www.fiona-apple.com/