While not perky and musically upbeat, many of these burdened, introspective tracks convey some optimism in the midst of relational soul searching (“The First Taste,” “Slow Like Honey,” “Pale September,” “The Child Is Gone”). On “Criminal,” the singer deeply regrets emotional game-playing that hurt a young man (“It’s a sad, sad world when a girl will break a boy just because she can”). Though Apple confesses that she’s unsure what to believe in, “Never Is a Promise” does value honesty and courage.
“Shadowboxer” and “Pale September” fail to establish a marital context for intimate relationships. An uncommonly bitter “Sleep to Dream” finds the artist telling a lover, “You say love is a hell you cannot bear/And I say gimme mine back and then go there for all I care” before announcing that she intends to live wildly.
Laid back, coffee-house vocals add a pleading depth to Fiona Apple’s painfully honest lyrics. Her record label says her music “haunts as it inspires.” Sadly, the overall impression is more confessional than inspirational. The fruit from Apple’s tree isn’t rotten, but it is bruised-and could be much sweeter.
