Smells Like the Nineties Part 2: "Tidal" by Fiona Apple.

This album spawned a monster. Suddenly every floosy who could mash on a piano and attempt to emulate an amalgamation of talented, black female vocalists, were getting record deals. At least this record is good. Fiona's dusky vocals always border on being tawdry, but never come across as trashy, or needy. That's a tough line for a female artist to walk these days and my hat's off to her. She does it gracefully. Her piano playing isn't exactly spectacular, but her chord progressions and compositional skills are noteworthy. All of these ingredients seem to coalesce effortlessly into a record that's complex and rewarding, but easy to listen to.