artist:	Fiona Apple
album:	When the Pawn....
format:	CD
label:	Clean Slate/Epic
performance:	8
sound	7
reviewed by:	Brian Kahn

Once you get past the long title and to the album itself you will find that "When The Pawn…" is stronger and more developed in every way than it’s predecessor "Tidal". Fiona’s vocals and piano playing are both much more driven than in her stellar debut.

"When the Pawn…" provides Fiona a showcase to demonstrate her strengths as both a singer and as a pianist. "Fast As You Can" and "Get Gone" easily demonstrate her new found strength. "Love Ridden" and "Mistake" both demonstrate her strong and sultry vocal talents. The track between these two, "Paper Bag," is carried by her strong piano skills. The emotions demonstrated by the vocals are much stronger and sophisticated than in "Tidal." The lyrics indicate an assumption of responsibility and a deeper understanding of the world around her than in her prior album.

Listening to "When The Pawn…" is like coming home and finding that the little kid next door had grown up and was almost done with school. So much progress has been made since the last time you had seen them but you realize that there is potential to go so much further with the talent that they possess. The experience with Fiona has been enjoyable this far and should continue as she continues to grow and incorporate the experiences of her life.

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