CD Review

If Fiona Apple wasn’t so capable, her enticing green eyes would surely be the selling point of her records. In 2005, her selling point is the long awaited release of Extraordinary Machine, an effort that was originally completed with producer Jon Brion in 2003. Rejected by her record label, the new Extraordinary Machine returns with Eminem producer Mike Elizondo to ad some fine- tuning.

The fine tunings result in a collection of uptempo bluesy numbers mixed in with sincere ballads. along with smart horn arrangements, interesting effects and sharp drumming. Apple reaches back to her "hurt me bad" inklings on "Get Me Back" where she sings. "Oh/he made my blood just burn," over one of her trademark funky piano trembles. Those piano rolls return in tunes like the torch song "O’Sailor" where her dark croon holds the story. Apple proves to be as artsy as ever, as her compositions are built for a stage bigger than a smoky jazz club. Even when she gets intimate, as in the disclosing "Parting Gift," Apple paints a bigger picture with her "hear me now" voice. But ever since she blossomed onto the scene in 1996 as a 19 year-old prodigy, Apple has always set her sights on the big picture. This time around, Extraordinary Machine is no exception, green eyes and all.