Fiona Apple and her music mean many different things to me. She means love. She means revenge and raw emotions. She is fragile. Kind of like the wounded bird you desperately want to nurse back to health. But on the recently released, critically acclaimed Extraordinary Machine she is anything but. She is determined. Forceful. Sensual. Sexy. I'm not going to bore you with the now oft told story of Extraordinary Machine's conception and subsequent painful birth. I'd rather just let you experience it for yourself. If you have the "leaked" version then you are aware what a different album this turned out to be. And ultimately for the better I now realize. Breaking away from longtime producer Jon Brion into the arms of Mike Elizondo; a producer best known for his work with Dr. Dre than anyone of Ms. Apple's caliber; Fiona allowed Elizondo to tinker with her sound. Processed beats here. A touch of brass there. But sometimes it takes a quirky pairing to achieve another level of creativity. And that's exactly what this album is: a brilliant piece of work. For your listening (dis)pleasure:

Fiona Apple: Better Version Of Me

Fiona Apple: O` Sailor

Fiona Apple: Parting Gift

Fiona Apple: Please Please Please