Tidal is a rarity; a first effort which finds an artist possessed from the onset, with a singular and indelible vision. Apple’s music haunts as it inspires, disclosing the subtle nuances of deep, complex emotion. Above all, this is soul music: moving and candid. “The way I feel about music-- any song, any style--is that there is no right and wrong, only true and false. If the music and lyrics are conceived out of honesty, and if the production of the song goes along with its original message, then, what has been expressed is art, regardless of what anyone’s opinion is of it. So, things are a lot simpler if you just tell the truth.” Produced with extreme sensitivity and imagination by Andrew Slater (The Wallflowers), Tidal is a perfect balance of spontaneity, mood, and intensity. Many of the tracks were rendered in single takes and Apple’s own piano work is dazzling. Combining diverse musical influences with novel instrumentation (strings on Tidal were arranged by the legendary Van Dyke Parks); Apple creates a unique masterpiece.

Never far from any aspect of the emotional spectrum, Tidal conjures up more feeling with a single song than many experience in an entire day. “Sleep to Dream” is a stinging dichotomy of hurt and defiance, betrayal and pride. Apple sings: “ I got my feet on the ground and I don’t go to sleep to dream/ You got your head in the clouds and you’re not at all what you seem/ This mind, this body, and this voice cannot be stifled by your deviant ways/ So don’t forget what I told you, don’t come around, I got my own hell to raise.” “Pale September” tugs at the heartstrings, while “Criminal” brings out the devil in all of us. Truly blessed, Apple is an amazing songsmith. Of a life in music, Apple now says; “This is something I think I’ve always wanted to do but didn’t dare say aloud - I couldn’t admit it to myself, because admitting it meant making myself vulnerable to the possibility that it might not happen, and that thought was unbearable. It wasn’t that I didn’t think I had a nice voice, but I consider myself more of a writer. I’ve played piano since I was about eight, and always wrote songs -- I sang them because it wouldn’t make sense for anyone else to. I didn’t want to make a move until I knew it was the right thing. And I wasn’t sure until about a year ago. ”

As luck would have it, fate leant a hand. Apple’s three-song demo fell into the hands of a prominent music executive who then passed it on to Andrew Slater. Introductory meetings followed; soon Apple and Slater were working as a creative team. At the time however, Apple felt that she did not have enough material that was album quality.“Songs don’t just pour out; so I pressured myself to write. I’d write two songs a week, and I don’t know how I managed it, because every time I write a song, I don’t think I’ll be able to write another one ever again.” Once she was satisfied, Apple entered the studio with musicians gathered by Slater. No parts were written; “we just played,” Apple says.

Since the release of Tidal in July of 1996, Apple has toured with Chris Isaak and The Counting Crows, been featured in The New York Times, Rolling Stone, and Time Magazine, hosted MTV’s “120 Minutes,” performed on “Saturday Night Live,” and presented an award at the Grammy’s. After reaching the Top Ten with her first single “Shadow Boxer,” Apple was likened to none other than “the high priestess of soul,” Nina Simone, and had her song writing compared to that of Brecht-Well and Carol King.

The sinner and swagger of “Criminal”-- the bittersweet elegance of “Never is a Pro mise” -- and the transcendence of “Sullen Girl” combine with seven more magnificent threads to weave the musical tapestry that is Tidal, one of the very best albums in recent years. Tidal heralds the arrival of a songwriter/musician/singer whose promise seems destined to pay off in music of the timeless kind.

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