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In my room, there's a large French door. It opens onto a small terrace that climbs up a hillock, clinging by teeth and nails. Just below, there's a small, dull yellow cane thicket, like the sun on the cold days of this long winter. Today there's a bit of wind, the olive branches sway and wriggle, the clouds move at a brisk pace. Passing clouds are destined to be replaced by others on these days. A bit like everything that appears in our lives. The thin dancing branches remind me a bit of the long chestnut, almost blonde hair of some slender girls with roots planted firmly in the ground. Little women who can't detach from their land even if they wanted to, bound to some vital sap, chained to soil that somewhat nourishes them and somewhat enslaves them. Everyone needs an outlet, an impunity escape, some illusion of freedom.
I like to think that Fiona is one of these girls, so fragile and weak that they seem almost invincible by contrast. I've always liked people who seem to hide, ashamed of having only an overt superficiality to show. Sensitivity is discovered, not seen. Apple is not afraid but terrified, living "On the Bound." On the boundary between a difficult past and a sincere talent. The honesty of her music is the mirror of something simple and extraordinary. Sitting at the piano, she can become an ogre able to subdue the listener with her sweet violence. "..and the future is on the bound, hell don't know my fury." One lives on a small boundary and thinks they are on the brink of an explosion. One tries to ponder, to consider the variables, to find a logical solution to something that follows no rules. And so, one ends up whispering: "..i do imbue my blue into myself, i make it bitter.." right after shouting: "You're all I need." It happens to know who we would need, to recognize a kindred spirit, but not to be able to avoid giving them up. Fighting would be too complex, complicated. So we let ourselves be at the mercy of ourselves, imprisoned by bars of sugary glass. The music’s progression is martial, like the soul’s verdicts. The piano accompanies bass and drums. Fiona is a modern pop singer-songwriter. She knows how to interpret herself passionately. She draws sparingly from soul and jazz, but without losing the thread of minimal expressiveness. In her music, there's the rage, the despair of someone who is a thinking being in a world of trained sheep. And as I listen, I understand that perhaps we are not few in these conditions. A strange light envelops the snippet of the world I see. The wind is now light. The girl knows herself, has learned to live with her weaknesses, to pay tribute to those who appreciate her despite them. But in "Love Ridden," she bravely admits her difficult relationship with sexuality: "..I want your warm, but it will only make me colder when it's over, so I can't tonight baby..". A love that leaves scars even before it strikes us. Even before the flame has been lit, there's already too much light not to put our hands in front of our eyes, to protect ourselves from something we know could be beautiful, but which we relinquish. The confidential dimension of "Paper Bag" captures me. Bass and piano start quietly, the lounge atmosphere is served as soon as the drums start and other instruments join in. "..Hunger hurts, but starving works, when it costs too much too love..". The need to love is painful, but fasting sometimes seems like the only possible solution, the only way out when everything seems so hard and difficult. Perhaps we reflect too much; to avoid hurting ourselves and causing pain to someone, we sacrifice ourselves. We wear the crown of thorns without expecting beatification. We wish to make a mistake at least once, to make a wrong choice, to find an uncomfortable solution for someone else. Fiona in "Mistake" tries to reclaim this freedom, but those who have wings to fly at high altitudes hardly manage to lower themselves; we are destined for this. The track is alluring, almost sensual. The bass groove and the effected guitar make it very catchy and atmospheric. In "Fast as you can," there's the trace of a difficult memory, a terrible moment in a girl's life. Honor to those who manage to evoke it with such great courage. The magical "Get gone" and "I know" will slow the tension a bit, wrapping us in a very classic and sophisticated atmosphere. The album is mature, complete, and flowing.
I continue to "feel," and look back at the French door of my room. A usual action but one that takes on different meanings every time I practice it, steeped in dreams and hopes. There's a red rug that sleeps on brick steps. It unrolls into a narrow corridor, with black and white photos and crumpled posters of aged concerts. Each of them represents moments worth living. The lamps gently illuminate the rough ochre walls, as if they don't want to disturb them in their timeless slumber. The alley opens into a large circular room, the ebony tables smelling of a mix of cigar smoke and polish products. On top of them, tablecloths with long yellowed fringes. Large goblets are ready to listen to stories and to taste some good wine. On the walls, thick curtains reminiscent of their color, clean but steeped in the dust of lived life. The wood under my feet creaks slightly and emanates the human warmth of those who have previously walked on it. At the end of this room is a large mezzanine. It's not too high, allowing for an optimal view of those who reside there. A couple of armchairs on its sides as if to reinforce the feeling of welcome that is felt. In the center, a black grand piano, a vintage semi-acoustic, a 1950s American Stratocaster, a double bass, and a drum set with its cymbals, partly dull and partly shiny. I sit at a table in the third row, not so close to feel embarrassed, nor so far as to miss a single note. The seat is comfortable and relaxing, I slightly move the candle to the right, and a vase with fresh lilies to the left. Their whiteness creates a fitting contrast with the room’s warmth. On the stool in front of the piano, a girl plays, awaiting the room to fill, undecided between melancholy and the moment’s anxiety. She wears a yellow dress, with long chestnut hair tending to blonde that falls just below her shoulders. She hasn't noticed my silent arrival, absorbed partly in her thoughts and partly in what she's playing. I observe her and it almost seems I see her hair moved by the wind, as if they were olive branches well-rooted to the ground. Hair moved by a suave wind, one that can carry away the clouds from her existence..
Tracklist Lyrics Samples and Videos
01 On the Bound (05:23)
All my life is on me now, hail the pages turning
And the future's on the bound, hell don't know my fury
You're all I need, you're all I need, you're all I need
You're all I need, you're all I need, you're all I need
You're all I need - and maybe some faith would
Do me good
I don't know what I'm doing, don't know should I
Change my mind, I can't decide, there's too many
Variations to consider
No thing I do don't do no thing but bring me
More to do,
It's true, I do imbue my blue unto myself,
I make it bitter
Baby, lay your head on my lap one more time
Tell me you belong to me
Baby say that it's all gonna be alright
I believe that it isn't.
You're all I need, you're all I need, you're all I need
You're all I need, you're all I need, you're all I need
You're all I need -
and maybe some faith would do me good
and maybe some faith would do me good
and maybe some faith would do me good
03 Limp (03:31)
You wanna make me sick
You wanna lick my wounds
Don't you, baby?
You want the badge of honour when you save my hide
But you're the one in the way of the day of doom, baby
If you need my shame to reclaim your pride
And when I think of it, my fingers turn to fists
I never did anything to you, man
But no matter what I try
You'll beat me with your bitter lies
So call me crazy, hold me down
Make me cry, get off now, baby
It won't be long 'till you'll be
Lying limp in your own hands
You feed the beast I have within me
You wave the red flag, baby you make it run, run, run
Standing on the sidelines, waving and grinning
You fondle my trigger, then you blame my gun
And when I think of it, my fingers turn to fists
I never did anything to you, man
But no matter what I try
You'll beat me with your bitter lies
So call me crazy, hold me down
Make me cry, get off now, baby
It won't be long till you'll be
Lying limp in your own hands
And when I think of it, my fingers turn to fists
I never did anything to you, man
But no matter what I try
You'll beat me with your bitter lies
So call me crazy, hold me down
Make me cry, get off now, baby
It won't be long till you'll be
Lying limp in your own hands
05 Paper Bag (03:40)
I was staring at the sky
Just looking for a star
To pray on, or wish on
Or something like that
I was having a sweet fix
Of a daydream of a boy
Whose reality, I knew,
Was a hopeless to be had
But then the dove of hope
Began its downward slope
And I believed for a moment that
My chances were
Approaching to be grabbed
But as it came down near,
So did a weary tear
I thought it was a bird,
But it was just a paper bag
Hunger hurts,
And I want him so bad, oh it kills
'Cause I know I'm a mess he don't wanna clean up
I got to fold 'cause these hands are too shaky to hold
Hunger hurts but starvin' works
When it costs too much to love
And I went crazy again today
Looking for a strand to climb
Looking for a little hope
Baby said he couldn't stay
Wouldn't put his lips to mine
A fail to kiss is a fail to cope
I said, "Honey, I don't feel so good,
Don't feel justified.
Come on put a little love here in my void"
He said "It's all in your head"
And I said "So's everything"
But he didn't get it
I thought he was a man
But he was just a little boy
Hunger hurts, and I want him
So bad, oh it kills
'Cause I know I'm a mess he don't wanna clean up
I got to fold 'cause these hands are too shaky to hold
Hunger hurts, but starving works
When it costs... too much to love
Hunger hurts, but I want him so bad, oh it kills
'Cause I know I am a mess that he don't wanna clean up
I got to fold because these hands are just too shaky to hold
Hunger hurts, but starving works me
When it costs... too much to love
Hunger hurts, but I want him so bad, oh it kills me
'Cause I know that I'm a mess that he don't wanna clean up
I got to fold because these hands are just too shaky to hold
Hunger hurts, but starving, it works
When it costs too much to love
06 A Mistake (04:58)
I'm gonna make a mistake
I'm gonna do it on purpose
I'm gonna waste my time
'Cause I'm full as a tick
And I'm scratching at the surface
And what I find is mine
And when the day is done, and I look back
And the fact is I had fun, fumbling around
All the advice I shunned, and I ran
Where they told me not to run, but I sure had fun, so
I'm gonna fuck it up again
I'm gonna do another detour
Unpave my path
And if you wanna make sense
What you looking at me for
I'm no good at math
And when I find my way back
The fact is I just may stay, or I may not
I've acquired quite a taste for
A well-made mistake I wanna make a mistake
Why can't I make a mistake?
I'm always doing what I think I should
Almost always doing everybody good
Why
Do I wanna do right, of course but
Do I really wanna feel I'm forced to
Answer you, hell no
I've acquired quite a taste for
A well-made mistake, I wanna make a mistake
Why can't I make a mistake
I'm always doing what I think I should
Almost always doing everybody good
Why
07 Fast as You Can (04:40)
I let the beast in too soon
I don't know how to live without my hand on his throat
I fight him always and still
Oh darling it's so sweet
You think you know how crazy
How crazy I am
You say you don't spook easy
You won't go, but I know
And I pray that you will
Fast as you can
Baby run, free yourself of me
Fast as you can
I may be soft in your palm
But I'll soon grow hungry for a fight
And I will not let you win
My pretty mouth will frame the phrases that will
Disprove your faith in man
So if you catch me trying to find my way into your
Heart from under your skin
Fast as you can
Baby scratch me out, free yourself
Fast as you can
Fast as you can
Baby scratch me out, free yourself
Fast as you can
Sometimes my mind don't shake and shift
But most of the time, it does
And I get to the place where I'm begging for a lift
Or I'll drown in the wonders and the was
And I'll be your girl if you say it's a gift
And you give me some more of your drugs
Yeah, I'll be your pet if you just tell me it's a gift
Cause I'm tired of whys choking on whys,
Just need a little because because
I let the beast in and then
I even tried forgiving him but it's too soon
So I'll fight again, again, again, again, again
And for a little while more
I'll soar the uneven wind
Complain and blame the sterile land
But if you're getting any bright ideas, quiet dear
I'm blooming within
Fast as you can
Baby wait watch me, I'll be out
Fast as I can
Maybe late but at least about
Fast as you can
Leave me, let this thing run its route
Fast as you can... (4x)
08 The Way Things Are (04:18)
I wouldn't know what to do with another chance
If you gave it to me
I couldn't take the embrace of a real romance
It'd race right through me
I'm much better off the way things are
Much much better off, better by far, by far
I wouldn't know what to say to a gentle voice
It'd roll right past me
And if you chalk it up you'll see I don't really have a choice
So don't even ask me
I'm much better off, the way things are
Much much better off, better by far
So keep on calling me names, keep on, keep on
And I'll keep kicking the crap till it's gone
If you keep on killing, you could get me to settle
And as soon as I settle, I bet I'll be able to move on
How can I fight, when we're on the same side
How can I fight beside you
So keep on calling me names, keep on, keep on
And I'll keep kicking the crap till it's gone
If you keep on killing, you could get me to settle
And as soon as I settle, I bet I'll be able to move on
So keep on calling me names, keep on, keep on
And I'll keep kicking the crap till it's gone
If you keep on killing, you could get me to settle
And as soon as I settle, I bet I'll be able to move on
09 Get Gone (04:10)
How many times
Do I have to say
To get away--get gone
Flip your shit past another lass's
Humble dwelling
You got your game, made your shot
And you got away with a lot, but I'm not
Turned on
So put away that meat you're selling
Cuz I do know what's good for me
And I've done what I could for you
But you're not benefiting
And yet I'm sitting
Singing again
Sing, sing again
How can I deal with this
If he won't get with this
Am I gonna heal from this
He won't admit to it
Nothing to figure out,
I gotta get him out
It's time the truth goes out
That he don't give a shit about me
Cuz I do know what's good for me
And I've done what I could for you
But you're not benefiting
And yet I'm sitting
Singing again
Sing, sing again
How can I deal with this
If he won't get with this
Am I gonna heal from this
He won't admit to it
Nothing to figure out
I gotta get him out
It's time the truth goes out
That he don't give a shit about me
How many times can it escalate
Till it elevates to a place I can't breathe?
And I must decide
If you must deride
That I'm much obliged
To up and go
I'll idealize and realize
That it's no sacrifice, because the price is paid
And there's nothing left to grieve
Fuckin go
Cuz I've done what I could for you
And I do know what's good for me
And I'm not benefiting
Instead I'm sitting
Singing again, singing again, singing again
Sing, sing, sing again
How can I deal with this
If he won't get with this
Am I gonna heal from this
He won't admit to it
Nothing to figure out
I gotta get him out
It's time the truth goes out
That he don't give a shit about me
How can I deal with this
If he won't get with this
Am I gonna heal from this
He won't admit to it
Nothing to figure out
I gotta get him out
It's time the truth goes out
That he don't give a shit about me
10 I Know (04:55)
So be it, I'm your crowbar
If that's what I am so far
Until you get out of this mess
And I will pretend
That I don't know of your sins
Until you are ready to confess
But all the time, all the time
I'll know, I'll know
And you can use my skin
To bury secrets in
And I will settle you down
And at my own suggestion,
I will ask no questions
While I do my thing in the background
But all the time, all the time
I'll know, I'll know
Baby-I can't help you out, while she's still around
So for the time being, I'm being patient
And amidst this bitterness
If you'll just consider this-even if it don't make sense
All the time-give it time
And when the crowd becomes your burden
And you've early closed your curtains,
I'll wait by the backstage door
While you try to find the lines to speak your mind
And pry it open, hoping for an encore
And if it gets too late, for me to wait
For you to find you love me, and tell me so
It's ok, don't need to say it.
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Other reviews
By petro
An album that is incredibly homogeneous, well-composed, well-interpreted, and surprisingly mature.
I consider it one of the most successful 'female' albums of the last decade.
By Ynamusic
To be beautiful, it is beautiful. To be damned, it is damned.
Her ability to blend blues, soul, pop, in an innovative compositional key with no precedents makes her unique in the female singer-songwriter landscape.
