Elliot Smith: Figure 8 (Dreamworks)
With his last two albums, Either/Or and XO, the Nebraskan troudadour has established himself as America's finest male singer-songwriter, offering a rugged alternative to the belly button fluff-picking ilk of Alanis, Apple and Jewel. The world at large was alerted when Smith was nominated for an Oscar for his contribution to the soundtrack of Good Will Hunting, and Figure 8 should bring him a well-deserved wider audience. However, though he's sharpened his sound (Americana meets Abbey Road in hog heaven) and focused his vision (a long gaze into infinite possibilities), Smith still hasn't nailed his muse down firmly enough for immediate melodic impact. But while Figure 8 tends to swirl around a little aimlessly, it reveals greater depth each time round, and sprays out some superb moments along the way.
- Kevin Courtney
Fiona Apple: When The Pawn (Columbia)
Fiona Apple may have been precocious and provocative on her 1996 debut album, Tidal, recorded when she was 18, but here she delivers a killer punch. "Hell don't know my fury," she sings in the opening track, On The Bound - and she means it. Heaven help the obviously deflated guy who is the target of her rage in the tellingly-titled Limp, or the lover she leaves with this cute couplet; "only kisses on the cheek from now on/And in a little while we'll only have to wave" from Love Ridden. At times her anger is close to cartoon-like and unconvincing - but overall, a deadly album, vengeful on every level.
- Joe Jackson