Audio Mixer: Dave Way.

Recording information: Cello Studios, Los Angeles, CA; EMI Abbey Road Studios, London, England; Ocean Way, Los Angeles, CA; Phantom Studios, Los Angeles, CA; Stanley Studios, Venice, CA; The Paramour, Los Angeles, CA.

Photographers: Lionel Deluy; Autumn DeWilde.

Fiona Apple's long-awaited follow-up to 1999's WHEN THE PAWN... had a difficult (and well-documented) inception that involved pulling the notoriously strong-willed artist out of self-imposed seclusion in her California home. The end result, however, is an assured outing that upholds Apple's reputation for exceptional albums, proving that it was well worth the six-year wait.

Bookended by lush, vaudeville-like tunes created with Apple's longtime collaborator Jon Brion, EXTRAORDINARY MACHINE features production work by Mike Elizondo (50 Cent, Eminem) on all other tracks. Those expecting any hip-hop flourishes will be left empty-handed; this disc presents Apple working in her signature style, with her soulful, slightly mischievous voice carrying these confident, primarily piano-driven songs. The performer's penchant for confessional, witty lyrics is still apparent, but her approach is notably more subtle and mature here. While many tracks are gilded with adventurous arrangements that incorporate an arsenal of organs (Farfisa, Optigan, etc.), marimba, Moog bass, and other unusual instrumentation, Apple also shines when left to her own devices, as on the spare, melancholy ballad "Parting Gift." Listeners worried that the lengthy hiatus might have diluted Apple's potent, inventive aesthetic can sleep well; EXTRAORDINARY MACHINE more than lives up to the superlative in its title.