15 Best Albums Of The Decade (So Far)

7. Fiona Apple - The Idler Wheel...

You have to hand it to Fiona Apple - after the resounding smash hit Criminal, recorded for her debut album Tidal so the label could have their hit (Apple reportedly wrote it in 45 minutes), the LA-based singer-songwriter has steadfastly done her own thing and avoided the pop star route so obviously open to her at the beginning of her career.

In the 20 years since her debut album, Apple has recorded just three more LPs, with (take a deep breath) The Idler Wheel Is Wiser than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More than Ropes Will Ever Do landing in 2012. Apple has always been hugely successful in marrying her baroque pop sensibilities with a jazzy overtone and the compositions here are often tighter than before, proving that she is continuing to perfect her craft.

Few singers have the ability to be at once assertive and fragile, conveying raw emotions with compassion and genuine sentiment. In this respect, The Idler Wheel... is another step forwards in Apple's ever-creative career.