c. 1999 Newhouse News Service

(UNDATED) Fiona Apple, “When the Pawn Hits the Conflicts” (Clean Slate/Epic) THREE STARS

Amid the clang and clatter of modern rock, hip-hop, metal and their various combinations, some young writers still find strength in the power of the song.

Fiona Apple is one of them.

She was only 19 when her debut disc, “Tidal,” turned her into a star in 1996, and this follow-up builds upon the momentum of that set.

What’s gotten most of the initial attention is the album’s title, which is abbreviated big time here. The real deal is 90 words long, a rambling poetic burst that surely sets some record for unbridled verbosity.

Fortunately, the music is far more direct.

With a passionate delivery that blends late-night jazz, pop and rock on the edge, Apple offers a convincing approach to her craft. Opening with the earthy “On the Bound,” the singer/songwriter and pianist plays with the phrasing, twisting and turning lines, questioning her own future while lamenting lost faith.

While Apple’s melodies rarely sparkle or shimmer, the depth of her writing and the production of multi-instrumentalist John Brion prove thoroughly engaging. Sometimes growling, sometimes going into her upper octave and sometimes mixing them both in a cut such as “To Your Love,” Apple plays off her rhythm section far more than most songwriters. That approach is particularly effective on the lead single “Fast as You Can,” which features drummer Matt Chamberlain providing the perfect counterpoint to the singer.

He’s also a prominent player in the album’s most memorable track, “Limp.” The song starts quietly and builds against a tight backbeat, percussion and woodwinds. Apple delivers a soul-stirring vocal, snarling venomous lines like “And when I think of it, my fingers turn to fists.”

That anger does run a bit thin after a while, and Apple could benefit by matching her keen sense of musical variations with some occasional emotional dynamics. But her ability to be both a sharp-shooting rocker and a compelling jazz chanteuse _ check out the luscious vocal in “I Know” _ is one of the major reasons she is a voice worth listening very closely to in the coming years.

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Natalie Merchant, “Live in Concert” (Elektra) TWO AND A HALF STARS

So what does it say about Natalie Merchant’s solo career when the two best tracks on her new live album are a cover of David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” and a sparkling “Dust Bowl,” which dates back to her days with 10,000 Maniacs?

It might mean that Merchant is starting to seem like this decade’s answer to David Byrne _ an immensely talented artist who split from a great band, only to find that life on her own isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

This 11-song disc, which was recorded during a five-night stand at New York’s Neil Simon Theater, starts impressively with a strong “Wonder” but soon slips into sleepy terrain, with lackluster offerings including “San Andreas Fault,” “Beloved Wife” and a surprisingly uninspired version of Neil Young’s “After the Gold Rush.” Dominated by ballads, it picks up steam only when Merchant shows some genuine firepower, like during a long but fascinating cover of Katell Keineg’s “The Gulf of Araby.”

(Lifetime Television will broadcast a special on Merchant and the making of this album at 7 p.m. ET Monday. The program will be rebroadcast throughout the month.)

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Various Artists, “King of the Hill _ Music From and Inspired by the TV Series” (Elektra) THREE STARS

He’s a curious guy, this Hank Hill, but the animated kingpin of Arlen, Texas, has not only his own TV show, but now his very own album.

“King of the Hill” features contributions from some A-list country and rock performers too, from Travis Tritt and George Thorogood’s “Move It on Over,” and Brooks and Dunn’s cover of Bob Seger’s “Against the Wind,” to Deana Carter’s faithful remake of Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin”’ and the Mavericks’ horn-poppin’ rendition of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Down on the Corner.”

Quirky Canadian rockers Barenaked Ladies are perfectly well suited for a set like this, though neither their contribution, “Get in Line,” nor Sheryl Crow’s “Straight to the Moon” ends up being particularly memorable.

While far from adventurous, the disc has got some excessively weird moments, most notably a beyond bizarre cover of Red Sovine’s campy 1976 hit “Teddy Bear,” sung by Hank Hill himself through the voice of series creator Mike Judge.

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Eurythmics, “Peace” (Arista) THREE STARS

Make no mistake about it, Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart do belong together.

Reunited for their first Eurythmics album in a decade, the pair sound rejuvenated on much of this set, especially on the nostalgia-drenched first single “17 Again.” The song, which includes a brief reprise of their 1983 smash “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This),” might sound overly sentimental if sung by someone else, but Lennox’s supremely soulful styling gives it life.

While it’s great to hear the duo working together again, there is a complacency that sets in here, and middle-set tracks like “Beautiful Child,” “Anything but Strong” and even the more uptempo “Power to the Meek” are surprisingly unemotional.

Unlike a lot of contemporary albums, though, this one gets better as it goes on, picking up toward the end with the fiery “I Want It Now,” the mystical “My True Love” and the sweeping gospel glory of “Lifted,” which bring the disc to a stirring conclusion.

The writing isn’t quite up to the level of Eurythmics in their heyday, but Lennox _ one of the best singers of her generation _ almost single-handedly makes this worth tracking down.

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RARITIES AND REISSUES

The Mavericks, “Super Colossal Smash Hits of the ’90s: The Best of the Mavericks” (Mercury) FOUR STARS

With a rock ‘n’ roll heart, plenty of country twang and an extraordinary Cuban-American lead singer, the Mavericks have made the most of their wild musical hybrid in the 1990s.

This first hits collection from the group chronicles some of the best tracks from its first four albums, as well as four typically eclectic new songs. Vintage highlights include the riveting immigration saga “From Hell to Paradise”; the Orbison-esque ballad “I Should Have Been True,” showcasing singer Raul Malo; and the Mavericks’ highest-charting U.S. hit, “All You Ever Do Is Bring Me Down.”

Among the newly recorded cuts are a playful cover of Cat Stevens’ “Here Comes My Baby” and the shuffling standout “Think of Me (When You’re Lonely).”

Their exhilarating live shows make the Mavericks a must-see band, but this set is the next best thing to being there.

PH END O’HARE

(Kevin O’Hare is music critic for the Springfield (Mass.) Union-News)