Tori Amos | ||
| Allmusic Biography : American singer/songwriter Tori Amos (born Myra Ellen Amos) was one of several female artists who combined the stark, lyrical attack of 90s alternative rock with a distinctly 70s musical approach, creating music that fell between the orchestrated meditations of Kate Bush and the stripped-down poetics of Joni Mitchell. In addition, she revived the singer/songwriter traditions of the 70s while reestablishing the piano as a rock & roll instrument. With her 1992 album, Little Earthquakes, Amos built a dedicated following that expanded with her second album, Under the Pink, before giving way to a decades-spanning legacy. The daughter of a Methodist preacher, Amos was born in North Carolina but raised in Maryland. She began singing and playing piano in the church choir at the age of four, and songwriting followed shortly afterward. Amos proved to be a quick learner, and her instrumental prowess earned her a scholarship to the preparatory school at Baltimores Peabody Conservatory. While studying at Peabody, she became infatuated with rock & roll, particularly the music of Led Zeppelin. She lost her scholarship at the age of 11 -- quite possibly due to her interest in popular music -- but continued writing songs nevertheless, eventually moving to Los Angeles in her late teens to become a pop singer. Atlantic Records signed her in 1987, and Amos recorded a pop-metal album called Y Kant Tori Read the following year. The record was a failure, attracting no attention from radio or press and selling very few copies; nevertheless, she didnt lose her record contract. By 1990, Amos had adopted a new approach, singing spare, haunting, confessional piano ballads that were arranged like Kate Bush but had the melodies and lyrical approach of Joni Mitchell. Atlantic sponsored a trip to England in 1991, where she played a series of concerts in support of an EP, Me and a Gun. The harrowing "Me and a Gun" was an autobiographical song, telling the tale of Amos own experience with rape. It gained positive reviews throughout the media, and both the EP and the supporting concerts sold well. Little Earthquakes, Amos first album as a singer/songwriter, was released in 1992 and fared well in both the U.S. and the U.K. Earthquakes featured some of the most enduring songs in her catalog, including "Silent All These Years," "Precious Things," "Winter," and "Crucify." The same year, she released the Crucify EP, which featured cover songs like Nirvanas "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and Led Zeppelins "Thank You." Delivered in early 1994, Under the Pink -- the proper follow-up to Little Earthquakes -- was an even bigger hit, selling over a million copies and launching the iconic singles "God" and "Cornflake Girl." Pink also included a duet with Nine Inch Nails Trent Reznor on "Past the Mission." Two years later, Amos delivered her third album, Boys for Pele. The LP was her most ambitious and difficult record to date, adding harpsichord and jazzy overtones to her piano-driven style. Pele debuted at number two and quickly went platinum. The Hey Jupiter EP arrived later that summer and featured live versions of B-sides "Honey" and "Sugar." Amos spent much of 1997 dealing with personal matters, including a devastating miscarriage and a new marriage. These events would shape the entire tone of her fourth album, From the Choirgirl Hotel. Released in the spring of 1998, Choirgirl debuted in the Top Five and was certified platinum. After years of Amos flirting with the dance world -- she sang on BTs "Blue Skies" and hit number one on the dance chart with Armand van Heldens remix of "Professional Widow" -- Choirgirl was notable for the inclusion of dark electronic textures and synth programming. The album also provided the backdrop for her first tour backed by supporting musicians. The Plugged 98 trek featured Steve Caton on guitar, Jon Evans on bass, and Matt Chamberlain on drums. Selections from the journey were preserved on the two-disc To Venus and Back, which was released in September 1999. In addition to the transformed live versions of songs from her early era, Venus included a disc of new material like the Grammy-nominated single "Bliss." In 2001, Amos returned with the covers album Strange Little Girls, which featured her takes on songs by acts like Depeche Mode, Lou Reed, Slayer, Neil Young, the Beatles, and Eminem. The collection also marked her last release of new material for Atlantic. The next year, she found a new label home with Epic and unveiled her conceptual post-9/11 epic, Scarlets Walk. A retrospective collection, Tales of a Librarian, was issued on Atlantic in 2003. Librarian compiled notable hits and deep cuts from the first five albums of her solo career, as well as two new tracks and re-recorded B-sides. Her eighth studio album, The Beekeeper, was released in 2005. Her fifth Top Ten debut, it was later certified gold. In conjunction with the LP release, Amos also published her first book, the New York Times best-selling autobiography Piece by Piece, written with Ann Powers. The massive five-disc Piano collection arrived in 2006, boasting a cornucopia of album cuts, B-sides, unedited and alternate versions, demos, and seven previously unissued tracks. Amos issued the eclectic and hard-rocking American Doll Posse in 2007, a sprawling group of songs that found the artist assuming five archetypal personalities, all of whom were based on feminine gods in Greek and Roman mythology. As she toured in support of the album, Amos released live digital recordings of each concert as part of the Legs and Boots concert series, which grew to encompass 27 albums. Although each release was made available to fans, Amos also released a "best-of" Legs and Boots compilation in March 2009, creating its track list from various recordings during the tour. Meanwhile, she also focused on writing new material during the tour. Those songs would find their way onto her tenth studio album, Abnormally Attracted to Sin. Released in May 2009, it was the first with Amos new label, Universal Republic. It marked her seventh Top Ten debut on the charts. A holiday album, Midwinter Graces, followed closely behind, appearing before the end of 2009 and garnering warm reviews. Afterward, Amos began a period in her career where she delved headlong into the world of classical music. In September 2011, she unveiled her 12th album, the classically based song cycle Night of Hunters, on Deutsche Grammophon. A conceptual work based on familiar motifs by composers like Satie, Chopin, Schubert, and Bach, Amos recording centered on a couple torn apart by lifes difficulties and monotonies, and the female protagonists journey to find wholeness within herself. In addition to featuring her daughter Natashya Hawley and niece Kelsey Dobyns on vocals, Amos also collaborated with the string quartet Apollon Musagete, arranger John Philip Shenale, and clarinetist Ernst Ottensamer. While Night of Hunters only peaked at 24 on the Billboard 200, it helped Amos become the first female artist to simultaneously chart in the Top Ten on the rock, alternative, and classical charts. An instrumental version of the album -- Sin Palabras -- was also released that year. Inspired by her classical foray, Amos next move was to re-record some of her older songs, newly arranged by John Philip Shenale with the Metropole Orchestra. The resulting set, 2012s Gold Dust, appeared almost exactly a year after Night of Hunters; it debuted at 63 on the Billboard 200. Amos continued her creative exploration in 2013. After several years in gestation, the musical The Light Princess -- based on the fairy tale by Scottish fantasy writer George MacDonald and with music and lyrics by Amos -- premiered at the National Theatre in London to wild critical acclaim and was nominated for best musical in the prestigious Evening Standard Theatre Awards. The original cast recording would be released in 2015. In May 2014, Amos announced her return to pop with her 14th studio album, Unrepentant Geraldines (Mercury Classics). Heavily inspired by her marriage and love of fine art, the album returned Amos to the Top Ten for the first time in five years. A world tour in support of Geraldines saw Amos return to performing solo on her piano without accompanying musicians. Deluxe reissues of the seminal Little Earthquakes and Under the Pink arrived in 2015, including a disc of the remastered album and a second that featured B-sides and other rarities. Boys for Pele received the same treatment for its 20th anniversary in 2016. The following year, Amos returned in September with the self-produced Native Invader. Her 15th full-length, Native Invader was heavily influenced by nature, the sociopolitical turmoil following the 2016 U.S. election, and her mothers failing health. The album included the singles "Reindeer King" and "Up the Creek," which once again featured her daughter on vocals. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 17 Title: Little Earthquakes Released: 1992-01-13 Tracks: 12 Duration: 57:27 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Crucify (05:00) 2 Girl (04:08) 3 Silent All These Years (04:12) 4 Precious Things (04:29) 5 Winter (05:43) 6 Happy Phantom (03:19) 7 China (05:00) 8 Leather (03:13) 9 Mother (07:01) 10 Tear in Your Hand (04:38) 11 Me and a Gun (03:46) 12 Little Earthquakes (06:53) |
| Little Earthquakes : Allmusic album Review : With her haunting solo debut Little Earthquakes, Tori Amos carved the template for the female singer/songwriter movement of the 90s. Amos delicate, prog rock piano work and confessional, poetically quirky lyrics invited close emotional connection, giving her a fanatical cult following and setting the stage for the Lilith Fair legions. But Little Earthquakes is no mere style-setter or feminine stereotype -- its intimacy is uncompromising, intense, and often far from comforting. Amos musings on major personal issues -- religion, relationships, gender, childhood -- were just as likely to encompass rage, sarcasm, and defiant independence as pain or tenderness; sometimes, it all happened in the same song. The apex of that intimacy is the harrowing "Me and a Gun," where Amos strips away all the music, save for her own voice, and confronts the listener with the story of her own real-life rape; the free-associative lyrics come off as a heart-wrenching attempt to block out the ordeal. Little Earthquakes isnt always so stomach-churning, but it never seems less than deeply cathartic; its the sound of a young woman (like the protagonist of "Silent All These Years") finally learning to use her own voice -- sort of the musical equivalent of Mary Piphers Reviving Ophelia. Thats why Amos draws strength from her relentless vulnerability, and thats why the constantly shifting emotions of the material never seem illogical -- Amos simply delights in the frankness of her own responses, whatever they might be. Though her subsequent albums were often very strong, Amos would never bare her soul quite so directly (or comprehensibly) as she did here, nor with such consistently focused results. Little Earthquakes is the most accessible work in Amos catalog, and its also the most influential and rewarding. | ||
 | Album: 2 of 17 Title: Under the Pink Released: 1994-01-28 Tracks: 12 Duration: 56:48 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Pretty Good Year (03:26) 2 God (03:59) 3 Bells for Her (05:22) 4 Past the Mission (04:06) 5 Baker Baker (03:18) 6 The Wrong Band (03:03) 7 The Waitress (03:10) 8 Cornflake Girl (05:06) 9 Icicle (05:47) 10 Cloud on My Tongue (04:43) 11 Space Dog (05:12) 12 Yes, Anastasia (09:33) |
| Under the Pink : Allmusic album Review : Tori Amossecond full-length solo effort has often been considered a transitional album, a building on the success of Little Earthquakes that enabled her to pursue increasingly more adventurous releases in later years. As such, it has been unfairly neglected when in fact it has as good a claim as any to be one of the strongest, and maybe even the strongest, record she has put out. Able to appeal to a mass audience without being shoehorned into the incipient "adult album alternative" format that sprang to life in the mid-1990s, Amos combines some of her strongest melodies and lyrics with especially haunting and powerful arrangements to create an artistic success that stands on its own two feet. The best-known tracks are the two contemporaneous singles "God," a wicked critique of the deity armed with a stiff, heavy funk-rock arrangement, and "Cornflake Girl," a waltz-paced number with an unnerving whistle and stuttering vocal hook. While both memorable, theyre actually among the weaker tracks when compared to some of the great numbers elsewhere on Under the Pink (other numbers that more openly misfire are "The Waitress," a strident and slightly bizarre rant at such a figure, and "Yes, Anastasia," which starts off nicely but runs a little too long). Opening number "Pretty Good Year" captures nostalgia and drama perfectly, a simple piano with light strings suddenly exploding into full orchestration before calming again. "Bells for Her" and "Icicle" both showcase what Amos can do with prepared piano, and "Past the Mission," with Trent Reznor guesting on gentle, affecting backing vocals, shifts between loping country and a beautifully arranged chorus. The secret winner, though, would have to be "Baker Baker," just Amos and piano, detailing the story of a departed love and working its cooking metaphor in just the right way. | ||
 | Album: 3 of 17 Title: Boys for Pele Released: 1996-01-01 Tracks: 18 Duration: 1:10:31 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Beauty Queen / Horses (06:07) 2 Blood Roses (03:56) 3 Father Lucifer (03:42) 4 Professional Widow (04:31) 5 Mr. Zebra (01:07) 6 Marianne (04:09) 7 Caught a Lite Sneeze (04:26) 8 Muhammad My Friend (03:49) 9 Hey Jupiter (05:11) 10 Way Down (01:13) 11 Little Amsterdam (04:30) 12 Talula (04:08) 13 Not the Red Baron (03:50) 14 Agent Orange (01:25) 15 Doughnut Song (04:20) 16 In the Springtime of His Voodoo (05:33) 17 Putting the Damage On (05:15) 18 Twinkle (03:11) |
| Boys for Pele : Allmusic album Review : Boys for Pele is the harshest and most challenging work in Tori Amos catalog. However, it also stands as the most cathartic, nourishing, and artistically thrilling of her career. Birthed in the wake of a devastating breakup, Pele is a sprawling ode to the feminine, conjured in a whirlwind of pain that forced Amos to embark on a quest into the dark unknown to find the fire within that had been snuffed out by the men in her life. After her breakthrough confessional Little Earthquakes and the delicate impressions of Under the Pink, Amos struck out on her own for the first time, unfettered and uncompromised. Pele would be her debut at the helm as sole producer, a control she would maintain for the rest of her career. With that power, Amos was free to exorcize the demons as she saw fit. She did so with new additions to her arsenal: a harpsichord, brass flourishes, a choir, labyrinthine lyrics, and a pantheon of spirits summoned in the Louisiana bayou and the Irish countryside. It was a jarring shift. While unflinching songs like "Me and a Gun," "God," "Icicle," and "The Waitress" flirted with what was to come, Pele delved directly into the darkness, cleansing both her and the listener in ways that she hadnt before attempted. Like hitting an exposed nerve or an open wound, the rawness was striking. Following the sparse opener "Beauty Queen/Horses," the discord on "Blood Roses" shocks Pele to life with medieval harpsichord magic. That electricity surges throughout, most notably on "Professional Widow," a powerful dose of industrial-piano ferocity that holds nothing back in its demands for peace, love, and a little something extra. When her rage is restrained, the pain seeps through in quiet moments of devastation like "Hey Jupiter," "Putting the Damage On," "Doughnut Song," and the utterly heartbreaking "Marianne." While the first half of Pele houses the more immediate numbers, the back end of the LP provides rewards for the patient listener. From the rousing "In the Springtime of His Voodoo" to the funky "Little Amsterdam," Amos slowly crawls out from the underworld, nourishing her spirit with a Southern gospel choir on "Way Down" and finding bittersweet solace on "Twinkle." Although the album runs long -- and is emotionally exhausting in scope -- the shared journey is part of the experience, as listeners play the Dante to Amos Virgil. Boys for Pele remains one of her very best works, timeless in its examination of pain, self-discovery, and acceptance. | ||
 | Album: 4 of 17 Title: From the Choirgirl Hotel Released: 1998-05-04 Tracks: 12 Duration: 54:07 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Spark (04:13) 2 Cruel (04:07) 3 Black‐Dove (January) (04:38) 4 Raspberry Swirl (03:58) 5 Jackie’s Strength (04:26) 6 i i e e e (04:07) 7 Liquid Diamonds (06:21) 8 She’s Your Cocaine (03:42) 9 Northern Lad (04:19) 10 Hotel (05:19) 11 Playboy Mommy (04:08) 12 Pandora’s Aquarium (04:45) |
| From the Choirgirl Hotel : Allmusic album Review : Shortly before she began work on From the Choirgirl Hotel, Tori Amos suffered a miscarriage. While she was recording the album, she married her long-term boyfriend. As expected, both events cryptically wind their way into the album, which arguably has Amos most personal lyrics since Little Earthquakes. The surprise is, From the Choirgirl Hotel is considerably more accessible than its immediate predecessor, Boys for Pele. Tori has opened up her sound by working live with a full band, bringing an immediacy to her sound that has never been heard before. Added to that are samples and drum loops, ballads supported by eerie, sweeping strings and heavy guitars -- everything she played with on Pele has come to fruition here. All the while, shes kept the perversely cryptic, convoluted lyrics that have always marked her work, yet the lines that connect have more power and savage wit than ever. Besides, Amos songs have an interior logic of their own. Until now, it seemed that she could only deliver them on her own, supported by her piano, a guitar, or strings. With From the Choirgirl Hotel, she proves that with a little aural experimentation and muscle, shes as potent and powerful as any modern rock artist. | ||
 | Album: 5 of 17 Title: To Venus and Back Released: 1999-01-01 Tracks: 24 Duration: 2:03:21 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Bliss (03:42) 2 Juárez (03:48) 3 Concertina (03:56) 4 Glory of the 80s (04:03) 5 Lust (03:53) 6 Suede (04:58) 7 Josephine (02:29) 8 Riot Poof (03:28) 9 Dātura (08:25) 10 Spring Haze (04:44) 11 1000 Oceans (04:19) 1 Precious Things (07:37) 2 Cruel (06:47) 3 Cornflake Girl (06:31) 4 Bells for Her (05:42) 5 Girl (04:15) 6 Cooling (05:09) 7 Mr. Zebra (01:17) 8 Cloud on My Tongue (04:58) 9 Sugar (05:10) 10 Little Earthquakes (07:37) 11 Space Dog (05:46) 12 Waitress (10:24) 13 Purple People (04:11) |
| To Venus and Back : Allmusic album Review : Originally intended as a rarities collection to tide fans over until she completed the follow-up to From the Choirgirl Hotel, the double-disc To Venus and Back mutated into something entirely different as Tori Amos worked on it. She experienced a sudden creative burst, writing 11 new songs. In light of these new tunes, she decided to devote the first disc of the collection to the fresh material, with the second dedicated to live material recorded during 1998. As such, it provides an interesting contrast. With Choirgirl, she decided to add muscle to her music by working with a full band, which naturally transformed her fragile, intimate songwriting into something weightier, or at least heavier. That much is evident from the live album, Still Orbiting, which puts many old favorites in a new light. The first disc, titled Venus Orbiting, proves that Amos is better in a more intimate setting. Ironically, the album was recorded with her touring band, but the arrangements arent as showy as the live reworkings, and her songwriting is a bit more straightforward. Thats not to say that she has changed direction or ironed out all her quirks -- her lyrics remain almost impenetrably cryptic, her songs follow elastic, unpredictable structures -- but she has returned to her strengths: namely, concentrating on ethereal, dream-like song-poems. Shes still expanding her music, but shes letting it breathe naturally, resulting in her best, most cohesive record since Under the Pink. Its a bit of a shame that its married to the live album, since that gives the impression that both discs are for hardcore fans. Thats not the case at all -- Venus Orbiting will likely win back fans that have strayed from the fold in the past few years. | ||
 | Album: 6 of 17 Title: Strange Little Girls Released: 2001-09-14 Tracks: 12 Duration: 1:02:09 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 New Age (04:36) 2 ’97 Bonnie & Clyde (05:46) 3 Strange Little Girl (03:50) 4 Enjoy the Silence (04:09) 5 I’m Not in Love (05:39) 6 Rattlesnakes (03:59) 7 Time (05:22) 8 Heart of Gold (03:59) 9 I Don’t Like Mondays (04:20) 10 Happiness Is a Warm Gun (09:55) 11 Raining Blood (06:22) 12 Real Men (04:07) |
| Strange Little Girls : Allmusic album Review : Something that goes unspoken in the cult of Tori Amos is that she knows the value of press and that she knows how to exploit it. So, six albums into her career, and several years since she captured headlines, she released Strange Little Girls, a collection of covers intended to strike a dagger into the heart of how males view females in pop songs. To be honest, you wouldnt know that from listening to the record, but you might have an idea by looking at the four separate collector-oriented covers, and reading the reviews, previews, and interviews Tori did prior to and at the time of release. The only track that really feels that way is Eminems "97 Bonnie and Clyde," where Amos heightens the tension by close-micing her vocals and reading with a hammy theatricalness that results in a cut about as chilling as the original, but without the context. After that, there really arent many songs that sound like theyre a female switch in perspective, apart from maybe the Stranglers title track (which she does a nice job with), and its very hard to tell what shes trying to say with these songs. Is she the fat blonde actress in the Velvet Undergrounds "New Age"? Mother Superior in the Beatles "Happiness is a Warm Gun" (recorded with an anti-gun recitation from her father)? Is she the chair in Depeche Modes "Enjoy the Silence"? How does Tom Waits "Time" fit into the equation? Tori never tells us, either lyrically or through her musical arrangements -- witness the bizarre deconstruction of Neil Youngs "Heart of Gold," another song that doesnt seem to fit her theme, so she dresses it up in flanged guitar and neo-trip-hop beats. Toris sexual politics are so poorly constructed, appearing almost nonexistent, that the music by default rises to the forefront and it almost meets the demands. For the most part, this is a solid record -- overly produced and not as inventive as her takes on "Angie" and "Smells Like Teen Spirit," but rarely as wretched as "Heart of Gold." Though theres a bit too much surface sheen, its a solid record, yet its not particularly distinctive, so the pre-release hype about the gender deconstructions of Strange Little Girls makes sense, because the only way this distinguishes itself is through its stated intention -- and if the album doesnt make the intentions specific, its best to get the word out any way possible. And while all that press may have given the impression that this is something new, something different -- precisely what it was meant to do -- it really is nothing more than another, pretty good Tori Amos record, only not quite as interesting because she didnt write the tunes. | ||
 | Album: 7 of 17 Title: Scarlets Walk Released: 2002-10-25 Tracks: 18 Duration: 1:14:07 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Amber Waves (03:39) 2 A Sorta Fairytale (05:29) 3 Wednesday (02:29) 4 Strange (03:07) 5 Carbon (04:35) 6 Crazy (04:27) 7 Wampum Prayer (00:44) 8 Dont Make Me Come to Vegas (04:52) 9 Sweet Sangria (04:02) 10 Your Cloud (04:30) 11 Pancake (03:55) 12 I Cant See New York (07:16) 13 Mrs. Jesus (03:06) 14 Taxi Ride (04:01) 15 Another Girls Paradise (03:36) 16 Scarlets Walk (04:18) 17 Virginia (03:56) 18 Gold Dust (05:56) |
| Scarlet's Walk : Allmusic album Review : Perhaps Tori Amos didnt intentionally whittle her audience down to merely the rabidly devoted ever since Boys for Pele, but it sure seemed that way with the deliberately abstract arrangements, double albums, and cover records. That devoted cult may be all that pay attention to Scarlets Walk, her first album for Epic, but it marks a return to the sound and feel of Under the Pink and is her best album since then. Much was made at the time of release about its concept -- conceived as a journey through modern womanhood, when Tori herself journeyed through each state in the union -- but following the narrative is secondary to the feel of the music, which is warm, melodic, and welcoming, never feeling labored as so much of her last four albums often did. This doesnt mean its an altogether easy listen: an intensive listen reveals layers of pain and an uneasiness murmuring underneath the surface, but its delivered reassuringly, in croons and lush arrangements that nevertheless are filled with quirks, making it both comforting and provocative. Which, of course, is what Tori Amos delivered in her early years. If this isnt as startling as Little Earthquakes or majestic as Under the Pink, so be it. Its confident, alluring, and accomplished, luring listeners in instead of daring them to follow. And, frankly, its a relief that she finally delivered another record like that. | ||
 | Album: 8 of 17 Title: Tales of a Librarian: A Tori Amos Collection Released: 2003-11-03 Tracks: 20 Duration: 1:18:52 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Precious Things (04:29) 2 Angels (04:27) 3 Silent All These Years (04:12) 4 Cornflake Girl (05:05) 5 Mary (04:42) 6 God (03:54) 7 Winter (05:43) 8 Spark (04:13) 9 Way Down (01:50) 10 Professional Widow (03:48) 11 Mr. Zebra (01:05) 12 Crucify (05:00) 13 Me and a Gun (03:43) 14 Bliss (03:35) 15 Playboy Mommy (04:08) 16 Baker Baker (03:12) 17 Tear in Your Hand (04:38) 18 Sweet Dreams (03:39) 19 Jackie’s Strength (04:26) 20 Snow Cherries From France (02:55) |
| Tales of a Librarian: A Tori Amos Collection : Allmusic album Review : Tales of a Librarian: A Tori Amos Collection is not only one of the most intriguing titles for a hits compilation, but the package itself captures only the best from Amos years spent with Atlantic. As solid, interesting, and moving as anything shed released since her 1992 debut, Little Earthquakes, Tales of a Librarian is an autobiographical account of Amos life as a woman in a complex world, and her songs sift through various emotions and spirits. Regardless of what barrier she faced, she never compromised herself as an individual. Her fans know this, and the quirky arrangement of Tales of a Librarian reflects this and more. Her usual approach of having a story within a story is here, but like the title suggests, Amos organizes her classic singles as a bookshelf ready for research and examination. Each song is remastered and arranged according to era, and the production itself offers new breadth and breath to Amos work as a whole. Instead of the Boys for Pele version, Armand van Heldens dance remix of "Professional Widow" is included. "Bliss" from Amos To Venus and Back double album gets a crystallized lift in the studio, while two new songs are introduced for the first time: "Snow Cherries From France" and "Angels." They represent Amos constant search for truth while witnessing various personal transformations. Reaching for such rightness has been her quest all along and through music shes told amazing stories that millions have come to believe and take seriously. Like Morrissey loyalists, Tori followers are a rare breed. Theyll surely appreciate Tales of a Librarian even though they most likely own every single release Amos has ever issued. Those who dont own any of her albums and are looking for a decent collection of her work should enjoy this as well, although owning each of her albums is well worth it. [A bonus DVD featuring live songs recorded during Amos final show of her 2003 North American tour as well as remixes for "Putting the Damage On" and "Mr. Zebra" is included here.] | ||
 | Album: 9 of 17 Title: The Beekeeper Released: 2005-02-21 Tracks: 19 Duration: 1:19:29 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Parasol (03:54) 2 Sweet the Sting (04:16) 3 The Power of Orange Knickers (03:37) 4 Jamaica Inn (04:03) 5 Barons of Suburbia (05:21) 6 Sleeps With Butterflies (03:36) 7 General Joy (04:13) 8 Mother Revolution (03:59) 9 Ribbons Undone (04:30) 10 Cars and Guitars (03:45) 11 Witness (06:06) 12 Original Sinsuality (02:03) 13 Ireland (03:50) 14 The Beekeeper (06:51) 15 Martha’s Foolish Ginger (04:22) 16 Hoochie Woman (02:34) 17 Goodbye Pisces (03:36) 18 Marys of the Sea (05:11) 19 Toast (03:42) |
| The Beekeeper : Allmusic album Review : Released in conjunction with Tori Amos: Piece by Piece, a memoir presented as a think piece co-written with music journalist Ann Powers, Tori Amos eighth studio album, The Beekeeper, is also loosely autobiographical, a song cycle that chronicles emotional journeys through metaphorical gardens all tended by the beekeeper protagonist of the title. Good thing that this concept was sketched out in the pre-release publicity, since The Beekeeper offers nothing close to a discernible concept in the album itself. At first, songs appear to spill forward in some sort of narrative, but the liner notes divide the 19 songs into six different groups -- "gardens," if you will -- that have nothing to do with how theyre presented on the album, nor do they seem to have many sonic ties, and their lyrical connections are either tenuous or obtuse. Coming after 2002s Scarlets Walk, whose title and songs clearly communicated its concept, this willful obtuseness might seem to hearken back to Toris obstinately difficult albums of the mid-90s, but The Beekeeper is miles away from the clanging darkness of Boys for Pele and From the Choirgirl Hotel. This is a bright, gleaming album that retains its sunny disposition even when the tempos grow slow and the melodies turn moody. Amos even occasionally punctuates her trademark elliptical piano ballads with organ-driven lite-funk -- a move that may alienate longtime fans, who may also balk at the albums highly polished sheen, but one that nevertheless fits well into the general feel of the record, lending it some genuine momentum. If the story line or concepts of the album arent readily apparent, individual songs make their specific points well, and the record does flow with the grace and purpose of a song suite. As a cohesive work, The Beekeeper holds together better than nearly any of Toris more ambitious albums, but theres a certain artsy distance that keeps this from being as emotionally immediate or as memorable as her first two records. But if Little Earthquakes was an album Amos could only have made in her twenties, The Beekeeper is a record perfectly suited for the singer/songwriter in her forties -- a little studied and deliberate, perhaps a shade too classy and consciously literary for its own good, but its an ambitious, restless work that builds on her past work without resting on her laurels. | ||
 | Album: 10 of 17 Title: A Piano: The Collection Released: 2006-09-26 Tracks: 86 Duration: 6:23:19 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Leather (alternate mix) (03:12) 2 Precious Things (alternate mix) (04:30) 3 Silent All These Years (04:11) 4 Upside Down (04:21) 5 Crucify (unedited single version) (04:27) 6 Happy Phantom (03:15) 7 Me and a Gun (03:43) 8 Flying Dutchman (alternate mix) (06:29) 9 Girl (04:08) 10 Winter (05:43) 11 Take to the Sky (Russia) (04:18) 12 Tear in Your Hand (04:42) 13 China (05:00) 14 Sweet Dreams (03:28) 15 Mother (alternate mix) (07:01) 16 Little Earthquakes (06:54) 1 Cornflake Girl (05:06) 2 Honey (03:42) 3 Take Me With You (04:40) 4 Baker Baker (alternate mix) (03:25) 5 The Waitress (alternate mix) (03:07) 6 Pretty Good Year (03:20) 7 God (LP version) (03:56) 8 Cloud on My Tongue (04:36) 9 Past the Mission (alternate mix) (04:06) 10 Bells for Her (05:17) 11 Yes, Anastasia (alternate mix) (09:21) 12 Blood Roses (03:56) 13 Mr. Zebra (01:07) 14 Caught a Lite Sneeze (alternate mix) (04:24) 15 Professional Widow (Merry Widow version) (live) (04:03) 16 Beauty Queen / Horses (05:56) 17 Father Lucifer (03:40) 18 Marianne (04:09) 1 Walk to Dublin (Sucker Reprise) (05:25) 2 Hey Jupiter (Dakota version) (06:03) 3 Professional Widow (Armands Star Trunk Funkin mix) (03:47) 4 Putting the Damage On (05:07) 5 Bliss (remixed version) (03:41) 6 Suede (04:58) 7 Glory of the 80s (04:05) 8 1000 Oceans (04:19) 9 Concertina (single remix version) (03:57) 10 Lust (03:53) 11 Dātura (08:26) 12 Sugar (live from sound check) (05:10) 13 The Waitress (live) (09:49) 14 Snow Cherries From France (02:55) 15 Doughnut Song (remixed version) (04:21) 1 A Sorta Fairytale (05:29) 2 Not David Bowie (03:55) 3 Amber Waves (03:39) 4 iieee (remixed version) (04:09) 5 Playboy Mommy (remixed version) (04:07) 6 The Beekeeper (06:51) 7 Jackies Strength (remixed version) (04:26) 8 Zero Point (08:55) 9 Sweet the Sting (04:16) 10 Ode to My Clothes (02:04) 11 Spark (04:14) 12 Intro Jam and Marys of the Sea (08:55) 13 Cruel (remixed version) (04:06) 14 Dolphin Song (05:53) 15 Gold Dust (05:56) 1 The Pool (02:51) 2 Never Seen Blue (03:38) 3 Daisy Dead Petals (03:03) 4 Beulah Land (02:57) 5 Sugar (04:27) 6 Cooling (04:39) 7 Bachelorette (03:34) 8 Black Swan (04:03) 9 Mary (Tales version) (04:42) 10 Peeping Tommi (04:19) 11 Toodles Mr. Jim (02:49) 12 Fire-Eater’s Wife / Beauty Queen (demo version) (03:11) 13 Playboy Mommy (demo) (01:34) 14 A Sorta Fairytale (demo) (03:09) 15 This Old Man (01:45) 16 Purple People (04:12) 17 Here. In My Head (03:52) 18 Hungarian Wedding Song (01:00) 19 Merman (03:46) 20 Sister Janet (04:02) 21 Home on the Range (Cherokee edition) (05:22) 22 Frog on My Toe (03:43) |
| A Piano: The Collection : Allmusic album Review : A Piano: The Collection is a mammoth undertaking by Tori Amos and Rhino Records. This box set collects album cuts, B-sides, unedited and alternate versions, demos, and seven previously unissued cuts. Making ones way through it is to enter a labyrinth, a parallel but alternate universe that traces the development of the artist from her earliest recordings (with the exception of Y Kant Tori Read, of course) through her transformation as a conceptual songwriter, musician, and artisan who has moved tumultuously through the pop world without, it appears, ever losing her vision or sense of herself. Amos produced this set, and Rhino cross-licensed material from Epic as well. Amos annotates each track here in the handsome hardbound book that accompanies it, which also contains a boatload of photos and an essay by Lorraine Ali. The set comes packaged under a large plastic piano keyboard -- this aspect of it is simply irritating. The "piano as part of the package" has been done before -- and done better -- in other artists retrospectives. Its cheesy. The five discs here, however, cover virtually every part of Amos iconic, often iconoclastic career. Virtually every part of Little Earthquakes is explored, which is why disc one is titled "Little Earthquakes Extended" (since basically three versions of the album were completed). These include the singles, such as the unedited 45 version of "Crucify," the alternate mix of "Flying Dutchman," and an alternate mix of "Mother." Even the unissued "Take Me With You" from the Little Earthquakes session is here, but it appears on disc two. With all the B-sides and alternates issued, Little Earthquakes is , in retrospect, a far more prophetic and ever wider ranging offering than the officially released original version. Much of Amos restlessness as an artist is revealed even at this early stage. Beginning with disc two, the remainder of her recordings are picked from, rather than presented in their complete versions. From disc two on, Amos picks and chooses from her catalog, providing many alternate mixes -- perhaps she liked them better than the original versions. For instance, the presented mixes of "The Waitress" and "Baker Baker" are revelatory in their sense of drama and dynamic. A different version of "Caught a Sneeze" from Boys for Pele offers a sense of just how strange and beguiling this cut is. The B-sides include "Honey," which was the flip of "Pretty Good Year," and a live version of "Professional Widow," which came on the backside of "Hey Jupiter." Disc three is compiled from the rest of Pele, To Venus and Back, and Tales of a Librarian, and is simply loaded with remixes, including Armand Van Heldens badass take on "Professional Widow," the single remix of "Concertina," and "Sugar" from the soundcheck on the To Venus and Back tour. Its a dizzying and sometimes off-kilter and troubling disc, especially coming as it does smack in the middle of the package. However there is the "Walk to Dublin (Sucker Remix)" that has never been officially released. Cutting through the fourth disc, you cant help but notice that it does feel rushed as it covers material from the Epic period, including selections from Scarlets Walk, Beekeeper, and From the Choirgirl Hotel -- its wildly arrayed in textures and colors that dont seem to fit together. Add into the mix four tracks that have never been released, from who knows what sessions, and you have a serious car crash. But then again, theres beauty in this kind of mashup, too, in that the sonic chaos is even violent at times as you juxtapose cuts such as a remix of "Jackies Strength" with the unreleased "Zero Point" and then jump to "Sweet the Sting" from Beekeeper; this mishmash, though creates and contains a new symmetry and a new series of angles with no center except for the artist herself. Discs three and four are real challenges, but also far more rewarding given all the cracks in the sidewalk that Amos chose to step on rather than jump across. Here is where the tale of the artist is told, actually, in the continuing conflicts of style and how to weave substance that was ever more abstract into these new soundworlds shed chosen. The last disc contains 11 B-sides that were featured as additional tracks on singles and EPs, and there is one more unreleased cut in "Peeping Tommi." The final 11 cuts contain more flipsides and a medley of demos, which make for another kind of insanity. These contain three unreleased demos of "Fire Eaters Wife/Beauty Queen," "Playboy Mommy," and "A Sorta Fairytale" before folding back into the otherwise issued recordings. Its as if theyre folded in to the mix in order (so to speak) to sort something out -- to break up the disparate tracks but in the end only making them more so. Its not only curious but infuriating, seductive, engaging, and sometimes utterly puzzling. After all is said and done, however, there is silence, and with that comes the sense and enormity of the sheer wonder of it all. Amos has pissed off everybody at one time or another, even her hardest core of fans whove stuck with her through thick and thin. Given that shes only been out there in the public ears and eyes for 16 years, she has gone through numerous phases and stages, and it reminds one of Bob Dylan, the true iconoclast who seems to be enjoying a resurgence in popularity in 2006. Amos reach is long, and for all its beauty, there are knots, warts, cuts, and bruises. And thats what A Piano is, ultimately: an embarkation through a provocative and sometimes grotesque journey, through bruises and kisses which offer a new look through the past as it points toward the future -- which is exactly what a box set is supposed to do, | ||
 | Album: 11 of 17 Title: American Doll Posse Released: 2007-04-26 Tracks: 23 Duration: 1:18:53 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Yo George (01:25) 2 Big Wheel (03:18) 3 Bouncing Off Clouds (04:08) 4 Teenage Hustling (04:00) 5 Digital Ghost (03:50) 6 You Can Bring Your Dog (04:04) 7 Mr. Bad Man (03:18) 8 Fat Slut (00:41) 9 Girl Disappearing (04:00) 10 Secret Spell (04:04) 11 Devils and Gods (00:53) 12 Body and Soul (03:56) 13 Fathers Son (03:59) 14 Programmable Soda (01:25) 15 Code Red (05:27) 16 Roosterspur Bridge (03:58) 17 Beauty of Speed (04:08) 18 Almost Rosey (05:23) 19 Velvet Revolution (01:19) 20 Dark Side of the Sun (04:19) 21 Posse Bonus (01:45) 22 Smokey Joe (04:19) 23 Dragon (05:03) |
| American Doll Posse : Allmusic album Review : Nine albums in and Tori Amos is working harder than ever. American Doll Posse, with its great title, 23 tracks, and five archetypal personalities (all of whom resonate with feminine gods in the Greek and Roman pantheons) is an exercise in both excess and obsession. For starters, each of these personalities has her own blog. All of them have a distinct look. Theres Pip with her streetwise standoff-ishness who sings about how her "Teenage Hustling" serves her in her adult life; she is also a very clever and intense "observer" (another important word for this record) of the political and surveillance situation in the U.S.; theres Clyde, a bit of a hippie who observes people and art from a perspective that is suspect of all male interpretations of the world (smart woman) and not the moment of encounter, but who that person is under the mask of it. Isabel is the glamorous photographer. If she exists anywhere but inside Amos, she is the fulfilled fantasy construct of both post-Freudian psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan and the father of Deconstruction theory Jacques Derrida. She watches the watcher watching. The surface reveals whatever is beneath it, and the layer underneath that. And then theres Santa -- not Claus necessarily -- but she looks closest for some perceived beauty (hers or her observational objects is the question) that is invisible to that person. She strips the moment away and gets right down to the task of discovering it: "Wait. Lets look closer.." Then of course, the voodoo priestess Amos herself appears in the center; she is politically pissed off and motivated ("Yo George," the first track on the set is a personal send-out to the leader of the free world in 2007 -- "Im allergic to your policies") and a proud, aware, socially conscious mother and protector who cannot be fooled. "Big Wheel," the albums most rock & roll track, is an anthem that reveals her to be free of all bondage and a self-proclaimed "...M-I-L-F dont you forget..." This outrageously long song cycle reveals these characters as individual "voices." Amos credits each of the five in her liners and plays piano and Rhodes behind them. Musically, American Doll Posse is no less ambitious, and all the better for it. Though 23 cuts can become a Tower of Babel in song, Amos has written some of the tightest, most cohesive and diverse songs of her career here. Theres Amos singing "Big Wheel"; there are the squalling heavy metal guitars in "Teenage Hustling"; the pumping 4/4 bassline throb of Clydes "Bouncing off Clouds," with its intricate melody and shimmering piano work and layered backing vocals; the seductive blues-rock swagger in Santas "You Can Bring Your Dog" that transfers itself into a quirky faux-ragtime melody before it breaks itself wide open and splits these two soundworlds in half. Its a number thats so sick with desire it reduces its object to meat. The brief "Devils and Gods," sung by Isabel is a ballad that peels back the veil to reveal an essential truth with harmonically shimmering acoustic guitars and lithe piano. Pip and Santa reply in "Body and Soul" with its enormous sonic attack where all the instruments are turned up to ten and pack a wallop with a fuzzed-up Jon Evans dirty bassline and staccato piano that promises salvation through ecstasy, not sermons or violence. Some of the best songs here are near the end, in Clydes gorgeous ballad "Roosterspur Bridge," where Amos piano guides the singer and Mac Aladdins guitars whisper behind until Matt Chamberlains spare kit work gives the words an urgency despite the languid pace. "Almost Rosey" (Isabel) is one of the very best mid-tempo autobiographical rock songs Amos has ever written. Its sense of dynamic, slippery rhythms and change-ups keep a constant groove and the listener holding on for every word with the swirling piano and syncopated drum work: "I once tried to comply/with an authority that would/Subsidize my wild side/but at this altar was sacrificed..." Pips "Velvet Revolution" is a Spanish flavored poetic piano and guitar ballad in a narrative fashion that reflects Cesar Vallejo and the manifestos of Isabel Allende and a young Vaclav Havel. "Dark Side of the Sun," sung by Isabel, is a an anti-war song with its wailing lead guitars and the singer letting the grainy side of her voice underscore the lyrics with conviction. Pips apocalyptic "Smokey Joe" is an entire cinematic drama with atmospheric walls of electronic noise and washes of guitar that compete with the contrapuntal voices in call and response execution. The final track, "Dragon," sung by Santa, is knotty, complex and lilting in some places and aggressive in others; it feels like it belongs somewhere else, but thats where the beauty lies. Its the place where healing happens in the heart of the eternal feminine. And it rings solidly true. In sum, these dress-up characters are, no matter Amos ambitions, simply reflections of her often contradictory nature as both a conceptual artist and songwriter. She is playing dress-up and not copping to it. Its not so much that she doesnt pull it off, but these characters and their strange views of the world, femininity, and the ruinous masculine come down to two things: observation and perception, and neither are always what they seem. These have always been part of Amos expressed aesthetic. Perhaps speaking these through the kaleidoscope of different personas made it easier to assemble such a vast collection of songs for one album, to exorcise the obsession or simply to give life to it through excess. Whatever the reason, American Doll Posse is exhaustive and exhausting, and contains some of the finest material Amos has offered on record. As a songwriter her reach is higher, and when she grasps the gowns tail of her Muse, her grasp is tighter, and sure. Her musical vision and production skills are almost astonishing in places. American Doll Posse is a work that has its problems due to its sprawling nature. And yet, its perhaps because of that sprawl that it makes a real case for the overblown and indulgent in rock & roll again. | ||
 | Album: 12 of 17 Title: Abnormally Attracted to Sin Released: 2009-05-15 Tracks: 18 Duration: 1:15:56 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Give (04:13) 2 Welcome to England (04:06) 3 Strong Black Vine (03:26) 4 Flavor (04:05) 5 Not Dying Today (04:02) 6 Maybe California (04:24) 7 Curtain Call (04:51) 8 Fire to Your Plain (03:01) 9 Police Me (03:54) 10 That Guy (04:03) 11 Abnormally Attracted to Sin (05:32) 12 500 Miles (04:06) 13 Mary Jane (02:41) 14 Starling (04:01) 15 Fast Horse (03:52) 16 Ophelia (04:42) 17 Lady in Blue (07:12) 18 Oscars Theme (03:38) |
| Abnormally Attracted to Sin : Allmusic album Review : After the high conceptualism that lorded over 2005s The Beekeeper and 2007s American Doll Posse, singer and songwriter Tori Amos has decided to return to the relatively simple songs-as-songs approach on Abnormally Attracted to Sin. Those recordings, fine though they may have been, stretched the artists reputation and the patience of her fans to the breaking point; based on her record sales, she whittled them down to simply the Tori cult (not a derogatory term, since many of her fans are proud to refer to themselves that way). The scope of this set in comparison with the previous two offerings seems more like a retrenchment than anything else. Not that theres anything at all wrong with that. There are songs on Abnormally Attracted to Sin that are as strong as anything shes written. Certainly the opener "Give," with its trip-hop rhythmic landscape and shifting backing vocals, slippery synth bass, and acoustic piano is beautifully constructed with a melody line that glides along a minor-key slant with a Middle Eastern tinge, and its lyric is both poignant and provocative. But then there is the single, "Welcome to England," whose 4/4 loop, drifting piano, and blend of guitars (electric and acoustic), strings, and ambient sounds is rudimentary Amos at best, and boring at worst. The refrain creates a bit of a hook, at least enough to catch the ear, but thats all. "Strong Black Vine," with its echoes of Led Zeppelins "Kashmir" in the intro, tosses Amos back into her Jerry Lee Lewis dilemma: she loves and hates religious faith, and is both ensnared by it and saved by it. Its a rocker as far as her songs go, and works beautifully. "Maybe California" is a simple, straightforward modern pop ballad. Its beautifully composed and delivered. The track listing goes on, and on, and on, and on. And if there is a problem with Abnormally Attracted to Sin, this is it: its 73 minutes long. At the dawn of the CD era, it made sense on some level to be this "generous" with listeners. But for any artist to sustain the kind of consistency necessary to keep a listeners attention for this length of time is extraordinary. By the albums second half, one has to play and replay certain tracks because they seem to go by in a blur. And to be honest, this set would have fared better for some real pruning. Whereas cuts like "Fire to Your Plain," with its country overtones and in-the-gut melody fare quite well here, another country-ish experiment, "Not Dyin Today," could have been deleted because it feels like a tossed off idea more than a fully realized one. The title track is an eerie abstract exercise in ambience and atmospherics and its fragmented (and provocative) lyric is the perfect strategy to anchor it without losing its dreaminess. "500 Miles" (not the Proclaimers song) has a beautiful lyric, but musically it feels lifeless and lazy. The faux cabaret of "That Guy" feels like it updates Brecht and Weill in the 21st century, just as the jazzy intimacy of "Mary Jane" does the Parisian Saravah jazz scene of the late 50s and early 60s. What it all boils down to is, well, boiling it down. Amos doesnt record as much as most artists, and it must be tempting to give fans everything she can, but in this case, its hurt her a bit. Still there, are many tracks here worth adding to ones Amos shelf. | ||
 | Album: 13 of 17 Title: Midwinter Graces Released: 2009-11-10 Tracks: 14 Duration: 55:42 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 What Child, Nowell (03:46) 2 Star of Wonder (03:51) 3 A Silent Night With You (03:23) 4 Candle: Coventry Carol (03:18) 5 Holly, Ivy, and Rose (04:44) 6 Harps of Gold (03:10) 7 Snow Angel (03:44) 8 Jeanette, Isabella (04:28) 9 Pink and Glitter (04:57) 10 Emmanuel (03:00) 11 Winters Carol (05:22) 12 Our New Year (04:21) 13 Comfort and Joy (03:59) 14 Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht (Silent Night, Holy Night) (03:39) |
| Midwinter Graces : Allmusic album Review : She may be the daughter of a reverend, but Tori Amos never seemed the likeliest candidate for a Christmas album; she might sing about "God", but her music always seemed secular and never seasonal, but in a year that brought holiday albums by Bob Dylan and Sting, it makes perfect sense that Tori should deliver one, too. Amos entry, Midwinter Graces, may be as unlikely as Dylans, but its closer in tenor to Stings: its deliberately reserved and chilly, capturing the wintriness of the season while studiously avoiding the joy. Tori reworks many familiar carols, tweaking lyrics and pushing them together into a medley, so they sound quite similar to the newly written tunes that comprise the rest of the record. Thanks to some familiar melodies, it can sometimes seem seasonally appropriate, but it always seems purely Tori, who has somehow managed to deliver an easy listening version of all her signatures in one tidy, not so-Christmasy, package. | ||
 | Album: 14 of 17 Title: Night of Hunters Released: 2011-09-16 Tracks: 14 Duration: 1:11:15 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Shattering Sea (05:39) 2 Snowblind (03:15) 3 Battle of Trees (08:44) 4 Fearlessness (06:32) 5 Cactus Practice (04:27) 6 Star Whisperer (09:53) 7 Job’s Coffin (03:32) 8 Nautical Twilight (03:17) 9 Your Ghost (05:38) 10 Edge of the Moon (04:51) 11 The Chase (03:02) 12 Night of Hunters (05:33) 13 Seven Sisters (02:45) 14 Carry (04:07) |
| Night of Hunters : Allmusic album Review : Tori Amos has attempted conceptual recordings as far back as Boys for Pele in 1996. It worked beautifully there, and on Scarlets Walk, less so on The Beekeeper and American Doll Posse. Night of Hunters was created because of a commission by Deutsche Grammophon, to create a 21st century song cycle that took into account classical works from the last 400 years. She built it around 14 songs from variations on Bach, Debussy, Granados, Alkan, Satie, Schubert, Schumann, Mendelssohn, Mussorgsky, and Gregorian chant. Its themes reflect the journey of a woman who finds herself in distress as a relationship dies, and must find inner strength to transcend her circumstances. Amos joined her voice and Bosendorfer piano with reeds, winds, and strings, arranged by John Philip Shenale. While her narrative can be frustratingly complex and her lyrics obscure, the work ultimately succeeds because she restrains herself from all excesses and employs her finest vocal and playing skills; the latter are, at this juncture, formidable. Shenales arrangements take Amos rhythmic playing into account in his charts; he complements them and never over-orchestrates. On "The Shattering Sea," based on an Alkans "Madwoman on the Sea-Shore," strings by the Apollon Musagete Quartet pulse just behind her piano, creating drama underscored by reeds and winds. When she pronounces emphatically, "That is not my blood on the on the bedroom floor," the tension becomes unbearable. In "Snowblind" (based on a song by Granados), her character refuses to accept blame for the end of the relationship. Amos creates a mythical guide/Muse as balance: the fine vocals of her 11-year-old daughter Natasha as Anabelle the Fox make their initial appearance. "Battle of Tree," based on Saties "Gnossienne No. 1," will demand attention from the listener who will be seduced by the interplay between voice, strings, reeds, and winds. "Cactus Practice," despite its ridiculous title, is one of the more beautiful pieces here; its another vocal duet with Natasha, based on a Chopin nocturne. Likewise, their duet in "Jobs Coffin," inspired by Mendelssohns "Nautical Twilight." "Seven Sisters," the instrumental pairing of her piano and Andreas Ottensamers clarinet -- inspired by a Bach prelude -- precedes "Carry," the most powerful (and accessible) cut. Its also the closer and is based on a prelude by Debussy. Night of Hunters is not a pop record and therefore claims a different place in her oeuvre. It contains the power and dynamics and splendor of her very best material, but because it is a work of classical crossover, any expectation of pop hooks or singalong choruses will be met with disappointment; consequently, its sophistication, elegance, and poetry will reward anyone who takes the proper time to absorb it. | ||
 | Album: 15 of 17 Title: Gold Dust Released: 2012-09-28 Tracks: 16 Duration: 1:08:58 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Flavor (04:08) 2 Yes, Anastasia (04:17) 3 Jackies Strength (04:32) 4 Cloud on My Tongue (04:23) 5 Precious Things (04:44) 6 Gold Dust (05:45) 7 Star of Wonder (03:46) 8 Winter (05:45) 9 Flying Dutchman (06:21) 10 Programmable Soda (01:27) 11 Snow Cherries From France (03:01) 12 Marianne (04:08) 13 Silent All These Years (04:33) 14 Girl Disappearing (04:06) 15 Maybe California (04:20) 16 Snow Angel (03:42) |
| Gold Dust : Allmusic album Review : The release of Gold Dust was inevitable, and was recorded to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the release of Little Earthquakes, the album that established Tori Amos as one of the premier -- if not the premier -- singer/songwriters of her generation. Here she revisits songs from her catalog backed by the famed Metropole Orchestra conducted by Jules Buckley. Amos recorded live with the orchestra in the Netherlands, making it a greatest-hits comp with a twist. It works. The songs keep their inherent melodies and basic arrangements, and the Metropole Orchestra underscores the inherent drama in them without overwhelming them (no easy feat). While everyone will have her favorites -- or be disappointed about those that have been left out -- the arc of the album works quite well. Songs like "Marianne" and "Yes Anastasia" are as direct and compelling as ever. The title track, with its elegiac intro, is more elaborate, yet never gives in to excess. "Precious Things" is, if anything, more militant, even as it proclaims "let these precious things be." The gospel feel in the chords that introduce "Snow Cherries from France" are quickly supplanted by a near-theatrical feel. The set closes with "Girl Disappearing" from American Doll Posse. In this arrangement, subtler shades of meaning are coaxed from the lyric by the orchestra and by more elaborate piano flourishes from Amos. Gold Dust is another of Amos dreams realized -- to record live with an orchestra -- and it is most certainly for her dedicated fans, who will no doubt find elements in these new versions to enjoy. | ||
 | Album: 16 of 17 Title: Unrepentant Geraldines Released: 2014-05-09 Tracks: 14 Duration: 59:27 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 America (04:12) 2 Trouble’s Lament (03:44) 3 Wild Way (02:55) 4 Wedding Day (03:45) 5 Weatherman (04:41) 6 16 Shades of Blue (03:52) 7 Maids of Elfen-Mere (02:53) 8 Promise (04:05) 9 Giant’s Rolling Pin (04:11) 10 Selkie (04:04) 11 Unrepentant Geraldines (06:57) 12 Oysters (05:14) 13 Rose Dover (03:55) 14 Invisible Boy (04:58) |
| Unrepentant Geraldines : Allmusic album Review : Unrepentant Geraldines -- its title so knowingly Tori it verges on parody -- finds Tori Amos delivering original songs, which isnt a common occurrence for her in the new millennium. Following on the heels of the interpretive 2012 set Gold Dust, its the first collection of original material since 2011s Night of the Hunters, but it seems as if its roots stretch back even farther, as it is a bright, open collection, sometimes suggesting her early-90s heyday but never pandering toward the past. Theres a nice tension on this record, as Amos gives her hardcore fans what they want -- left turns tempered with introspection -- while also wooing the skeptics with melody and color, giving the record a bright, open feel that stands in contrast to the handsome solipsism that characterized many of her new millennial records. Strictly speaking, theres not much here that signifies as "pop" -- there are hooks, both melodic and rhythmic, but they seem almost incidental to feel, as the record flits between meditation and extroversion, its warmest moments also being its most intimate. Amos operates like a veteran liberated by her dedicated audience; she never once assumes shell lose her audience, so she taunts them, sometimes seducing but often teasing, operating just outside of the parameters of what is expected or acceptable for Tori. Thats the real pleasure of Unrepentant Geraldines: its lush and melodic but also barbed, sometimes seeming dissonant but often consoling, its soothing qualities eventually turning disturbing. This has long been Amos calling card, this shimmering space between comfort and pain, but Unrepentant Geraldines trumps its predecessors by accentuating its polarity; it either seduces with its sweetness or it provokes with its pain, and either extreme is compelling. | ||
 | Album: 17 of 17 Title: Native Invader Released: 2017-09-08 Tracks: 13 Duration: 1:01:49 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Reindeer King (07:07) 2 Wings (04:09) 3 Broken Arrow (05:20) 4 Cloud Riders (05:23) 5 Up the Creek (03:22) 6 Breakaway (04:36) 1 Wildwood (04:41) 2 Chocolate Song (04:41) 3 Bang (06:11) 4 Climb (04:02) 5 Bats (04:18) 6 Benjamin (02:43) 7 Mary’s Eyes (05:16) |
| Native Invader : Allmusic album Review : A decade after the release of her most politically outspoken album, a reinvigorated Tori Amos once again takes aim at the state of the world on her 15th album, Native Invader. One of Amos tightest and most digestible efforts, its a standout in her late-era catalog, featuring instant classics like the epic "Reindeer King" and the surprising thrill "Up the Creek." Much like spiritual sisters American Doll Posse and Scarlets Walk, Native Invader was influenced by political turmoil on American soil; this time, following the outcome of the 2016 presidential election. However, instead of directing her barbs at an obvious target like she did on "Yo George," she veers her attention toward nature and the land. On the smoky "Broken Arrow," Amos is defiant and persistent, calling out the elected in Washington by asking "Are we emancipators or oppressors/Of Lady Liberty?" before warning that "we the people...will be watching over you." On the urgent, onomatopoeic "Bang," she conjures the elements in a pro-immigrant proclamation that reminds listeners that -- no matter which country theyre from -- were all "molecular machines" made of the same star stuff. At the dramatic close, Amos runs through a list of elements in an updated "Datura" of the periodic table. Its a wild and inspired moment sure to please fans of the singers eccentricities. The undulating "Bats" invokes mythical water beings to help "fight to save the fate of our waves," while "Benjamin" holds nothing back, branding the fossil fuel industry and "the men on the hill" as "those pimps in Washington...selling the rape of America." When Amos steps aside from the sociopolitical, she returns listeners to another kind of turmoil: relationship drama. Like on Unrepentant Geraldines and Abnormally Attracted to Sin, Amos marriage to husband Mark Hawley is examined in raw detail on songs like "Wings," "Breakaway," and "Chocolate Song," where she laments "we used to be happy." Hawleys guitar also plays an important role on the album -- like on American Doll Posse -- whether its the wah-wah on "Broken Arrow" or the sprawling solo on the yearning "Wildwood." Romantic heartbreak aside, the most devastating personal moment arrives on "Marys Eyes," about Amos mother, who was left unable to communicate after a stroke. After singing so many songs about saving Mother Nature, in the end, she simply wants to save her own. Its a heartbreaking plea that expands on the sentiments from "The Beekeeper" and closes the album on a somber note. Native Invader stands tall with its own vital voice and energy, alluding to beloved touchstones from throughout Amos oeuvre while remaining fully of its time. | ||