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Tori Amos - Abnormally Attracted To Sin (2009)

2009-10-13T22:00:10Z

Tori Amos - Abnormally Attracted To Sin (2009)


01 - Give
02 - Welcome To England
03 - Strong Black Vine
04 - Flavor
05 - Not Dying Today
06 - Maybe California
07 - Curtain Call
08 - Fire To Your Plain
09 - Police Me
10 - That Guy
11 - Abnormally Attracted To Sin
12 - 500 Miles
13 - Mary Jane
14 - Starling
15 - Fast Horse
16 - Ophelia
17 - Lady In Blue

Arranged By [Strings], Conductor – John Philip Shenale
Bass – Jon Evans 
Drums, Loops, Percussion – Matt Chamberlain
Guitar – Mac Aladdin
Piano [Bösendorfer], Vocals, Synthesizer, Organ, Electric Piano [Rhodes] – Tori Amos
+
Cello – Caroline Dale, Rosemary Banks
Mandolin – Mac Aladdin
Viola – Holly Butler, James Hogg
Violin – Ed Bale, Fiona McNaught, Kate Robinson, Matthew Elston

After the high conceptualism that lorded over 2005's The Beekeeper and 2007's 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 artist's 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 there's anything at all wrong with that. There are songs on Abnormally Attracted to Sin that are as strong as anything she's 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 that's all. "Strong Black Vine," with its echoes of Led Zeppelin's "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. It's a rocker as far as her songs go, and works beautifully. "Maybe California" is a simple, straightforward modern pop ballad. It's 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: it's 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 listener's attention for this length of time is extraordinary. By the album's 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 doesn't record as much as most artists, and it must be tempting to give fans everything she can, but in this case, it's hurt her a bit. Still there, are many tracks here worth adding to one's Amos shelf. ---Thom Jurek, AllMusic Review

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Tori Amos - The Beekeeper [2005]

2010-08-23T15:41:28Z

Tori Amos - The Beekeeper [2005]


1. Parasol 3:54
2. Sweet the Sting 4:14
3. The Power of Orange Knickers Featuring Damien Rice 3:35
4. Jamaica Inn 4:02
5. Barons of Suburbia 5:20
6. Sleeps With Butterflies 3:35
7. General Joy 4:12
8. Mother Revolution 3:58
9. Ribbons Undone 4:30
10. Cars and Guitars 3:44
11. Witness 6:03
12. Original Sinsuality 2:04
13. Ireland 3:41
14. The Beekeeper 6:49
15. Martha's Foolish 4:21
16. Hoochie Woman 2:34
17. Goodbye Pisces 3:36
18. Marys of the Sea 5:08
19. Toast 3:42

Mac Aladdin 	Guitar, Guitar (12 String), Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Mandolin
Tori Amos 	Handclapping, Keyboards, Organ (Hammond), Producer, Vocals
Matt Chamberlain 	Drums, Handclapping
Kelsey Dobyns 	Vocals (Background)
Alison Evans 	Handclapping
Jon Evans 	Bass, Bass (Upright), Handclapping, Organ (Hammond)
Chelsea Laird 	Handclapping
London Community Gospel Choir 	Choir/Chorus, Vocals (Background)
Damien Rice 	Vocals

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 they're presented on the album, nor do they seem to have many sonic ties, and their lyrical connections are either tenuous or obtuse. Coming after 2002's Scarlet's Walk, whose title and songs clearly communicated its concept, this willful obtuseness might seem to hearken back to Tori's 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 album's 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 aren't 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 Tori's more ambitious albums, but there's 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 it's an ambitious, restless work that builds on her past work without resting on her laurels. ---Stephen Thomas Erlewine, AllMusic Review

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Tori Amos - Unrepentant Geraldines (2014)

2014-05-11T16:27:45Z

Tori Amos - Unrepentant Geraldines (2014)


01 – America
02 – Trouble’s Lament
03 – Wild Way
04 – Wedding Day
05 – Weatherman
06 – 16 Shades Of Blue
07 – Maids Of Elfen-Mere
08 – Promise
09 – Giant’s Rolling Pin
10 – Selkie
11 – Unrepentant Geraldines
12 – Oysters
13 – Rose Dover
14 – Invisible Boy

Tori Amos – vocals, Bösendorfer piano, Rhodes, Wurlitzer, Hammond organ, synths

After three classically influenced albums and a foray into a musical based on a 19th-century fairytale, Tori Amos has finally returned to the voice and piano format that made her a huge star in the 1990s. Unrepentant Geraldines is a family affair – recorded at husband Mark Hawley's Cornwall studio, featuring a duet with 13-year-old daughter Natashya – which perhaps contributes to the personal, intimate feel. Amos has rarely sounded as vulnerable or exposed as she does on Invisible Boy or the lovely confessional Weatherman. Elsewhere, themes of religion, ageing and sex abound, but are delivered with an ethereal, fantasy feel that recalls the early Kate Bush albums. Trouble's Lament tells of a girl running from Satan – which may or may not be a metaphor for real-life demons. The musically fuller songs are more hit and miss (Giant's Rolling Pin is barmy), and Unrepentant Geraldines is more likely to thrill old fans rather than win new ones, but her voice has rarely sounded as powerful or pure. --- Dave Simpson, theguardian.com

Jak przyznaje sama Tori bezpośrednim impulsem do powstania najnowszej płyty była współpraca z polskim kwartetem Apollon Musagète, oraz załogą London's National Theatre. To właśnie wtedy artystka zdecydowała o kształcie „Unrepentant Geraldines”. Po kilkunastu odsłuchach owa deklaracja wydaje mi się kluczem do słyszalnej muzycznej zmiany, której owocem jest najnowsza płyta. Płyta która ewidentnie wynika z trzech poprzedzających ją albumów – „Midwinter Graces” zawierającego opracowania kolęd Bożonarodzeniowych, nagranego dla Deutsche Grammophon „Night of Hunters” będącego hołdem dla muzyki klasycznej, przefiltrowanym przez wrażliwość Tori, oraz „Gold Dust” stanowiącego orkiestrowe opracowanie kompozycji znanych z dyskografii wokalistki. Jednocześnie z popowymi albumami pokroju „Scarlet’s Walk”, czy „The Beekeper” ma niewiele wspólnego.

„Unrepentant Geraldines”to album niesamowicie wyciszony, subtelny, kameralny, momentami wręcz intymny. Nie znajdziemy na nim murowanych kandydatek na single, czy też tradycyjnych piosenek – kandydatek na radiowe playlisty. Poszczególne kompozycje czarują bogatymi aranżacjami, wysmakowanymi partiami akustycznych instrumentów. Co niesamowicie istotne zdają się one w pełni oddawać koncept artystyczny, ponieważ wszystkie partie instrumentalne artystka nagrała sama, wraz ze swym mężem Markiem Hawleyem. Płytę rozpoczyna delikatna, pieśń „America” emanująca klimatem rodem z twórczości Kate Bush. Subtelny aranż, pozwala zmysłom zwrócić szczególną uwagę na znakomitą wokalną interpretację Tori. Singlowy „Trouble’s Lament” to równie czarowne akustyczne brzmienia. Znakomitym pomysłem okazały się tu gitarowe naleciałości flamenco, dodające owej pieśni niebywałej przestrzeni. Prawdziwymi perełkami są ballady „Wild Way”, oraz, Selkie”, jedne z najpiękniejszych pieśni w repertuarze wokalistki. „16 Shades of Blue” to z kolei bardzo przestrzenne brzmienie, uwypuklone basowe bity, na tle których Tori opowiada nam kolejną poetycką opowieść. Nagranie tytułowe, to zdecydowanie najbarwniejsza pieśń w zestawie. Jej ozdobę stanowi rozpędzony refren, który po chwili przejmuje wyborne interludium pianina. Pieśni pokroju Weatherman”, „Maids of Elfen-Mere” zrodziły się z teatralnych inspiracji wokalistki. Choć z osobna nie sposób nie docenić ich aranżacji oraz wykonawczej perfekcji, to włożone w ramy „Unrepentant Geraldines” nie skupiają uwagi słuchacza, wprowadzając monotonię. Typowo musicalowy „Giant’s Rolling Pin” i „Rose Dover” bez wizualizacji w postaci musicalu również nuży. „Oysters” i „Promise” czarują i hipnotyzują umiarkowanie. Brak w nich dramatyzmy, stopniowania i potęgowania napięcia, jak bywało to w czasach „Little Earthquakes”.

„Unrepentant Geraldines” to płyta piękna, momentami magiczna, czarująca aranżacjami i wokalnymi umiejętnościami Tori. Płyta przez którą jeszcze bardziej brakuje mi Tori, która z jednej strony czarowała pojedynczymi piosenkami, z drugiej zaś hipnotyzowała płytami rozumianymi jako całość. Dziś czaruje, lecz nie skupia uwagi. Jest perfekcyjna, lecz nie hipnotyzuje. Nadal jednak śpiewa jak nikt inny. --- zatopionywciszy.blogspot.com

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Tori Amos – American Doll Posse (2007)

2009-10-13T22:01:14Z

Tori Amos – American Doll Posse (2007)


1 Yo George 1:25
2 Big Wheel 3:18
3 Bouncing off Clouds 4:08
4 Teenage Hustling 4:00
5 Digital Ghost 3:50
6 You Can Bring Your Dog 4:04
7 Mr. Bad Man 3:18
8 Fat Slut 0:41
9 Girl Disappearing 4:00
10 Secret Spell 4:04
11 Devils and Gods 0:53
12 Body and Soul 3:56
13 Father's Son 3:59
14 Programmable Soda 1:25
15 Code Red 5:27
16 Roosterspur Bridge 3:58
17 Beauty of Speed 4:08
18 Almost Rosey 5:23
19 Velvet Revolution 1:19
20 Dark Side of the Sun 4:19
21 Posse Bonus 1:45
22 Smokey Joe 4:19
23 Dragon 5:03

Isabel – vocals on tracks 1, 7, 11, 18, 20
Clyde – vocals on tracks 3, 9, 16, 17, background vocals on track 5
Pip – vocals on tracks 4, 8, 12, 19, 22, background vocals on track 15
Santa – vocals on tracks 6, 10, 12, 14, 23, background vocals on track 3
Tori Amos – vocals on tracks 2, 5, 13, 15, 21, background vocals on track 20,
 Bösendorfer piano on tracks 1-7, 9-10, 12-23, electric piano on track 3,
  Fender-Rhodes on tracks 7, 13, 23, upright piano on track 17, Wurlitzer on track 20,
   clavichord on track 22, Mellotron on track 23
Matt Chamberlain – drums & percussion on tracks 2-7, 9-10, 12-13, 15-18, 20-23
Jon Evans – bass on tracks 2-7, 9-10, 12-13, 15-18, 20-23
Mac Aladdin – electric guitar on tracks 2-8, 10, 12-13, 15-18, 20, 22-23, ukulele on tracks 7, 11,
 electric 6 and 12 string guitars on tracks 10, 13, 18, 20, mandolin on tracks 11, 19,
  acoustic guitar on tracks 11-12, 15-16, 20, ebow guitar on 22
Edward Bale, Matthew Elston, Holly Butler, Rosmary Bank – string quartet on tracks 9, 14
John Philip Shenale– string arrangement on tracks 9, 14, brass arrangement on track 14
Nick Hitchens – tuba, euphonium on track 14

While the main controversy so far surrounding Ms Amos' 11th album is that its first attendant single, "Big Wheel" is getting nil airplay due to the use of the acronym 'MILF' in the chorus (don't ask); the hardest thing to grasp may be the underlying concept. But rest easy, it's a return to old form on many levels for the the red-headed quirkstress .

To deal with the problematic 'theme' first: Tori has adopted the personae of five female characters to speak at various points during the album. The 'Doll Posse', if you will. These are Isabel, Clyde, Pip, Santa and err...Tori. All based on Greek archetypes, they allow the album to move between genres and moods with a deftness that may have been lacking on previous work by Amos.

Top of the pack has to be the aforementioned "Big Wheel" which, with its country rock slide, is probably the raunchiest record she's made yet. Elsewhere the fare tends to vacillate between lighter pop-isms such as "Bouncing Off Clouds" or the more traditional piano and strings of "Girl Disappearing".

While the innovation of multiple voices is handy, it also leads to a litle too much filler in places, with some songs barely extending beyond sketches. However it's undeniable that American Doll Posse returns Amos to the forefront of a genre which, along with Kate Bush, she defined. We may have newer eccentrics these days such as Joanna Newsom, but Tori Amos was there first. And she's still pushing her own boundaries. ---Jerome Blakeney, BBC Review

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Tori Amos – From Russia with Love (2010)

2011-06-23T09:19:24Z

Tori Amos – From Russia with Love (2010)

CD1:
01 – Little Earthquakes
02 – Icicle
03 – Beauty of Speed
04 – Lust
05 – Dragon
06 – Josephine
07 – Precious Things
08 – Bells for Her
09 – Stars of Wonder		play
10 – Silent All These Years

CD2:
01 – Muhammad my Friend
02 – Mother Revolution
03 – Space Dog
04 – Indian Summer
05 – China
06 – Yes Anastasia
07 – Winter
08 – Bouncing off Clouds
09 – Leather			play

After a brief tour from June to September 2010, Amos released the highly exclusive live album "From Russia With Love" in December the same year, recorded live in Moscow on 3 September 2010. The limited edition set included a signature edition Lomography Diana F+ camera, along with 2 lenses, a roll of film and 1 of 5 photographs taken of Tori during her time in Moscow. The set was released exclusively through toriamos.com and only 2000 were produced. It is currently unknown as to whether the album will receive a mass release.

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Tori Amos – Night Of Hunters (2011)

2011-09-21T19:10:17Z

Tori Amos – Night Of Hunters (2011)


01 – Shattering Sea
02 – Snowblind
03 – Battle of Trees
04 – Fearlessness
05 – Cactus Practice
06 – Star Whisperer
07 – Job’s Coffin
08 – Nautical twilight
09 – Your Ghost
10 – Edge of the Moon
11 – The Chase
12 – Night of Hunters
13 – Seven Sisters		play
14 – Carry				play

Musicians
    Tori Amos – Vocals, Bösendorfer (Piano)

String Quartet (Apollon Musagète)
    Piotr Skweres – Cello
    Piotr Szumiel – Viola
    Pawel Zalejski, Bartosz Zachlod – Violin

Woodwind Instruments
   Laura Lucas – Flute
    Andreas Ottensamer – Clarinet
    Nigel Shore – Oboe, English Horn
    Peter Whelan - Bassoon
    Luke Whitehead – Contrabassoon

Night of Hunters is the twelfth solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Tori Amos and is to be released on September 20, 2011, through the German label, Deutsche Grammophon. The album is notable for being Amos' first release through a classical music label and is her first studio album recorded entirely through acoustic means, relying solely on her vocals and classically trained piano skills, along with a variety of accompanying string and woodwind instruments, to create its classical sound. Additionally, to record this album Amos has broken a nearly fifteen-year-long collaboration with her studio and touring bandmates, choosing to work with a variety of new musicians, including the Berlin Philharmonic's principal clarinetist, Andreas Ottensamer, and the award-winning string quartet, Apollon Musagète. It also marks the twentieth anniversary of her long-time collaboration with John Philip Shenale, who has contributed arrangements to most of her albums, beginning with her solo debut, Little Earthquakes (1992). Night of Hunters is a concept album that has been described by Amos as "a 21st century song cycle inspired by classical music themes spanning over 400 years."

She uses the musical tradition of variations on a theme to pay tribute to such renowned composers as Bach, Chopin, Debussy, Granados, Satie and Schubert, while taking inspiration from their original compositions to create a new, independent work. Regarding the album's concept, she has described it as the exploration of "the hunter and the hunted and how both exist within us" through the story of "a woman who finds herself in the dying embers of a relationship." The album, like Amos' previous releases, will be available in both standard and deluxe CD formats, digital format, as well as limited edition vinyl. ---wikipedia

Tori Amos debiutuje w Deutsche Grammophon, najsłynniejszej wytwórni płytowej dedykowanej muzyce klasycznej, albumem zatytułowanym Night of Hunters, którego wydanie planowane jest na wrzesień tego roku. Fenomenalna, posiadająca na swoim koncie platynowe płyty artystka przygotowała kolejną przełomową płytę, zawierającą cykl piosenek XXI wieku inspirowanych wybranymi klasycznymi utworami z ostatnich 400 lat. W ramach promocji płyty Night of Hunters artystka wyruszy w trasę koncertową po Europie i Stanach, rozpoczynającą się w Helsinkach 28 września.

Z ponad 12 milionami sprzedanych płyt i wieloma nominacjami do nagrody Grammy, Tori Amos jest jedną z najbardziej wpływowych i odnoszących największe sukcesy artystek naszych czasów. Jest pionierką na wielu polach: jako pierwsza artystka wydająca płyty w dużej wytwórni udostępniła swój singiel do ściągnięcia z sieci, przekształciła swoje piosenki w powieści graficzne i produkowała pionierskie klipy podczas całej swojej kariery. Ma szerokie spectrum wiernych fanów, słynie z uznanych przez krytyków i będących dużym sukcesem komercyjnym tras koncertowych i nieustająco zmieniających się występów. Tori Amos jest także darczyńcą i współzałożycielem RAINN (Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network) – największej w Stanach organizacji walczącej z przemocą seksualną. --- pkin.pl

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