Written by morristown@scotticd.com
Sunday, October 9th, 2011
Aging with grace, Tori Amos hides behind a bazillion megawatt floor spotlight. Good luck seeing her face at all… Photo by Amanda Collins
Now that my recording studio consignment obligation is over, it’s time to get back to blogging!!!
Maybe there needs to be some clarification with regard to that headline. I have been head over heels with Tori Amos since I first heard her tracks on the Little Earthquakes LP. While I was curious about this petite red headed stick of dynamite playing in frigid water in her “China” video, her looks were irrelevant because she won me over with the music. As she progressed (some would say ‘grew’) as an artist, she repeatedly proved herself to fans, critics, etc. While some would say albums like Strange Little Girls and The Beekeeper were sub-par for her, I hung in there. She hadn’t lost me yet.
However, when she released Midwinter Graces, I thought, “hey, everybody should experiment a little.” Not being a cold weather/winter holiday fan, I figured it just wasn’t for me. But I hadn’t lost faith in her. Yet. Then she released Night Of Hunters.
I researched the origin of this album, and it appears that the iconic label Deutsche Gramophone had commissioned Amos to write and record a pop symphony. Amos recruited her daughter and niece to record vocals on the piece. This is a common occurrence in pop music today, Kate Bush has her son on her latest release, Peter Gabriel has taken his daughter Melanie on tour and through his Real World Records, was able to release her solo EP.
