When
Tori Amos
released her first solo album,
Little Earthquakes,
back in 1992, I was all over it.
A remarkable album, topped by an even more remarkable live performance
when I saw her that summer.
Her next album,
Under the Pink,
wasn't as remarkable (no surprise) but still very good.
Then came 1996's
Boys for Pelé,
which I disliked so much that it put me off of Tori Amos for several years.
It is only in the past year or two that I have started buying the albums
I missed in the interim
(it was her creepy cover of
Raining Blood
that let me know the water was fine again).
Which brings us to her latest album,
The Beekeper,
her strongest since
Under the Pink (at least).
Gone (for the most part) is the self-conscious quirkiness
and excessive self-indulgence
(goodness, I'm really heading down the rock critic path of
clichés with that one, aren't I?).
What we have here is a more consistent album with an emphasis on
crafting songs you can sink your teeth into.
The first two tracks,
Parasol
and
Sweet the Sting,
are as good a place as any to check out.
Tori is back in my good graces and I'm oh so happy about it.
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