Tori Amos

From jeremy9 09/05/2019 17:12

One of my best ladies vocalist

A talented songwriter and pianist. Some of her later albums are sub par, but generally she's got a lot to offer. She's a bit of a space cadet, and a bit into herself, as any interview will demonstrate. But put that aside and appreciate the many layers to her music. She made an important contribution to alternative music in the 90s alongside Alanis, Fiona, P.J and Bjork.

From Tamthebam 07/12/2015 09:39

Her debut and early albums are still her best work but she hasn't really made a bad album great, good and mediocre sum up her albums. American Doll Posse was a big return to form for me right up there with Earthquakes Pele & Pink.

I don't claim to know Amos's music inside and out nor being an ardent fan. I just appreciate the fact that someone like her keeps making music for the rest of us.


I saw Amos perform in Ljubljana's Tivoli Hall - on the 2007 American Doll Posse tour - which isn't much of a venue in itself but it sure has hosted some pretty legendary artists inside its guts including the great Satchmo, Zappa and Bowie just to name a few.

What I didn't know at that time though is that this place was also the the second last concert some obscure 90's band called Nervahna played in its career. And folks in the know argue the last good one in fact.

You see, I have this special place inside of me that's just meant for Kurt to quietly reside in. We don't meet that often anymore but I always enjoy our little visits to one another when we do. So, had I known then that this place held such a sweet (and sad in retrospect) secret, I'd probably enjoyed and pondered my time there much more than I honestly did, hearing Amos sing her songs to us. I've never been a huge Amos fan and was pretty much just tagging along with my significant other if truth be told.

Her music can get quite quickly quite overbearing. She's just got her own very particular style and she - as far as I can tell - pretty much sticks to it. She's got a massive repertoire of original songs that seem frightfully good, consistent quality in general, so maybe it's only natural that I struggle in trying to cherry-pick her standout songs from the rest.

It was a funny venue with eerily little people attending, too. Or at least that's the impression I got (the lights were dim to non-existing off stage). It was like really low-key gathering. I didn't expect anything like that at all so that definitely had a part to play in my experience. It was pretty neat, though. Different. Something I'd actually like to experience again. Almost like a regular club gig where you could interact with the artists (and they with you) if you wanted to. I figure that if you never hear anything really bad, that can be a disadvantage, too.

I believe that by being able to make those distinctions, the music will mean much more to you than it otherwise would. I mean how to find that funniest guy or that sweetest girl from the crowd if the whole crowd seems more or less sweet and funny and therefore lovable? I propose that that may in fact be the sole reason we actually need fillers. ;)

Anyways, you could have taken just a couple of steps and you'd be playing the piano with Amos. People seemed like sort of aimlessly wandering to and fro between the stage and the front row. That for one, seemed pretty odd considering that there's this major American artist performing a couple of meters in front of you, and chances are you might never see her there again, yet there we folks who felt like taking a short strolls from time to time seemed like a good idea / the most natural thing to do. Hell, I might have gone off wandering myself too at some point. :)

It really was more like being in a primary school gymnastics hall (which it more or less actually was, in hind sight, since it was built and mainly functions as a multi-purpose sports arena). But - now that I think of it - in a good way.

So all in all for me - for an uninitiated - it was quite a weird gig but much more positive than I honestly hoped for. There's definitely something strange about this lady that I can't quite put my finger on. Something that clearly draws me in yet something that also leaves me wanting. That's strangely rewarding sensation actually. :)

From Robert Anton Wilson 11/07/2011 17:06

Overnight Tori Amos filled the niche left open by Kate Bush now more preoccupied with leading a normal life. When the Yardbirds broke up they left Jimmy Page with a series of tour dates and contractual obligations that gave us the best rock band ever. This is another moment in music history when we are glad that a band came apart and left Tori with studio time and the liberty to produce that earth moving album.

Yes, the chorus does have this sound on it that you would expect from a kate Bush song :) As for Tori revolutionizing womens role in music, I would agree to a certain extent if you meant that from a songwriters perspective. Her popularity would of caused some women to want to write their own songs who may not have been exposed to other artists such as Kate Bush, Patti Smith, Carole King etc. If you mean women getting involved in music in general then I would have to say no.

From Applerill 05/06/2010 06:26

Yeah, I wub "Bouncing Off Clouds" :p It's very "Bushesque", isn't it, Outlaw? :p

Anyway, no matter which way you slice it, Tori revolutionized the role of women in music. Sure, there were extraordinary female albums before then (Horses, Tapestry, and The Sensual World being my faves), but after Little Earthquakes, a huge surge of girl musicians came on the scene. Without Tori, there would be no PJ, no Fiona, no Vanessa, no Avril, no Sarah, etc.

Had been listening to Bouncing off clouds obsessively last week :P