Call Upon The Author

A new Tori Amos album is always greeted with a mix of excitement and apprehension. You’re always guaranteed an interesting experience, but on more than one occasion (including on most recent album American Doll Posse), Amos has released an album that takes some effort to grow to love. So, id this the case here? Well, yes and no, the album is a little on the long side and could do with a bit of trimming here and there, but the songs themselves are, on the whole, easily accessible and very memorable. Long term Amos fans will be used to this, but for those new to Tori’s music this is actually a pretty good starting point, with it’s hodge-podge of styles. ‘Strong Black Vine’ is classic Amos, the theme of religious imagery and men being regularly visited throughout her work, while ‘Welcome To England’ is musically so typical as to be almost a pastiche. It’s impressive though, that she makes the seven plus minutes of light jazz on ‘Lady In Blue’ so enjoyable. So, if you’re a fan already you’ll know what to expect, and if you’ve not dipped into her back catalogue, this is the ideal point to start at.