Tori Reviews...Reposted from MySpace
Helium.com
American Doll Posse, by Tori Amos
by Dylan Smith
For Tori Amos' 9th studio album, she grits her teeth and brings back the angst we all love and know so well from Tori. For this album, she introduces us to 5 of her persona's, Santa, Tori, Clyde, Pip, And Isabel. All of which she formed from Greek mythology and her own pieces of herself. They join together to sing this ass-kicking rockier than ever album, American Doll Posse. Following, I will go through the entire album, song by song and tell you my own feelings and interpretations on this great album. It all kicks off with…
1. Yo George - This is a great song to begin the album. It starts with a soft piano, and a soft voice. The George in the song, is based after President George Bush. It is political, asking where America has gone wrong. It's soft, pretty, a short introduction to the following political views which will take up the rest of many of the songs on the album. It's very pretty, light, and very Tori.
2. Big Wheel - This was the first American single off the album. It's great. It starts with nice drums, piano, an almost swingy sound to the music. She sings about Jesus, drinking down pain, and then goes into a beated count down where she proceeds in calling herself an M.I.L.F. For those of you who aren't familiar with this term, it literally means "Mother I'd Like To…" you can take it from there. It's edgy, very fun, and very catchy. It lets you know that you will need to crack up the volume on this album. Lots of fun.
3. Bouncing Off Clouds - This was another single, mainly overseas. It starts with piano, drums, and a nice higher Tori voice. It's a bit sad, but you also can't help but tapping your fingers, shaking your head, or stomping your feet. With lyrics such as "Make it easy, Make this easy, It's not as heavy as it seems" this is a very pretty Tori song. It melds in great following Big Wheel.
4. Teenage Hustling - I personally find this one of the great gems off the record. It starts with piano keys, and Tori letting everyone know who's boss. The song quickly picks up with drums and very loud electric guitar. She sounds extremely punk rock in this song. It sends shivers down my spine just to hear Tori like this. VERY awesome song, and a very fresh sound for Tori. It's a very loud, very angsty song with lyrics such as "You've been skanking around," you can't help but love it.
5. Digital Ghost - Once again, another HUGE gem off the album. This is easily one of my favourite songs. Its very soft at first, piano, and a very recognizable rhythm. It's a very mellow sounding, sad sounding song, but absolutely beautiful. After just under a minute the beat picks up a bit with drums and electric guitar. The chorus is absolutely beautiful. I could find myself having this song on repeat, and eventually bawling my eyes out. Lyrics like "Curled up with machines" and "Just take a closer look at what it is that's really haunting you," Its haunting, and absolutely wonderful!
6. You Can Bring Your Dog - Another very rocky, all out there song by Tori. "You can bring your dog, I got three," it reminds me a lot of a Joe Cocker song. It's cute, very catchy, angsty, and a good song.
7. Mr. Bad Man - This takes the album into another place. Sorta jazzy, yet poppy very very light. With background vocals almost echoing some of her lyrics, it makes it very bubblegum sounding, cute, and fresh. It's different, but not too bad.
8. Fat Slut - Yeah, you read the title right! It's a short interlude type song by Tori. Very dark guitars, very dark vocals. Almost Marilyn Manson style, it shows she doesn't give a shit! It's very short, and simple but you gotta love it.
9. Girl Disappearing - It has strings, drums, sounds very musical. It's very mellow, different than the rest of the album. Sounds like she's talking a bit about a lot of the celebrity woman that are in the light these days, and how unhappy they really are with all of their troubles.
10. Secret Spell - Starts right in with guitars drums and piano. To be honest, at the first sound it sounds almost like a country song, perhaps Reba? It's not totally country though, so don't worry. It's a very upbeat song, can be very catchy. Most of the lyrics are just repeated throughout the song, but it's not too bad.
11. Devils And Gods - Another very short interlude song. With very nice sounding guitars, and a crisp voice from Tori. It's short, maybe too short, as it is a very pretty song. I love her interludes however, I always look forward to them on her albums. This is a nice one.
12. Body And Soul - I LOVE this song! Very dark sounding, a great beat, guitars, and awesome vocals! It's so catchy, and very strong. It's a "duet" between her persona's Santa and Clyde. It's very "hardcore" and edgy. The drums blast in with her loud voice shouting "Body and Soul!" It's a great song, it stands out, and once again its amazing to hear Tori like this.
13. Father's Son - AMAZING! Another one of my very favourite songs off the record. The piano is absolutely gorgeous as soon as it sets in. It's a very somber sad sounding song with echoing background vocals. With lyrics such as "Can you blame nature, if she's had enough of us," and "Plant another seed of hate" Very gorgeous! Another one of those songs I could have on repeat and end up crying for some time. Her voice is very crisp and beautiful. Definitely a great song to hear live.
14. Programmable Soda - Her only song with brass! Its another very short interlude type song. It's very almost amusing sounding. It's very cute, bubblegum, sunny day type of sound. It reminds me a lot of her song "Mr. Zebra" from her Boys For Pele album. I find myself walking around the house singing it, without even knowing it.
15. Code Red - Fantastic song! I swear I get chills the very instant it starts playing. It's so dark sounding, but awesome. Very dark piano, and beat as well as lyrics. When her crackling voice begins shouting "Code Red" you can't help but imagine running around the house naked, strung out, and not knowing a thing thats going on. And when listening to Tori thats a good feeling! Very great song, which is great because it's also the longest song on the album.
16. Roosterspur Bridge - Very nice song. Very simple, not rocky at all. Very nice lyrics such as "I think I understand the fear in a boy, the fire in a man." It's very pretty. Not something you can rock out too, but thats fine.
17. Beauty Of Speed - Very nice piano and drums. It almost reminds me, very loosely of Barons Of Suburbia from The Beekeeper album. It's nice, not bad at all, just one of those songs I don't think of too often, but enjoy listening to.
18. Almost Rosey - Another song I don't think of often. There really is nothing wrong with it at all, just not one I would listen to over and over again. It's light, but feels very safe in a way. Maybe a little too light?
19. Velvet Revolution - Very Venice boat trip sounding, but thats not a bad thing. Awesome eerie sounding piano, great lyrics. A very catchy little interlude from Tori. "All you killers of the children there's a new commandment, the true divine creator wants a velvet revolution."
20. Dark Side Of The Sun - A VERY political song. Talking about how in time there will probably be fast food restaurants on the moon, if President Bush keeps things going this way. Also questioning how many more soldiers will have to die in this useless war. It's very pretty, her voice is strong. It may come off as a big too preachy, but every word she says is true.
21. Posse Bonus - This is a light and very silly song. It's also extremely cute. "This is your posse bonus, 'cause I like you!" Very cute. She goes in and talks about eating Broccoli. It makes you sort of wonder what the hell is going on, but there's nothing wrong with that. It's cute, and breaks up the darkness that is to come on the last two tracks.
22. Smokey Joe - The first time I heard this song, it wasn't until a minute or two into it when the song really hit me. I was spacing out through it, then I really started to listen. It's horrifying sounding. It sends chills down my spine just thinking about it. Lyrics such as "Maybe it terrifies me, you through black ice at the bottom of the river." This song is so amazingly powerful. I'm listening to at the moment I write this, and hearing it really puts me in this crazy emotional state. Her strong voice in the background shouting "It's too, too easy! It's too, too easy to wish you harm!" And absolutely amazing song. I think anyone who doesn't see the absolute genius in this song needs to be at the bottom of that river. This song is perfect in every way, and sets the tone for the last song perfectly.
23. Dragon - Ties in so well with Smokey Joe, Dragon finishes the album absolutely perfectly. Very, VERY sad. The first words from her mouth are "Don't tell me a woman did this to you, candy lies," I think thats enough to send pure chills down anyones skin. Followed later with "Stay a while, stay awhile… 'Cause your wild cowboy needs playing, don't believe the liar dragon needs slaying. Wont you lay with me." Absolutely beautiful, haunting and terrorizing. This is an amazing song. At every point in the song when her voice sings "Don't tell me a woman did this to you," my heart goes out.
As you see, I am very very proud of Tori in making this record. It's a must have for any Tori fan, and a GREAT way to be introduced to Tori. There is literally a song on here for everyone, the music sonically has so many variations it can accommodate any tastes. She has reinvented herself a bit, and came back full force with American Doll Posse.
U.S. Weekly Review
On her ninth solo album, Tori Amos sings in the personae of five different women, including a photographer named Isabel who croons about political issues and Santa, a single girl who's created a MySpace page. Is the mother of one, 43 - and a wife of sound engineer Mark Hawley (who helped on the CD) - having a midcareer identity crisis? Hardly. Amos sounds like her old soulful self on tracks such as the haunting "Girl Disappearing" the danceable "Bouncing Off Clouds" and the funny first single "Big Wheel" (in which she calls herself a "MILF"). The voices in Amos' head rarely hit a sour note.
The Guardian's ADP Review
(Giving the 4 out of 5 stars)
It's ninth-album time and Amos is about as fashionable as carbohydrates these days, but she remains one of the most ambitious conceptual songwriters on a major label. There are five Toris on the cover - warrior Tori, hippy Tori, voodoo Tori clutching rooster - each of whom symbolises a facet of womanhood. The aim of the 23 songs is to reassemble the segments into a cohesive whole, in the hope of "rousing 18-year-olds to wake up and make [political] choices". It's a tall order, but she makes an inspiring role model, answerable only to her fierce, funny self. Some of her best work in years is here: a solemn, witty shout-out to the commander-in-chief titled Yo George ("I have an allergy to your policies'"), the echo-laden rocker You Can Bring Your Dog, which bawdily likens people to pets, and the distorted squall of Code Red. There's far too much, though; cut to 10 tracks it would have been her one of her most significant records.