Tori Amos

[GTP10@phoenix.cambridge.ac.uk]

First of all, a big hello to everyone as this is the first time I've posted
to this particular list, although I've been reading it for a few months now.
As further background, I'm a post-doc in the Engineering Department at
Cambridge University and have been a KaTe fan since the very beginning...
 
Anyway, today saw the release in the UK of an album by a singer/songwriter
from North Carolina named Tori Amos. Apparently her label sent her over here
to launch her career as it was thought that we Brits were more receptive to
her particular style. She has been receiving a fair amount of media attention
and every review or interview I have seen has made it very clear that her
largest musical influence is Kate Bush. Having listened to her album a couple
of times I can confirm this myself, although there are also detectable traces
of Joni Mitchell, Stevie Nicks and others in there.
 
IMHO the album is excellent. The complexity of production for the most part
harkens back to KaTe's earlier albums, while the music reveals the some of
the same characteristics of beautiful melodies, unusual chord progressions
and riffs, and a sense of humour. Lyrically the songs are intensely personal,
incisive and sometimes ironic.
 
As a final point, the album cover shows Tori squatting inside a large wooden
box. A picture which seems to me to echo intentionally the US cover of TKI.
 
The album details:
 
Tori Amos "Little Earthquakes", East West Records #7567-82358-2
 
Geoff Parks