Tori VS. Bush

[stern@chem.nwu.edu (Charlotte Stern)]

Actually, my favorite song on Little Earthquakes is
WINTER.  This is an amazing song... very emotional and moving.
If you are wondering why people compare Tori to Kate, listen
to Happy Phantom... in the middle there somewhere she goes
into this very high voice "wooo hooo domething domething something..."
I forget the exact words... but I listen to this and it is virtually
interchangeable with something that Kate does on one of those cathy demos
and to a type of lilt/affectation that Kate frequently uses.

Also, a technique that Kate uses often is emphasizing the wrong
syllables in words to make them fit... I can't think of examples offhand
but if you listen to Kate's music for these you will find them...
she will often stretch or contract syllables as well.  Kate Bush does
this more effectively than any other artist I have heard.
Tori Amos does it here and there (I think the 2nd or third verse of winter
contains an example of this, but again I forget the exact line and
don't have the lyrics here... it happens though with a number of
words in a row, making it obvious).

I think people are saying "Tori Amos? Kate Bush!" because they don't
know how to classify Tori, and this reminds them of Kate.  Besides,
she writes songs on the piano (although her piano-playing is starkly
different than Kate's --- Tori clearly has some classical training --
there is even one passage that reminds me hands down of Elton John ---
whereas Kate is primarily self-taught and so she plays with less
technical prowess or classical technique, and more staccato-like
phrasing or simple chords (I don't mean staccato literally, but rather
choppiness -- single notes or couples of notes inserted here and there
as opposed to studied, steady, flowing bass and treble arpeggios, etc.)).
Don't get me wrong: I like 'em both.  They're just *different*.

Most of the time Tori sounds nothing like Kate Bush... it is only
rare moments like the above-mentioned one.  In fact, I see a lot more
similarity voice-wise and inflection-wise between Kate and Rhodes
than Kate and Amos... and Rhodes is a guitarist primarily (and
synths I guess).  But then again, Amos is more mainstream (at least
potentially) than either Bush or Happy, and as such beckons to the
typically myopic record/radio industry for quick classification
and pigeonholing.  I do not envy anyone trying to sell records in 
America who gets pegged with serious Kate Bush comparisons.
Most people here still have never heard of Bush.
Being compared to Kate could be very detrimental to a music career in 
the US. :-)   Then again, she might do very well in Europe.

-mjm (mike mendelson: stern@stella.chem.nwu.edu)