sslabs's Full Review: Strange Little Girls by Tori Amos
Tomorrow devoted Tori fans often referred to as “Toriphiles” will walk up to counters across the country with their latest Tori offering Strange Little Girls in hand. I wonder how long it will be before they fully realize the sting of disappointment as they attempt to relieve the swelling with only a store receipt and shrink wrap in hand. This is the first Tori album that is not original Amos material. Every song on Strange Little Girls are tracks previously recorded and released by other acts and more specifically male acts. This entire album is rooted in the idea of Tori giving a female perspective on male thoughts.
Amos hand picked a wide variety of songs to form SLG. The artists range from Lou Reed to the Beatles to Eminem, yes that Eminem. For the first time as a Tori fan I have heard her Achilles heel. Some vocalists have the ability to breathe new life into songs written and performed by others. But in my opinion, Tori is too free, artistic and spacey for her own good. For Tori to be tied to melodies and lyrics that are not her own, causes these selections to act like musical bars that imprison her funky out of this world style.
But even prisoners can manage to accomplish things while serving their time, and as Amos covers these twelve tracks, she manages to sing loud enough to be heard beyond the walls. But sadly these instances are the exception, not the rule. The opening track New Age written by Lou Reed gives a sense of space and eeriness with the swirling sound of a wurlitzer to accompany Tori. But like the rest of the album, there never seems to be anything to grab ahold of, to hug and fall in love with like everything else that is Tori.
Another problem I find myself running into is the fact that most of these songs are familiar to me. Throughout SLG I find myself thinking that I’ve heard this song before and I liked it better when (fill in the blank) did it. ’97 Bonnie & Clyde is a track cowritten by Jeff Bass, Mark Bass and Marshall B. Mathers II, better known as Eminem. I know that many Tori fans will find this song sickening, but coming through Tori’s pipes, I’m sure tolerance will be the theme.
This track is haunting, with the sound of Tori close to the microphone and on the edge of whispering as she recounts a heinous crime. ’97 Bonnie & Clyde is more “story” than song, of a man taking his murdered wife for a “trip” to the beach, and all the while his daughter is there to accompany him. With a soft but menacing arrangement and a military drum in the background Tori as the father can be heard softly saying to his daughter “don’t worry about that little boo-boo on her throat, it’s just a little scratch” . I found this track interesting the first go around, but whether it’s Tori or Eminem performing this one, it’s just not something worth revisiting.
Strange Little Girl by the Stranglers is not immediately recognizable to me and for the reasons just mentioned, maybe that’s why I find it stimulating. This title track, with an aqua misty opening and hollow echoing drums, moves at a brisk pace. It’s the only track that I find truly catchy and enjoyable at the same time. Tori slows things down with Enjoy the Silence by Depeche Mode, it’s the only track that manages to stir any emotion. With just a hint of that “1000 Oceans” vibe, Tori goes acoustic with Enjoy the Silence and she succeeds, but not wildly. I’m not in love sounds like one of those plastic-y afterthoughts that artists and producers throw onto a single to add some kind of value to what is usually a rip-off. Ditto for Rattlesnakes and Time, they simply justify my heavy use of the track skip button.
The rocked out Heart of Gold and the sentimental I don’t like Mondays don’t usually cause me to search for the remote, but I can’t say thoughts of my infrared projecting friend are not crossing my mind. Happiness is a warm gun written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney is ironically a statement that I believe in. But as a song I find this one flat, with sound bites of some guy talking about gun rights and laws in the background, I find myself fighting an incredible urge to take a nap. My favorite bite, “I believe people that commit crimes shouldn’t have guns” wow really! And I guess drunk drivers shouldn’t have a license to drive, and pyromaniacs shouldn’t have access to matches. Well I’m sure the tree huggin’, living in a dream world anti-gunners will appreciate these sentiments. I however do not, if anything it’s patronizing and even boring.
As Strange Little Girls comes to an end, I find myself in agony listening to Tori on Raining Blood drone on about God only knows what. My ears begin to move around like those on my cat trying to locate a dying animal in the distance. Tori broke away from her usual material musically and also for the first time with the liner notes. If memory serves correctly, every Tori album in my collection have all the lyrics available. But this time around the liner notes or more appropriately the “booklet” opens up to show a different Tori persona for every track.
There are thirteen in all even though there are only 12 tracks, and for reasons unbeknownst to me, Heart of Gold gets two pictures. If I have to find something positive to say about Strange Little Girls it would be that fans can change the cover for their CD to any Tori character they wish. Talk about reaching huh? The only information in the booklet is the long list of credits for the writers, producers and labels for every track. The only real Tori material in the booklet is the usual thank you list, can’t leave that out. Seeing early advertisements for SLG I have every reason to believe that there will be different booklets or covers available; a la The Marshall Mathers LP and the Private Parts soundtrack to move additional units with the help of Tori fanatics.
I have a confession to make
Before I made a few phone calls to obtain this album prior to it hitting the music store shelves, I knew I wouldn’t like Strange Little Girls. I listened to a few samples available on the net, and while I found ’97 Bonnie & Clyde interesting and Strange Little Girl stimulating, I didn’t like the other early tracks released or leaked. But I disdain the practice of writers getting an earful of a few tracks and then posting an album review. So to be fair I thought it would only be appropriate to get my paws on the real deal. As I end this review, I’ve had this album for over a week and I’ve given it every chance in that short time. I have no doubt that my feelings will not change in the next week or month.
In the end this entire album is foreign to me, like a wooden splinter in my thumb that simply begs to be removed. Tori’s collective work has influenced my tastes, thoughts and ideas about music immensely. But this album is truly disappointing to me as a fan, not the wannabe writer in me. As I describe SLG I start to realize that it’s akin to describing the fabric that adorned the chairs of the Titanic, the details are trivial, this thing is sinking either way.
SLG will in no way pacify my needs, so I will have to look elsewhere for my piano fix. This is the part where you can picture me clinging to my blanket, with my thumb in my mouth listening to Alicia Keys Songs in A minor; Fisher True North and anything by Fiona Apple to keep my withdrawals to a minimum. I’m also confident the throngs of devout Tori fans will do their best to find and cling to what little good exists, and do everything possible to ignore the abundant mediocrity found on Strange Little Girls.
Final Thoughts
Like many other Toriphiles, I would have preferred an original full length album. But people being what they are, Tori may have felt the need to grow and experiment. And it’s very likely that Tori needed to create this “strange little bridge” to get across to her next creative orgasm. This is foreplay I can do without, and it’s a toll I don’t think Tori fans should have to pay. My advice to Tori fans? Skip the trip over the water, and wait for the ferry to take you across to the other side, hopefully upon arrival Tori will be waiting for you with an original full length album.
The new studio album from Tori Amos, Strange Little Girls, is an assemblage of songs written by men, but performed by Tori from the perspectives of a ...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.