The Bottom Line: A very interesting and lovely album, Strange Little Girls from Tori Amos was a perfect addition to my collection...will it be to yours?
lambchops's Full Review: Strange Little Girls by Tori Amos
I’m a sucker for a good cover. Strange Little Girls from Tori Amos is an elaborate, unexpected album consisting only of songs previously performed by other (sometimes lesser known) artists.
Unlike a lot of people who have reviewed this album previous to me, I am not a self proclaimed Toriphile (follower, lover, stalker of Tori Amos). Rather, I am a person who at times has loved Amos and her songs for one reason or another. I’ve enjoyed her musical take mixed with her magical piano finger time and time again, yet I own just three of her albums: Little Earthquakes, From the Choirgirl Hotel and Strange Little Girls.
Amos approaches music from an emotional place. The subjects she writes about tend to be spiritually and emotionally rooted in her personal experiences. She sings with great passion yet her songs seem quaint and sparse most often relying on her angelic voice and her piano among various other instruments.
Born in North Carolina, Amos burst onto the scene around 1992 after the release of her solo debut Little Earthquakes. The album remains a lovely sentiment to her life with references to rape (Me and A Gun) and newfound independence (Silent All These Years) among other poignant topics. At times Amos is a chore to listen to. Her words are too real, too deep, and too unforgettable.
Under The Pink, released in 1994, was the platinum selling follow up to her impressive debut. The album was decidedly melodic, while sounding increasingly frantic. Singles like Cornflake Girl and God helped to further push Amos into the spotlight. The singer-songwriter next released Boys For Pele. The album was a bit more experimental than her earlier albums, therefore it proved less appealing to the public. Though, I have to admit that Caught A Light Sneeze was an impressive track.
Amos continued plugging away at her craft, and in 1998 released From The Choirgirl Hotel. A return to her musical roots, Amos wove her most personal experiences into the lyrics. Musically, the album was what her last had hoped to be and on tracks like Spark she really seems to come into her own. Half live and half new studio recordings, To Venus and Back was a bit of a disappointment and seemed too much for casual fans.
Then came Strange Little Girls…something wholly different. For the album, Amos approached male songs from a female perspective…or at least she pretended this was the case. Her constructed theme seems to break down at times as with Heart of Gold. At other times, the 2001 album shines as with ’97 Bonnie & Clyde. The album is at times very dark and exceedingly strange. At the same time, other tracks prove to be alarmingly expressive. Undoubtedly, there are people who will think less of Amos for tackling other artist’s song. I, on the other hand, don’t feel that way. Strange Little Girls proves to be just another notch in the bed post of Amos’ stellar career.
The song that strikes me as the most inventive remake is ’97 Bonnie & Clyde originally performed by rapper Eminem. The subject matter is disturbing. Simply put, most people will find little good in the song. Amos becomes a man who murdered his wife in this spoken word track. Her accented words paired with extreme imagery help to push the song over the edge of sanity. The song is about murder, corruption and a baby’s innocence lost at the shot of a handgun. Needless to say, be warned that this track is difficult yet brilliant.
Most critically acclaimed of this album is the Grammy-nominated Strange Little Girl, an almost unrecognizable remake of the original from the English punk band the Stranglers. Amos croons lovingly and expressively along to drum machines and programmed melodies. The song swims around between uneasy anger and upbeat vocals. Even though it’s not her own song, Amos has really never sounded better.
Rattlesnakes is a haunting rerecording of a relatively obscure track from Lloyd Cole and the Commotions. The artist approaches the song as though it was her own. Both tenderness and complete apathy are equally represented in the vocals. Once again, Amos sounds about as good as she ever has. It would be a perfect track if she’d written it.
Happiness Is A Warm Gun, a song from the ubiquitous Beatles is another impressive track. Amos blends in the news reports of Lennon’s death and a spoken interpretation of the 2nd Amendment in order to further her own cause. Her vocals don’t begin until the song is over two minutes along. She doesn’t try to emulate the Beatles, rather Amos makes a point of turning this song into something totally different…something of interest to her and in a context that is more appropriate to this album.
Also impressive is the remake of The Boomtown Rats rock-new wave classic I Don’t Like Mondays. Amos once again makes the song her own, humming along to a modest keyboard. She sings lightly and methodically with less inflection than is usually characteristic of her work. The track finally comes into it’s own as it picks up following the first lovely chorus. Once again…impressive on the part of Amos.
The most unrewarding track is Heart of Gold. An absolutely gorgeous song when performed by rocker Neil Young, the song flounders when interpreted by Amos. If you didn’t see the track listing, it would be difficult to pick out the song. Amos has changed the song’s pacing, changed the instruments, and deconstructed every element that makes the song a classic. Seriously, skip this one. Amos is better on every other track here.
With twelve songs, Strange Little Girls is just about perfect in length. Some of the songs are obvious choices while others from the likes of Slayer and The Velvet Underground are a bit unexpected yet end up being gems. Tori Amos has better albums out there. What at times seems strange is that she has a goal with this album. Strange Little Girls fails her on that count. But on most other counts, the album is a success. It doesn’t seem particularly conceptual and lacks the thread to hold every song together. But, Amos has a lovely voice and on the great majority of these tracks she sounds perfect even if each track is detached completely from the next. I like this album. More than just a little, too. I like it a lot, and thus must give it 4/5 stars.
Track Listing:
1. New Age [The Velvet Underground]
2. '97 Bonnie & Clyde [Eminem]
3. Strange Little Girl [Stranglers]
4. Enjoy The Silence [Depeche Mode]
5. I'm Not In Love [10cc]
6. Rattlesnakes [Lloyd Cole and the Commotions]
7. Time [Tom Waits]
8. Heart Of Gold [Neil Young]
9. I Don't Like Mondays [The Boomtown Rats]
10. Happiness Is A Warm Gun [Beatles]
11. Raining Blood [Slayer]
12. Real Men [Joe Jackson]
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Strange Little Girls is not the first time Tori Amos has recorded covers. In fact, she released an EP that included three cover tunes called Crucify in 1992. For the best examples of work original to Amos, check her out on Little Earthquakes and Under The Pink.
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
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