Pros: New music and sounds, Tori's "Chats" at start of songs.
Cons: Some parts of Professional Widow, Background music in Hey Jupiter.
The Bottom Line: I would definately recommend this CD. Its not completely easy to relate to, but is well worth taking the time. All beautiful and stunning vocals and powerful pianowork.
wiccyblackcat's Full Review: Hey Jupiter EP [EP] by Tori Amos
This is a really good CD. It's very diverse, different, and is both fun, angry, happy and sad - at different times which are appropriate. I really enjoy the diversity and difference, and as always, the powerful, magical singing.
The CD starts off with the sad, yet ultimately inspiring song hey Jupiter. This is the "Dakota Version". It's the same song, only with the line "I go from day to day... I know where the cupboards are... I know where the car is parked... I know he isn't you.."... I'm sure we can all relate to that line. You still survive after a breakup - Even though you desperately want to have the person back. But, you survive. All things are as normal, except.. You now have a new lover, and but you *know* this person is only a replacement. They're not your lover who you're missing.
The song is very slow, with an hmm.. techno, industrial sortaish beat in the background, with Tori singing on top of it. Once again, i love how she puts her emotions through her voice.. You can hear the sadness, the pain, the anger is there too, but you can literally *feel* the emotional hole he's left in her. The girl Tori is singing about, She still loves this guy. He knows she loves him. He's moved on and left her behind in pain... Boy your boots can leave a mess ... and she remembers the past.. How she could be herself around him, how much she loved him, and how natural it was to be with him. No one's picking up the phone, guess it's clear he's gone ... She keeps ringing him, and he doesn't answer. She's alone with her pain. She didn't ever had to be easily readable with him. During the song, her voice is soft and sweet, and strong at times - but all showing sadness, except nearer the end, she sounds as though she is starting to be able to deal with it a better. She realizes that after all the angry threats she made to him, she even has begged him not to leave her, that he's not answering his phone, and she's alone, feeling weak. She's just an empty shell. It's a sense of longing that nothing is enough if she hasn't got him.
The next song is the live version of "Sugar". Tori is talking at the start about why she wrote the song, (It's about this boy she dated, and for 9 months, he could still not remember how many sugars she had in her tea.. Guys - help me out here. I know, your noodle - It can hold a lot of information. . She put it together in around two hours (the song) because she needed to. The vocals in it are really strong, powerful, and empowered.. - Far different from Jupiter. And during the song, she makes some really strange Sssss, tch, STCH, etc. sounds. She sounds really secure and ready to show this boy. The piano is really nice too, both quick and powerful, and soft and slow. She uses her voice extremely well, with her going really high and almost a yell, and then other times barely whispering. I can't really make much sense of the lyrics, probably because she had to put it together so quickly. This song is also on the To Venus and Back Disc 2 (Live stuff). I prefer actually the TVAB version, as the piano is louder and her voice is stronger, rather than softer and sweet, and that's how i feel the emotions in the song are. Both are wonderful though..
The next song is the live version of Honey. Tori explains that this is her *favourite* song from Under the Pink, except it got taken off of Under the Pink Because i'm SUCH a dingaling says Tori. It's really a lovely song.. Also very emotionally powerful, and something i guess we can all relate to.. I think i could leave your world if she was the better girl . She doesn't need his approval for anything though, and sometimes she can be sweet and wonderful when he wants her to be - but sometimes she can't hold her tongue [and she shouldn't have to]. You're too used to my honey now ...He's way too used to her dropping everything and being wonderful for him. He's too used to her, and takes her for granted when he shouldn't. It's not gonna be enormously difficult for her to leave him if it comes to that. Don't bother coming down, i made a friend of the western sky ...He can basically just stay and do what he wants to - She doesn't really need him anymore. and, last of all, she knows the secret.. But cowgirls know, cowgirls ride on the indians side because he's too used to her honey and they take em for granted. Those babes have gotta fight back sometimes, hey?! The pianowork is really powerful, and you can hear the self satisfaction and security coming through in Tori's voice.. She's happy with herself that she can leave him if she needs to because she has self respect, and he is treating her like she's just a given in life. She's really sweet at first, but you can hear her personal power building in her voice. She won't take it anymore. But she's just as happy, and the piano work builds into a rolling ball of power, basically. One of my favourite songs.
The next song...Professional Widow (merry widow version) live - [HAH! Merry?! I think not!] Hmm. I'm still not sure what i think of it. It starts off with Tori telling the audience that she's been asked by this girl to play this song, and then it takes her a while to work out how it goes, and what key it's in.. as she says I only ever tried this once before, and it gave me a brain anneurism, but its okay. I'll get some seafood later .. and then i believe one girl tells her what key to play the creepy old organ and tori says "It's alright. You won't lose your head if you're wrong". It's amazingly powerful (Frighteningly powerful) But .. Bloody creepy. Terrifying actually. I wouldn't be around Tori if i were her man she's singing about. This song is scary. I can't say it any other way. It's dangerous sounding. Apart from some of the few lyrics, this song is virtually unrecognizable as Professional Widow. It starts off with her singing softly and quietly the first lines of the normal professional widow "Slag pit, stag sh*t, honey bring it close to my lips yes, Don't blow those brains yet- we gotta be big, boy"
.. and then she says with heaps of effort - We. gotta. be BIG yes. and then the soft, slow and sweet "Starf*cker", and then whispers of "just like my daddy" and then a slithery sssss at the end. And then "What is termed a landslide" and then the new lyrics WHat is termed loving you.. what is termed loving you.. What is termed a little girl trusting a little boy trusting her. then her screaming YES.. and going back to the "Starf*cker just like my daddy"... and then you can hear her building power, whispering "Just like my daddy selling his baby".. and then she screams it. Now, her voice is amazingly powerful, but when she first sings "Selling his baby" It is a little irritating, as the way she prounounces it is so lazily without any real prounounciation.. She's just wanting to make such a loud angry powerful voice, at first she doesn't care about the lyrics, just the power she's singing about that she wants. And then she does this *Amazing*. I mean amazing. It sends chills down my back, and makes me quite damn nervous.. Makes me feel like a single drop, while she's the whole ocean. It makes me feel so tiny compared to her. She gets some really good prounouncing and does this huge.. Amazing powerful.. It's incredible she can do it live.. I can't begin to describe in words.. "Selling his baby". Its so long and powerful it's amazing, and then she does in this manic, psychopathic voice "selling ME" yes.. "What is Loving you"... in a powerful voice.. and then she sings the "Just like my daddy, selling his baby".. and you can hear her taking a HUGE breath, because of the amount of air that powerful voice would have taken out of her.. an she softly says "Mother, Mary, China White...Gimme peace, love, and a hard c*ck"... That is truly an amazing song. When i first heard it i hated it, as it creeped me out completely, but now i quite like it.. It's very dark, and gothic. I feel its more of the proper song than the original professional widow was. It's her wanting the big boy's power.. The male power, at all costs. She's hating that boy. Not intensely disliking him, she's *hating* him. It's hard to describe that song. But i will add, that i've noticed that some people around me get *physically* sick if i play that song. They SAY it is because of the key or something its in.. But i think its because of their own emotional problems they refuse to deal with. The woman who wants the male corporate power at all costs, but doesn't want to admit it. You have to listen to this song for yourself, it's incredible.
The next song is Tori's sweet and breathy version of "Over The Rainbow". She uses the most loveliest, soft yet powerful, amazing, and thought out voice in this song. It's pure calmness, loveliness, and you can hear her daydreaming about being over the rainbow, in that lovely place without troubles or anything difficult, just fun and happiness. It's a wonderfully thought out song, and she uses the vocal scale really well, and her breath is controlled to make her sound far away at times. But sometimes it gets a bit annoying as she takes quite a bit of time between the lines, and sometimes she whispers so beautifully, yet a little too soft that you can't really hear it. A wonderful, relaxing, sweetening end to this wonderful CD.
The CD also comes in a beautiful Three panel, foldout Digipack. It has two beautiful pictures of Tori, two of just stars, and one of them has the line of new lyrics to Hey Jupiter on them "I go from day to day I know where the cupboards are I know where the car is parked I know he isnt you." I highly recommend this CD to any person whos ever been in a relationship that has ended, Has ever been angry and wanted power, loves piano work, or just loves Tori. It's a diverse mix of all emotions and all strengths of voice and piano. It takes a while to get used to (Hey jupiter with its slow, sadness), and Professional Widow with its almost vampiric powersucking, and it's darkness and fury. But, this is a wonderful CD, for anyone. I especially liked Tori at the start of the live songs, explaining them to us. It really lets you get to know Tori's character, and makes the songs more understandable. Very enjoyable.
Perfect Music to Play While: Contemplating yourself, or just doing nothing and are prepared to listen and work with this amazing music.
(By the way.. The author would LOVE to thank the wonderful Officer [aka Ryan] for teaching me how to substitute letters and use HTML to use italics and bolds.. took me two goes, but i got it.. Thanks.. Hugs xo)
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