Review 1 of 3

TheWreck writes:

5of 5 Stars

The thing that jumps at you about this album is its vitality. Maybe it was the constraints she accepted in creating the themes for her last 3 albums (especially "Beekeeper"), but she was beginning to sound "all growed-up 'n' responsible" - or just too damn tired after chasing a kid around all day. But ADP just pops out of the speakers. "Bouncing Off Clouds" needs to be pushed in dance clubs. "Secret Spell" for some reason fills me with joy whenever I hear it. I imagine "Big Wheel" being played in some bayou shack with a dozen vigorously dancing couples, while Tori pounds an upright and a blues band grooves and honks around her. This album shows that having a good guitarist - one with personality and an ability to do something other than verse-chorus-verse/chord-lead-chord - really helps. I am a big fan of her "Choirboy"/"Venus" period, and when there's something like "Sugar" (on "Venus") or "Code Red" (here) providing some musical muscle, it's harder to dismiss Tori as "just another twee girl singer".
Are there criticisms? Yeah. "Yo George" would have sounded braver on "Beekeeper" (if not earlier). Now it seems to be just piling on. The second half of the album doesn't have the pop that the first half does. But all-in-all, I am enormously delighted by this album and see it as a remarkable return-to-form of an original musical artist.

Jul 7, 2007 22:33:38

Review 2 of 3

Caravaggio writes:

4of 5 Stars

The more you play it, the better it gets. Tori's "Posse" may sound a bit cold when you hear it first, but three days later some choruses will come to your mind like a bright wave. This one's not too sad (like master-album "Boys for Pele"), not too happy anyway. Tori's voice still can move you from head to toe (there's just something magic about "Bouncing off clouds") and her abilities with the piano always remarkable (the labyrinth intro in "Beauty of speed", the soft qualities of "Almost Rosey"). Sometimes you wish the short songs where longer (the sicilian-like "Velvet Revolution", "Devils and gods")sometimes you wish they were shorter ("Code Red" and the annoying "Teenage hustling"). In general, a great and emotional album. Ok, you'll find no "jupiters" or "lucifers" here, but the sun still shines brighter with Tori.

May 18, 2007 14:18:30

Review 3 of 3

thatdudejeff writes:

3of 5 Stars

<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.amazon.com/American-Doll-Posse-Tori-Amos/dp/B000NVLJR4/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-3913441-2574269?ie=UTF8&amp;s=music&amp;qid=1177877487&amp;sr=8-1"><img width="200" hspace="10" height="200" align="right" title="buy it now from Amazon" src="http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/I/51TXIIB0tUL._AA240_.jpg" /></a>Yes I know.&nbsp; Apparently the entire world gave up on Tori Amos at some point over the last 8 years or so.&nbsp; Was it because of <em>Choirgirl</em>?&nbsp; Did everyone stop being angsty all of a sudden and so it seemed logical to remove <em>Little Earthquakes</em> or <em>The Beekeeper</em> from your iPods?&nbsp; Explain please.</p>

<p>I know that I blog a lot about how relevancy is a big issue these days with the advent of playlisting and major label bullshit and the singles-not-albums culture that the buying world is now experiencing, but come on.&nbsp; We need to clarify this situation.&nbsp; But I think that, in reviewing <em>American Doll Posse</em>, I've come to the realization that, for Tori Amos, relevancy never really matters.&nbsp; She's always going to matter as a creative entity in pop music.</p>

<p>But I think the strongest thing standing in the way of her new record being anything other than a footnote in critic's notebooks and year-end lists is the size and scope of the record.&nbsp; Firstly, you have Amos donning 5 separate personalities throughout the record (ed. note: We all know that Tori is quite manic and has had these kinds of personality breaks on record before, but seriously.&nbsp; No one needs to so indulgent as to give <a href="http://www.myspace.com/iampossesanta">these</a> <a href="http://pipolitics.livejournal.com/">personalities</a> <a href="http://clydespeaks.blogspot.com/">their</a> <a href="http://www.tagworld.com/isabeldocuments">own</a> <a href="http://www.myspace.com/toriamos">blogs</a>.&nbsp; For real.)&nbsp; Next, you have a total of 23 songs and a shocking diversity in sound and instrumentation.&nbsp; And, as you all should know by now, in our &quot;put-it-on-shuffle-and-leave-it-alone&quot; culture, this is going to present a huge problem for the iPod armies.</p>

<p>&quot;Bouncing Off Clouds&quot; and &quot;Secret Spell&quot; are instant bits of greatness and will be standard mixtape tracks for the foreseeable future.&nbsp; And &quot;Code Red&quot; and &quot;Beauty of Speed&quot; are by far the culture of me's picks of <em>Doll Posse</em>'s litter. <br /><em><br />American Doll Posse</em> is an astonishing record for sure, ripe with themes of what the culture of me sees as the struggle of making a person's spectrum of belief turned into action to effect changes and stand out for what you feel is right and true.&nbsp; &nbsp;Totally standard fare for Tori, but it seems that in <em>Doll Posse</em>'s case,&nbsp; it's more about the fight than the motivation for it.</p>

<p>At 43, Amos is no longer the sometimes riotous, somestimes introspective chanteuse she was in the mid-90's.&nbsp; But now, like she says on &quot;Big Wheel&quot;, &quot;I am a M.I.L.F.&nbsp; Don't you forget it.&quot;&nbsp; She's still trying to affect the younger generations in a sort of call-to-arms, but who knows if the masses of ambivalent ringtone kids will buy into it even a little.</p>

<p><em>American Doll Posse</em> will more than likely turn out to be a rather polarizing album for fans and critics alike.&nbsp; But that's what Tori really does best.&nbsp; She creates a line in the sand.&nbsp; But the real question becomes: do you care enough to take a side?</p>

<p>(mp3)&nbsp; &nbsp; <a href="http://thatdudejeff.typepad.com/mp3/ToriAmos-BouncingOffClouds.mp3">Bouncing Off Clouds</a> </p>

<p>(mp3)&nbsp; &nbsp; <a href="http://thatdudejeff.typepad.com/mp3/ToriAmos-CodeRed.mp3">Code Red</a> </p>

<p>Godspeed!</p>

May 4, 2007 11:54:37