19-09-2017, 09:05
TORI AMOS - Native Invader
![[Image: 220px-Native_Invader.png]](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/1d/Native_Invader.png/220px-Native_Invader.png)
It’s Tori’s turn to release an album of social commentary and she has wisely chosen to use subtlety as opposed to vociferously shoving her opinions down our collective throat; there is not one eff in sight! (Take note Mr Waters.)
She tackles all the issues that everyone is commenting on right now and which need no elaboration from me, and explores how political turmoil also impacts the earth itself. She looks at relationships too, and she does it all with great charm and intelligence. Her songs are luminous and compelling – reminiscent of Kate Bush; there’s a magical quality here, and a deep sincerity which I think is what pulls it so tightly together.
She has woven mythology with reality (if there is such a thing!) and at the risk of my indulging in decidedly purple prose, in so doing has created a delightfully shimmering tapestry of sound. Not all that easy to do considering the subject matter, included in which is the examination of her mother’s inability to communicate following a stroke, which she expresses in the pathos laden final track “Mary’s Eyes”. There are some earthy moments – it’s not all ‘airy fairy’, and that’s Ms Amos isn’t it? Eclectic and ethereal, but real all the same.
The music and vocals complement one another and there is some great guitar work courtesy of Mac Aladdin, aka Mark Hawley, her husband, who also happens to be responsible for engineering, mixing, instrumentation and programming. And the melodies definitely grab you – they keep resurfacing. On my ‘to purchase’ list.
“Up The Creek” … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EnHiAuvi9w
“Cloud Rider” … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmVvSjVFh28
The title track – “The Reindeer King” …
It’s Tori’s turn to release an album of social commentary and she has wisely chosen to use subtlety as opposed to vociferously shoving her opinions down our collective throat; there is not one eff in sight! (Take note Mr Waters.)
She tackles all the issues that everyone is commenting on right now and which need no elaboration from me, and explores how political turmoil also impacts the earth itself. She looks at relationships too, and she does it all with great charm and intelligence. Her songs are luminous and compelling – reminiscent of Kate Bush; there’s a magical quality here, and a deep sincerity which I think is what pulls it so tightly together.
She has woven mythology with reality (if there is such a thing!) and at the risk of my indulging in decidedly purple prose, in so doing has created a delightfully shimmering tapestry of sound. Not all that easy to do considering the subject matter, included in which is the examination of her mother’s inability to communicate following a stroke, which she expresses in the pathos laden final track “Mary’s Eyes”. There are some earthy moments – it’s not all ‘airy fairy’, and that’s Ms Amos isn’t it? Eclectic and ethereal, but real all the same.
The music and vocals complement one another and there is some great guitar work courtesy of Mac Aladdin, aka Mark Hawley, her husband, who also happens to be responsible for engineering, mixing, instrumentation and programming. And the melodies definitely grab you – they keep resurfacing. On my ‘to purchase’ list.
“Up The Creek” … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EnHiAuvi9w
“Cloud Rider” … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmVvSjVFh28
The title track – “The Reindeer King” …
"The surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that it has never tried to contact us." ~ Bill Watterson