0
0
I was driving through Anchorage, Alaska on a sunny day in March when I first
heard “Winter” on a friend’s mix tape. Since there was plenty
of snow and ice, it was a perfect setting to hear this decade-old song—drawing
metaphors from snow and ice—for the first time. Perhaps I shouldn’t
have been (since I already had “China” on a mix CD a friend had given
me), but I was amazed at the song’s lyricism, its beauty, and its memorability—after
the first time I heard it, I nearly had the melody memorized.
That was it for me—at that point, knowing there were at least two excellent
songs on it, I bought Tori Amos’ debut CD. And when I put the CD in for
the first time, I had fully intended to listen to the two songs I knew first.
But when the music started, I was caught and couldn’t stop listening—not
even to replay “Winter” and “China”—until the CD was
done. I proceeded to listen to it constantly for weeks, and to tell all my friends
about it, which was of course completely silly since they’d all enjoyed
the CD for a decade. (What can I say? I’m a bit behind sometimes.)
Tori Amos’ lyrical quality, her strong but sweet voice, and acoustic piano
drew me in and wouldn’t let me go. Her lyrics are strong (both in quality
and in tone—she has a wonderful way of singing sweetly about powerful and
sometimes bitter subjects and emotions)—she draws beautiful metaphors perfectly
accompanied by the music.
“Winter” and “China”—two poetic songs with deceptively
simple melodies—are still two of my favorite tracks on this album, but
I also have a new favorite, “Silent All These Years,” a song about
a woman finding a voice. It’s a good strong woman song, but it’s the
melody, rather than the subject matter, that really caught me on this one.
This emotionally-, poetically-, and musically-rich album is a perfect debut
for Tori Amos. I’m told it’s the best of her CDs, which I’m very
willing to believe. Guys tend to be scared of her for some reason—or disdainful—but
they miss out on some great music by doing so.
Want to know how Tori’s 2002 release, Scarlet’s Walk, is? Read Andrew’s review.
