Tori Amos - Strange Little Girls

Not about sticking to a particular archetype, Tori Amos' latest effort, "Strange Little Girls", is a pastiche of a variety of characters, a variety of voices. Nevermind the fact that all the songs on this album are covers, nevermind the fact that all the songs on this album were written by men, nevermind that this record is one of the first good attempts at a concept album since "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band." "Strange Little Girls" is a scrapbook of stories told in the diamond-hard conviction of Ms. Amos. Each song is a new perspective, a new light shed on the shadows of the women that are or could have been behind these songs. Disagree? Amos' perennial personification of objects and songs are most vital and bold here. The photo booklet accompanying the CD underscores Amos' ability to paint pictures of what she wants to say, as well as her ability to access an almost liquid approach to music, as each song on this album is another colorful vessel for Amos to fill with her unique arrangements and graceful pace. Each song on "Strange Little Girls" is more sexual, more feral than their original composition under (this) woman's guidance and ragged vocals. For the more hardened to the fair-weather fan, "Strange Little Girls" is instantly riveting. Each song may be a cover, but they all sound like Tori Amos tunes. Even the chilling, eerie "'97 Bonnie and Clyde" by misogynist plebian Eminem becomes an Amos journey. "Heart of Gold" (Neil Young) and "Happiness is a Warm Gun" (Lennon/McCartney) are the only tracks that may take a few adjustments to listen to, as both contain an abrasiveness not contained on their original recordings that immediately hearken more toward the Amos arena. The morbid lullabye of "I Don't Like Mondays" is her cadence; the cold and testy "I'm Not in Love" is her resolute voice of loved and lost. Tom Waits' "Time" is soothing and beautiful, while Lou Reed's "New Age" is honest and ethereal. "Enjoy the Silence" and "Rattlesnakes" are calm storms, sincere missives. Amos' Bosendorfer makes Slayer's "Raining Blood" even more heartily darker. A stratospheric, unparalleled album, "Strange Little Girls" (the title track, though Blake Babies tempered, should surely get some airplay) is something you should invest some time in: It's still Tori Amos, less subdued than she's been in a long while, and this album caters to the introspection of autumn that only the faeries could bring. [www.toriamos.com]