lambchops's Full Review: Under the Pink by Tori Amos
By no stretch of the imagination am I a dedicated fan to Tori Amos. I buy her albums, but only after they’ve been popular and in print for years. I listen to her music, but only on intermittent occasions. I’ll never see her live, nor am I willing to track down every EP and single the woman has released (there are about a zillion of those). But with that said, it is hard not to admire Amos for her confessional style of singing and songwriting. In the past decade or so, she has managed to cement herself in the psyche of all music fans and become this generation’s reluctant Joni Mitchell.
Born in North Carolina, Amos began singing and playing piano at the age of four. After attending music school she headed to Los Angeles in pursuit of stardom. Amos quickly landed a record deal and hacked up Y Kant Tori Read. The album didn’t work; people were unwilling to buy the pop-metal hybrid. After more life experience, Amos resurfaced. She managed to retain her Atlantic record deal and made a startling comeback with 1991’s Little Earthquakes. A complete departure from her earlier work, the album detailed Amos’s most personal turmoil ranging from themes of rape to religion and gender to hurt. This impressive debut remains one of her career high points and paved the road to her further success.
Amos returned in 1994 with Under The Pink. Again focusing on the piano, but lightheartedly arranged with unexpected guitars, bass, and various other elements the album is a further extension of the Amos that fans first got to know in 1991. The songs are near perfect and include Cornflake Girl, Pretty Good Year, and God among many others. The lyrics are effortlessly beautiful and poetic. They stretch the listener to think and feel…something that all too few albums are able to accomplish. Amos proved beyond doubt on Under The Pink that she is talented and would follow-up with a lengthy career.
And she has had an incredibly successful career to date. Six albums have followed including 1996’s Boys For Pele, 1998’s From the Choirgirl Hotel, 1999’s To Venus And Back, 2001’s Strange Little Girls (an album made up entirely of covers), and 2002’s Scarlett’s Walk. Not only is Amos talented…she is also rather prolific. With regret I have to admit that the singer-songwriter has yet to equal to sonic sincerity of both Little Earthquakes and Under The Pink in recent years.
Under The Pink is a scrumptious album. One that deserves to be held closely, caressed, and loved. Fans obviously realized quickly the power of the disc…it eventually went platinum and spawned a few modest hits. The fact that any of these songs was a hit is a testament to their timeless nature. In the midst of the grunge movement, somehow Amos came out of nowhere and managed to retain her status.
The songs that most stand out on this album are probably also the two most widely recognizable. Both God and Cornflake Girl were minor hits as singles with both also boasting music video versions (both of which are by the way easily viewable for free along with twenty-three others at Launch.com). As to which of the two is better, both present an equally compelling argument. God is mildly funky and distorted with guitars and percussion that sounds wonderfully rich and full. The song, in fact, is probably one of the most widely appreciable in Amos’s career even if the lyrics question the effectiveness of the deity. Then again, Cornflake Girl is a lovely, pensive track that combines the pianos and tidy percussion into a compelling vocal alternative rock package. And as mentioned, above all other things Amos is a poet:
She know whats going on
Seems we got a cheaper feel now
All the sweeteaze are gone
Gone to the other side
With my encyclopedia
They musta paid her a nice price
She's puttin on her string bean love
This is not really happening
You bet your life it is
As for the rest of the album…well, it is just as easy to digest as these two masterful songs. Pretty Good Year is one of my personal favorites. Most similar in sound to Amos’s first solo outing, the song presents her in front of just a piano. It’s in this setting that she is most thoughtful and compelling. Amos voice invites the imagination and lures the heart. Her piano in turn takes the listener on the journey that is Under The Pink.
Past The Mission is also worth exploring. Amos is divine, her voice floats gently over the breeze of guitars, piano, and percussion. And it is that uniquely passionate vocal prowess that truly makes her a special performer. Without question, Amos will be fondly remembered long after her retirement and long after her death. Once again, her lyrics soar:
She said they all think they know him well
She knew him better
Everyone wanted something from him
I did too but I shut my mouth
Under The Pink is an album that must be heard. These words do it no justice. The real merit of the album can be found in the bond that will immediately upon hearing be forged between your heart and the songs. Amos speaks to the sarcastic, sad, joyous, enigmatic, intelligent woman in us all. Other songs like The Waitress, Icicle, and Baker Baker are also particularly important. But don’t worry…all twelve songs on this album are worth hearing.
In the context of Amos’s continuing career, this album is one of her best resting neatly aside Little Earthquakes and the electronica-laden From The Choirgirl Hotel. Under The Pink is a must-own for any connoisseur of great modern music. Amos has a lot to say, and she knows exactly how to get her point across.
Under The Pink is a veritable masterpiece.
Rating: 5/5 stars
Track Listing:
01. Pretty Good Year
02. God
03. Bells for Her
04. Past The Mission
05. Baker Baker
06. The Wrong Band
07. The Waitress
08. Cornflake Girl
09. Icicle
10. Cloud on My Tongue
11. Space Dog
12. Yes, Anastasia
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