On her new double CD, Tori Amos may have traveled "to venus and back" but she would have been better off looking into her past for inspiration.
After being hailed by critics as one of the few original musical acts working today, Tori Amos' second effort fails to capture the excitement of her first two albums and does not deliver anything fresh. The first disc, "orbiting," contains all new material while the latter "live, still orbiting" contains live performances of her previous work. Her newer music lacks the musical, vocal and lyrical depth of her earlier releases and the live album only serves as a reminder of that.
The first single released from this compilation is "Bliss." Lyrically this song is as deep - some may prefer the term esoteric - as 1991's "Crucify" or 1994's "Cornflake Girl." Indeed some of the lyrics are truly strange and it takes a strong imagination to figure out the meaning of "Father, I killed my Monkey / I let it out / to taste the sweet of spring." The song begins slowly with weighty piano music but then speeds up with the chorus. Unfortunately, Amos slurs her words, rendering the refrain difficult to understand.
In later songs Amos still plays the piano, but it is not the dominant force behind the music. Unlike the melodies on "Little Earthquakes" and "Under the Pink," Amos does not create a rich blend of instruments, but instead heavily depends on a synthesized sound that lacks the intensity of her earlier work. This change also takes away from Amos' distinctive voice, which is almost unintelligible in songs such as "Juárez."
Perhaps the reason for the decreased emphasis on Amos' voice is the inclusion of her touring band "Plugged" in the making of this album.
The overriding problem, however, with Amos' new material is that it lacks passion. There is nothing that grabs much attention, as each song seems to fade the next. Although the track "Lust" features a beautiful piano harmony and loses the synthesized accompaniment that commands so many of the other songs, it is, simply put, boring. One would expect some zing from a song entitled "Lust," not placid music and dull lyrics.
But not all of the tracks on this album are boring. Some are interesting just for the promise of what they might have been. "Datura" has the complicated introduction of old, but fails to highlight Amos' voice, once again making the lyrics incomprehensible.
One song, "1,000 Oceans," stands out for its simple harmony and the clarity of Amos' voice. Not only are the lyrics understandable, but they are accessible to most listeners. Perhaps this is the reason she chose to play this ballad on the Sept. 21 episode of "The Tonight Show." While this song lacks in intensity, it does possess beauty in its simple tune and clear lyrics.
The live disc is refreshing after the second-rate studio disc, despite its overly lengthy introductions. For Amos' fans this is the best reason to buy the double disc. One of the highlights is "Cornflake Girl," which after "orbiting" will make the listener nostalgic for the mandolin. The only regret some may have with this half is that it does not contain more of Amos' early work such as "Crucify" or "Past the Mission."
The album is disappointing because it contains only hints at Amos' potential, rather than its delivery.
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