This isnt a 5 star album


This I know

POOK said:

Is this a review of the album? LoL

JonSnow said:

Yeah and after basically slaughtering each piece with his review, he gives it five stars?

I liked Scarlet's Walk and it showed a more mature,"motherly", less angry Tori. The Beekeeper doesn't even stack up to Scarlet's Walk....imo.

Hey, at least we get wildflower seeds.

AnckSuNamun said:

personally, I think Ireland and Hoochie Woman are both great tracks.

And I'm not sure why one wouldn't "expect cheesy" from Tori Amos (not that I think either of those tracks are particularly cheesy, in a negative sense.). Tori has always tried to inject a little goofiness into her music.

For example:

The Happy Phantom - from Little Earthquakes
The Wrong Band - from Under the Pink
Mr. Zebra - from Pele
She's Your Cocaine - from Choirgirl
Glory of the 80's - from Venus
Wednesday - from Scarlet

and several b-sides, including Bachelorette.

JonSnow said:

And I LOVE all of those songs, esp. She's Your Cocaine, but c'mon...Ireland vs. those.... Maybe it's the "driving in my Saab" line and generic country/R&B intro that gets to me. The intro reminds me of "Drift Away"....which is ironic since I don't hate that song, but I don't love it either. "Hoochie Woman"....those "ugh" "ughs" in the intro kills me.

JonSnow said:

I consider those songs whimsical. I wouldnt call them "cheesy".

dreamfactory313 said:

perfect word.

dreamfactory313 said:

I agree, and it's a perfect word for "Ireland".

Put "Ireland" on Little Earthquakes or Under the Pink, and it would be a fan favorite. I have no clue why so many people hate it. {shrug}

But then, everyone hated Pele when it came out, too. That's just the way it goes w/ Tori, I guess.

Where I work, we've been listening to this album for over a week now (like all day, repeatedly) and I'm finally getting a handle on it. I love it. My current favorites are Cars and Guitars, Sweet The Sting and The Beekeeper. The Power of Orange Knickers is my least favorite.

I love Tori Amos. I have been a fan since the early days of Little Earthquakes. I do not love everything she has done, on an individual song basis, but I like all of her albums. Some more than others.

But ever since The Beekeeper leaked, I have felt it was a special record. I've been listening to it with pretty heavy frequency for over a month. And I've said for a couple weeks that I think this is the best work of Tori's career.

And now as I bought the actual CD today, and listened to it, going through the lyrics and photos, and watched the bonus edition DVD, it occurred to me that this album really touches me like few albums have before, for many reasons. It really moves me, and I have to say that I am just completely thrilled with it. I can honestly see this album developing into one of my top records not only by Tori Amos, but from anyone. I really love it that much.

It's not my favourite Tori CD, but it has it's moments of greatness.

Parasol is one of the best Tori openers... I love the word-play in the verses. And I like the ominous appeal of the lyrics.

Sweet The Sting is unlike anything I'd ever expect from Tori. Funnily enough, it reminds me of Whatever Happens from MJ's Invincible.

I think the title track is a beautiful, haunting, gothic masterpiece. I love the whole grim-reaper theme. Definately the stand-out point of the record. And a subject that I can personally relate to as well.

The Power Of Orange Knickers has an extremely sweet, almost melancholic vibe to it. It was wonderful watching her break into it impromptu on the DVD.

I don't think it flows as well as Scarlet's Walk. I really grew to love the whole conceipt of that album. With The Beekeeper you get the impression that it's more a collection of individual songs, stringed together with the rather loose Garden Of Eden theme. It's almost as if she came up with that theme as an after-thought.

When their is no strong conceipt, it's best left as just a collection of songs, each with their own individual meaning, telling their own stories. It worked with Little Earthquakes, didn't it?

That's my two cence anyway.

Yeah, picked it up monday and it's a nice album. I need to give it a few more spins before I have a proper opinion of it, tho'.

JonSnow said:

I LOVED Pele the first time I heard it and still do!

EvilWhiteMale said:

i have to say that it kind of sounds as though your willing it to be a disappointment. i mean, if i look for things to be wrong with a record or expect a record to be disappointing i'm probably going to get my wish. the same can also be said the other way around as well. if i've told myself that i'm going to love the record then i probably will make myself love it.

evilwhitemale, just pick up the cd and give it an honest listen. forget what i've said or what jonsnow has said or whoever. i don't think tori has ever released a cd that sucked in its entirety...hell, even strange little girl had a few high moments, lol. if you haven't been digging what she's been doing lately then you probably won't like the record too much. she isn't trying to repeat what she's done in the past though she is certainly incorporating that previous work into new styles and elements.

if you haven't heard the disc yet how can you assume that stating this is her best work is the equivelant to stating that musicology is prince's best? i think i get what you're saying: a devoted follower will say every new record is that artist's best. i'll tell you what, though, there are several moments in this new record that are peak moments for tori...ever. there are at least two tracks that are immediately top ten tori favorites; possibly top 5. give it listen and then come back. in the end its all sunjective and you may very well hate what others love but at least listen to it before you make that decision.

I picked up the record last night and I am listening to it for the second time right now. This is the first Tori album that I have no real opinion on right away. There is so much on this disc that it will take a while to digest. I got the special edition with the bonus dvd, booklet, and wildflower seeds. I like the packaging and Ive watched the dvd and I love it. In my opinion, she should have done Orange Knickers all by herself. She sounds amazing performing a bit of it on the Bosendorfer on the dvd. I love her storytelling and her perspectives. She is such an inspired artist and this album represents that. There is so much thought and artistry involved that it will take more time for me to give it the time that it deserves to give a proper review. But so far, so good!!

dreamfactory313 said:

so...has this opinion evolved or changed since you first listened?