ernestsewell said:

you just stooped as low

I love Tori. amazing artist.

I don't get the Tori/Britney comparison either. Tori/Kate I can see. Britney/Madonna too. But Tori/Britney? They couldn't be more different.

When it comes to Tori Amos i feel the same about her as I feel about Lenny Kravitz, Tracy Chapman and Pearl Jam.

All artists with a great, 'classic' (official) debutalbum, who have never really been able to reach that quality and 'momentum' with their following albums.

I love her debut-album Little Earthquakes: great compositions and not TOO eccentric for her own good, but on most of her other albums she appears too calculated (oh, listen how i can experiment!) and selfobsessed (oh, look what a special, tormented creature i am!) to really touch me. The songwriting on those other albums also simply isnt as good as on Little Earthquakes.

Riverpoet31 said:

Good observation. One could also argue each of those artist's were too derivative of other artists (or styles) to stand up on their own artistically.each of them have a cult following that keeps them commercially afloat but haven't been able to sustain long-term acclaim.

Riverpoet31 said:

I completely disagree. Tori's songwriting has improved over the years and remains strong. Obviously it's subjective, and you may not personally enjoy any of her post-Little Earthquakes work, but to say something "simply isn't as good" is patently ridiculous. Your characterizations of her music suggest that you are relying on vague impressions you might have, and haven't actually taken the time to explore her work. And even if you have, I'd disagree, as would the vast majority of Tori Amos fans who actually take the time to explore her work. Among her fanbase - those who know her music best - very few will name "Little Earthquakes" as her best work. How many die-hard Prince fans name "Purple Rain" as his best album? A minority. And yet, ask the general public and those who may not have spent much time delving into his catalog, and "Purple Rain" will be the answer 90% of the time.

Like Prince, Tori Amos is not a one-album artist - at all. Her 2nd album "Under the Pink" topped her debut in terms of commercial and artistic success. Her commercial peak (and many would argue her creative peak) came not with "Little Earthquakes", but with Boys for Pele (#2) and From the Choirgirl Hotel (#5) back to back in the mid-to-late 90s. Both of these records launched hugely successful tours.

To this day, Tori remains commercially successful and relevant nearly 20 years since her debut with basically zero mainstream radio or video airplay. She currently has a string of 5 straight Top 10 albums in Billboard, all in the 2000s, including her most recent which debuted at #9 back in May. How many artists have 5 Top 10 albums to their name this decade? Not Tracy Chapman, that's for sure.

In addition to chart success, all of her albums have generally been well-received by critics. She's never had an album that was universally, or even largely, panned by the music press.

She also continues to tour very successfully, and is about to release a new holiday album through Universal. She and her husband created their own studio, and she is able to sign distribution deals with major labels similar to what Prince has done, giving her complete artistic freedom. Again, very rare in this industry.

Very very few female artists in their late 40s are able to maintain this kind of success - - very few. That longevity alone is a tribute to her talent, her ability to consistently change and explore new directions, and her commitment to her fans and their loyalty to her.
[Edited 10/7/09 12:47pm]

sosgemini said:

One could argue that, but one would be incorrect

NoVideo said:

Here's the deal when sharing "opinions". Nobody is wrong. Well, except for Tori fans...it's been years since I've had to encounter them and I am starting to remember their overzealous attempts to defend their precious.

Folks, it's only opinion sharing, it ain't that serious.

sosgemini said:

Prince fans and Tori fans are alot alike. And when someone is a fan of both, defense comes w/ the territory. They both seem to generate strong opinions.

Too many people who've only really heard Little Earthquakes and are acting like they know the ins and outs of her career on this thread.

Little Earthquakes was a great debut, but I think most fans would agree she has topped this album several times over the years, with Pele, Choirgirl and Scarlet's Walk all far superior records.

I'm seeing comparisons to Lenny Kravitz and Britney... WTF? You clearly haven't the first clue what you're talking about.

MattyJam, I disagree with you.... those things happen