Classically-trained pop pianist Tori Amos released her 14th studio album last week; while its title (Unrepentant Geraldines) is a bit of a head-scratcher, many critics and fans have praised the album as a return-to-form for Amos. Unlike several of her previous post-2000 albums, she’s toned down the “alter egos,” wigs, costume changes, and overly-complex backstories in favor of poppy and deeply affecting mediations on aging, interpersonal relationships, and the inspiration found in visual art. This album proves that Amos is not just a 1990s throwback—for the majority of Unrepentant Geraldines, Amos’s songwriting and composing abilities are as sharp as ever. Longtime Amos fans will probably react strongly to this album; here’s a light take on what to expect if you’re a die-hard pair of “ears with feet” (as the songwriter herself calls her fans):
Hearing the first two songs, “America” and “Trouble’s Lament”:
…and then realizing that they are two of the album’s weakest tracks:
The extended gut-punch/heartstring grab of tracks 3-5 (“Wild Way,” “Wedding Day,” and “Weatherman”):
When “16 Shades of Blue” gets stuck in your head because of the catchy melody and its biting (but subtle) social commentary:
Listening to “Promise”—a beautifully sung but bizarrely written duet between Amos and her teenage daughter—and then you skip the track halfway through:
When you hear Amos awkwardly name-check the NSA and the FBI on “Giant’s Rolling Pin” (which, inexplicably, is also about making pie):
Listening to “Selkie” (which takes its name from mythological seal/human creatures), and then listening to it three more times in a row:
Realizing that the title track is three different songs:
…and then realizing that you don’t care:
Hearing the “I’m working my way back to me again” line from “Oysters”:
Listening to “Invisible Boy” all the way through:
Realizing that Tori Amos has finally made an album that is mostly free of the middling excuses for “songs” (padding, really) that she’s put into so many of her post-2002 releases:
