There is a review of Tales Of A Librarian in the Swiss newspaper "Le Matin". You can find the review online at www.lematin.ch, however the article is in French. The Dent has two translations of this article into English, and I provide both of them to you to read. Click the Details link to read the English translations.

More Details

Many thanks to Sylvain for first telling me about the article, and to Delphine aka feldelys and Robert Schrader for translating the article from French to English. I provide both translations below.

English translation from Delphine aka feldelys:

The library of a life
TORI AMOS The American talks to us as her unusual best-of comes out.

Miguel Cid, London, 23rd Nov 2003

Tori Amos never does anything like anyone else. Instead of publishing a simple best-of, the unpredictable American gives us these "Tales of a Librarian", a collection of her best songs, certainly, but "new and improved" and presented thematically. "This album lets you travel through the life of a woman. What I'm interested in is to examine how one idea leads to the next in life.", she declares.

We therefore find, remixed and sometimes slightly modified, the classics "Silent All These Years", "Cornflake Girl", or "Me And A Gun", the poignant story of the rape the singer was a victim of years ago. And we also discover two brand new songs, "Angels" and "Snow Cherries From France".

Every title is catalogued by theme like in a library. "I've always been intrigued by librarians. They knew where the stories were hidden, and I find that very sexy."

Born in North Carolina forty years ago to a minister father and a part-Cherokee mother, Tori Amos published her first attempt, "Little Earthquakes", in 1992. Her intimate compositions have often had themes like religion, sex, and the relationship between men and women. But since the birth of her daughter, Natashya, three years ago, the singer-songwriter-performer seems to lean more towards social and political issues. "I've tried to create something which Natashya will be able to show her grandchildren in 50 or 100 years. The summary of the life of a woman musician born at the beginning of the feminist movement."

And she adds: "I think this album is a chronicle of our times. And offering people a reflection of the times they're living in might be the best present there is."

English translation from Robert Schrader:

The Library of a Life

Tori Amos, American Singer, talks about the release of her best of album, which is like no other.

Tori Amos never does anything like the rest of the word. Instead of releasing a simple "best of", the unforseeable American gives us Tales of a Librarian, which contains, of course, her best songs (the ninth being a remix) presented in a thematic fashion. "The album takes you through the life of a woman. What interests me is examining how in life, one idea leads to another," she affirmed.

We find, thus, remixes and sometimes modified arrangements, classics "Silent all these years", "Cornlake Girl" or even "Me and a Gun," the poignant story of the rape of which the singer what victim for many years. We also find two new songs, "Angels" and "Snow Cherries from France."

Each song is cataloged by theme like in a library. "I've always been intrigued by librarians. They always know where the stories are, and I find that very sexy."

Born in North Carolina 40 years ago, her father a preacher and her mother of Cherokee origin, Tori Amos released her debut effort Little Earthqauke in 1992. Her intimate albums often focus on religion, sex, and male-female relations. But since the birth of her daughter, Natashya, three years ago, the singer songwriter has become more concerned with the social order and politics. "I've tried to create something that Natasha can show her little ones in fifty or a hundred years. A story of a musician born at the beginning of the feminist movement."

She adds: "I think this album is a chronicle of our time. And to offer to the people a relflection on a time during which they live maybe the best gift I can give."