Look below for reviews of Scarlet's Walk from Toriphiles, or fans of Tori Amos. (The most recently added reviews are posted at the top of the page.)

From BoyfromPele (Posted Nov 29, 2002)

So far I have gone through 4 copies of the album due to scratches and because i have probably listened to the album over 100 times by now, maybe even 200.

I am a huge toriphile, i've been a fan since '94. i'm beyond obsessed. fav albums are BFP, FTCH, and TVAB so for me I wasn't too impressed with the album overall although i do really like the concept. my favorite songs are: a sorta fairytale (w/extra verse only!), carbon, sweet sangria, pankake, i can't see new york (album fav), another girl's paradise, virgina.

favorite songs of all times by tori: precious things, concertina, blood roses, caught a lite sneeze, lust, bliss, spark, i i e e e, black dove (january), cruel, juarez, riot poof, datura, i can't see new york, crucify, god, real men, yes anastasia, the waitress, twinkle, etc.

Amber Waves
hate it except maybe the chours

a sorta fairytale
so much better with the extra verse and possibly one of my favorite parts of the album

wenesday
reminds me of rufus

strange
its alright

Carbon
i love this one, everything about it

Crazy
hate this one too mainly because i am waiting for the chorus to bring more sound and make a fuller sound

sweet sangria
LOVE THIS ONE!!!!! especially bridge

your cloud
i can't stand this one

Pancake
wonderfully strong voice

I can't see new york
my personal favorite

mrs jesus
like it

taxi ride
sounds too heather nova

another girls paradise
like it

Scarlets walk
like it

virginia
like it

goldust
I like it a lot

overall: about 3 out of 5

From David O. (Posted Nov 22, 2002)

After being disappointed by Strange Little Girls, I wasn't sure if I would go out and buy Scarlet's Walk the day it came out. I had been hearing A Sorta Fairytale for weeks, and was getting a bit bored with it. I was afraid the whole album would sound like Sheryl Crow. But, in a leap of faith, I went out and got Scarlet the day it came out. A guy at the record store told me "It sounds like her old stuff!" "I doubt it," I thought.

Well, it doesn't sound like her old stuff. And it's just as poppy as I thought it would be. But, after a few weeks, I'm starting to love it.

It takes time to get into a 75-minute album. I still haven't made it through the whole thing in one sitting. But every single song on the album is growing on me. As well, the production is amazing. Every instrument -- with the exception of the drums -- sounds beautiful on its own, and even more beautiful in the mix. The drums just sound typical. But the over all sound is great.

As with all Tori albums, this one takes time to get into. But as someone who doesn't listen to pop music, I am amazed at how much I'm already loving it. I think Tori's created something very rare here -- a pop masterpiece.

From Jeannette Oravec (Posted Nov 22, 2002)

The first time I listened to the album I made the mistake of listening to it the way I listen to every album - song to song. I sat down next to my cd player and listened intently to each song. By the end, I felt like I was missing something and honestly, I was a little disappointed. Then I kept the cd in my player and had it on all the time, no matter what I was doing. That was when the "essence" of the album began to creep in. I must have listened to the album 10 or 15 times before I even glanced at the words. By then, I was totally in love with the album. It is a composite, and each entity or song brings something to the composite, so without one song, something is missing.

Then I listened to each song with the words to get to know the songs better. As I listened and read, the songs (and the album) took on yet another dimension and even more meaning. I began to love it even more. And by this point, I was absolutely convinced that this is the best album Tori has ever created, and I have been a fan since Little Earthquakes.

There are songs I don't really "get" yet or don't like. I don't much care for Amber Waves, it doesn't mean much to me. And I am not to a place yet in my life where I really understand Virginia or Gold Dust - not that I can't appreciate these songs for their lyrical and musical composure, it just doesn't yet have a place in my "being". Then there are songs I have been in love with from the beginning like Taxi Ride, Carbon, Crazy, a sorta fairytale, and your cloud. There are also songs that have really grown on me like strange, don't make me come to vegas, Sweet Sangria, pancake, I can't see New York, another girl's paradise, and Scarlet's Walk. I'm sure the others will come around in time :)

Next I listened to Scarlet's Stories. I would listen to the story and then the song. I still want to listen to Scarlet's Stories all the way through and then the album all the way through. And I still want to listen to the album through headsets to hear even more. I suspect with each listening, I will learn more and love it more.

I am also totally impressed with the creativity that has poured into the creation of this album and all the "goodies" we are given. As an artist myself, I applaud the combined efforts of everyone involved to create the entire package. I love going to Scarlet's Web and taking the journey with Scarlet, and reading the tour journal, and learning about the Native American tribes scattered about the country, and looking at the map, photos, and dvd. It's all so exciting and a little overwhelming, but mostly extremely well done!

From Scott Bates (Posted Nov 19, 2002)

I thought "Strange Little Girls" sucked. It's not that I don't like it when she does covers, just why did she choose THESE covers? Most of the songs were to my ears, devoid of the kind of melodies I am used to her playing. Her choice of material was awful.

How glad I am that this time around she has chosen to write her own material and write material that is melodic again. Scarlet's Walk is a return to her style, though a little more commercial than before . Although I loved the experimental "Venus" album, her return to more piano based music is nice. A little more poppy and accessible this time around, but not as commercial as I would expect as for her move to Epic Records. I have been pleasantly surprised how much of a cohesive album this is and can pretty much listen to the whole thing without skipping too many tracks. The theme of the record is unimportant to me, but I can definately tell that the stories were inspired by her Cherokee grandfather and thus the lyrics seem more personal this time around.

Favorite tracks: Carbon-nice melody and great tribal feel, Your Cloud-haunting, gorgeous, almost jazz-like.

4 out of 5 stars

From anna ham (Posted Nov 19, 2002)

Amber Waves: This is a song about a porn star. Yes, a porn star. It's also about how stupid the porn industry is for exploiting women. I could be wrong here, but I think many people have figured that out already. Then again, whenever Tori does something that has to do with current social issues (rape, feminism, etc.), it sounds new and fresh.

A Sorta Fairytale: I love this song, although some Tori fans have said that it's too "radio-friendly" and it's "selling out". One person on a Tori-related message board was even so quick as to say that they liked this song, but they listened to it in the way that they would listen to an 'NSync song. This person, I feel, hasn't given this poor little song a fair chance. Wait -- I don't like Tori's song "Agent Orange", and a lot of other fans do, so who am I to judge? Oh, screw it. I'll judge if I want.

Wednesday: I think Rufus Wainwright deserves at least a "thank you" in the liner notes for his stylistic contributions to this track. So he didn't write the music for it, but this track happens to sound a whole lot like "Cigarrettes and Chocolate Milk" on crack, mixed in with gelatinous guitar chunks of the theme song from Shaft. On another note entirely, this track just doesn't feel right unless you actually listen to it on a Wednesday.

Strange: I didn't like this song when I first heard it (gasp!), but, like black mold grows onto bread when it is left to age in a dark cupboard for a few months, it's grown on me. It's a nice, slow song -- very good for dancing to. Alone. Yes, alone.

Carbon: This is where things get a little weird. Currently, I'm nearly failing Chemistry, and the fact that Tori mentions at least two elements of the Periodic Table in this tune made me think that she was trying to communicate with me through her music and/or through the Periodic Table of the Elements. Once I realized how much I liked this song, though, it made me forget about all of my conspiracy theories involving this song, Tori, and my Chemistry grade.

Crazy: Another song that was tough to get into at first. But, once I listened to it about 600 more times while dancing around in my kitchen with a floor mop, it attached to me like a bloodthirsty leech and hasn't let go since.

Wampum Prayer: This little gem holds the record for "Shortest Tori Song Ever", in that it is exactly 44 seconds long. Again, I thought that Tori was trying to communicate with me; we're studying Manifest Destiny -- I like to call it "Manifest Density" -- in my US History class, and that is exactly what this song is about. Ah, the great, bloody, ass-kicking history of America. And with the President killing more innocent people overseas every day, we'll have even more bloodshed for our nation's future children to learn about in Social Studies class!

Don't Make Me Come to Vegas: The funkiest piano line this side of Warren Zevon's "Werewolves of London". Okay, maybe not. "Precious Things" is still the funkiest Tori piano line, in my opinion. This track still totally rocks, though; the lyrics manage to conjure up images of strippers, casinos, neon, and seedy Vegas hotels with rooms that always smell like cigarrettes, even if you get a non-smoking room, goddamit.

Sweet Sangria: Makes me want to go out with friends to a seedy diner in the middle of absolutely nowhere, order a virgin strawberry margarita, and waste all of my money playing Ms. Pac-man against some greasy biker all night.

Your Cloud: Sort of sounds like something you would hear while cruising the sale racks at Nordstrom looking for striped pants. But, oh, it's so much more. It's pretty, the lyrics are wonderful, and it takes some getting used to. I didn't like this song when I heard it the first time. Then, when I was sitting on my couch and reading Fast Food Nation for the fifth or sixth time and had the album on my stereo, I suddenly realized how much I liked this song.

Pancake: This song seems to be about a cult leader. With guitars, a Rhodes, and lines like, "You could've spared her oh but no. . .Messiahs need people dying in their names," it seems pretty fucking obvious, doesn't it? Paging Jim Jones, Tori's ragging on your ass here, buddy. Since it has to do with cults and gets down to the funky bizniss, this is one of my personal favorite songs on the album.

I Can't See New York: Powerful stuff here. This song is the sensitive yet sad antidote to Alan Jackson's majorly America-centric, trying-way-too-hard-to-look-like-I-care-because-I'm a-big-country-star crapaganza "Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning," as well as Toby Keith's war monger whoop-ass mating calls to those Bush-lovers of the US of A.

Mrs. Jesus: The token "Tori song that has something to do with Christianity" of Scarlet's Walk. Even though the lyrics are a little cliched at times and the piano line isn't the best she's ever penned, ol' Tori makes up for it in spirit. Meaning, essentially, that she has faith in this song and wants it to succeed in life. It's the little song that could! I think I can I think I can I know I can. . .

Taxi Ride: Tori gets even funkier here. A good song to listen to when you're stuck in traffic and really, really need an escape. Or when you're really, really bored. This song puts me in a good mood when I'm studying for a math exam, and not many things do. Give me all the hot fudge sundaes, new CDs, and cult-related jokes you want -- chances are, this song will still make me happier than all of those things combined.

Another Girl's Paradise: The chorus of this song makes me want to start my own coven of witches, go to the forest, and sacrifice a hot young virgin (male) to the Gods for some reason. Alternately, if fine young guy is not avaliable, dancing around by myself and screaming the lyrics at the top of my lungs has proven to be a helluva lot of fun, too.

Scarlet's Walk: Creepy! If M. Night Shalayman (that guy who directed The Sixth Sense. Yeah, remember him?) had directed Gone With the Wind (or perhaps a remake starring Courtnet Cox as Scarlet and George Clooney as Rhett. . .frightening!) this would be the theme song. Well, it should be. And Tori had better be in charge of the music, gal durnit.

Virginia: If you put System of a Down's "Aerials," the live version of "Bells For Her" and what a Frida Kahlo painting sounds like into a blender and made an iced treat out of it, this is what it would sound like. And you'd sure as hell need a nice, cold beverage to keep you from fainting from heat stroke during those hot Virginia summers, wouldn't you?

Gold Dust: Oh, the final song. It's pretty. It's also sad. When I found out that Tori's December 21st show in San Francisco was sold out -- after trying to get tickets for an hour, thank you very much -- this was the song I had on repeat while I was on the floor, curled in fetal position for two hours and bawling like a loser. But, by some sort of miracle, I got tickets for the December 20th show, and this became a happy triumph song.

From Mark Levine (Posted Nov 19, 2002)

So this one is something else, huh? I found myself sitting on the couch, with the rain outside the window, listening to this on my headphones, following along with the lyrics, spacing out now and then on my life and the state of the world: something that a Tori album hasn't really done for me since Pele. I remember getting an advanced copy of Pele and listening to it in my car, riding through darkened suburban streets, with chills go up and down my spine. The emotional strength and ingenuity of Tori's first three albums created a powerful trinity on the search for self from interior issues to dealing with the external world and its joys and disappointments, leading back to the self. They formed a soundtrack to my life, filling in all my emotional blanks. They are permanently grafted to the environment and atmosphere of that time.

When Choirgirl came out, I was late in my college years, and although I accepted this album into my emotional life, it wasn't due to the album itself, but more to the reassuring sound of Tori's voice. I was confused, Tori was confused, the album was confused. We still fit together. I moved to New York and To Venus came out, and I listened to it, knew every word, knew every melody, but it was more like a breath then a powerful wind. It came and went and sits on my shelf. Strange Little Girls was the first album of Tori's that I cared very little about and not because of the lack of original material. I felt her "concept" was heavyhanded and the experiment a bit of a glorious failure. I had no time for it. I did see her in concert shortly after 9/11 at the Beacon, and she was amazing. Part Banshee, part Angel, she comforted, excited, and disturbed me all at once.

So I wasn't altogether out of the Tori fold, but I certainly was a bit hedgy about the whole affair. Had I outgrown her? Has age and motherhood sapped her creativity as it has with so many artists as they grow older?

I heard " A Sorta Fairytale" online about a month ago and was horrified. Not to bring up the specter of Jewel , but this song sounded like it could be used on the Dawson's Creek soundtrack. Bland vocals, cliche melodies, that deathly adult-contemporary percussion. Needless to say, I was not too excited about the upcoming album; what I had heard of the concept sounded like Joan Baez-style heavy handed politico-naivete. And yet I was drawn to Virgin Megastore on October 29. I went to the listening station and put on the first track, "Amber Waves." Pretty, okay, fine, yes, what! What a hook! On DVD and magazine, she did what? Did she say every boy's wet dream? And here's comes the Northern Lights bit...and my hopes began to lift. I skipped Fairytale, and went right to that gem of a ditty, "Wednesday." Now here is a song that would have been on a B-side long ago, but here it is track 3. My foot's tapping, Tori's vamping on the keyboard, singing in that "Life's a bitch, ain't it?" kind of lilt. This is one of those songs that I think I'm gonna get sick of, but I doubt it. There's an element of Mr. Zebra and a touch of Past the Mission going on. I took off the headphones and bought the album.

It took some time, but I have come to understand and like Fairytale. I still think it's characteristic of the one major issue of this album. Although I think Tori is a fine producer, and this album has a clarity and fluidity that I haven't heard in quite a while, there is a monotonous quality and a dearth of compelling orchestration.

The percussion is at times exciting, but generally, in an attempt, I assume, to be subtle, the percussion, strays too often into that bland, keeping-the-beat soft rock sound that just undermines the complexity and beauty of the melodies and vocals. Moments like the flute underscore in the superb "Mrs. Jesus'" only make me wish there were more moments like it. But this is a minor concern and I digress. Fairytale, like many songs on this album, relies mostly on its lyrics. These lyrics are by far the most clear and lucid since Little Earthquakes. It's a great story of a song, and I imagine would be great to hear on a car radio. So, good single choice.

From the beginning of "Strange", i get a strange deja vu that doesn't leave me throughout the album. In fact it only intensifies on the final song, "Gold Dust," whose chorus I swear I've heard before...On Strange, the question, "When will I learn?" sounds like something...the chords resolve in ways that feel alarmingly familiar. And yet, it manages to sneak past being derivitive, and instead feels natural and inspired. These strains of melodies that I know i know, seem like a collage of pop hooks and riffs, and you clearly understand that Tori is a master of the idiom. She is able to make them sound entirely original and newly powerful. It's exciting. I really like this song. I move on.

"Carbon" begins with typical Tori piano doodlings, a smattering of drums, a giggle of bass, then..the beat picks up and we hear a driving rhythmic landscape, the percussion occasionally slapping around. Ghostly back up vocals float above a deeper core of more jagged singing. I hear a choppiness reminsicent of "Marianne" , the 'weasel squeaks' part. It's too soon to even guess what she's getting at here with the lyrics. "Carbon-made only wants to be unmade" I could wax rhapsodic about that for a while, but let's not.

Okay, this intro to "Crazy" is so annoying. I end up liking this song, but this whining "Jacki's strength"-like bullshit is too much. Again, come the soft-rock drums, again undermining the lovely lyrics and melodies. This sounds like a Y Kant Tori Read song. But I love the chorus. " I let Crazy take a spin, then I let Crazy settle in."

"Wampum Prayer"- yeah.

"Don't make me Come to Vegas"- I love the bass in this song. In fact, the bass throughout this album is wonderful, reminiscent of Jaco Pastorius on Joni Mitchell albums in the mid 70's. She sounds like she's having a great time. Jacaranda is a great word. There is something so assured and sassy about this song. That "over my dead body" bit. And finally, with this song, she doesn't end it with this long protracted note that wavers and cracks into silence. It just stops. Nice.

"Sweet Sangria"- Organ intro really sets tone on this one- elements developed on choirgirl really come to fruition in this one.

The next song is so wonderful. "Your Cloud" is a wedding dance song. Until that chorus about the Horizontal line, I keep humming that part. It's so directed and controlle and mature. She says like it is, no need to get upset. This song is so articulated, her phrasing is really assured.

"Pancake" - is one of those songs that I respect her for making. But again these sewer like bass lines, boring percussion, gurgling organ, ragged vocals, are getting a bit monotonous here. And again, the lyrics are really the saving grace: when I can't keep my interest in this song, i listen to what she is saying and I like what I hear. It's nice that Tori makes you work a bit. So I guess I'm undecided. Maybe this semi-monotonous sound is good in that it makes the listener really listen. Of course, like most Tori albums, the songs begin to differentiate themselves with repeated listenings. So maybe this all moot. "I ordered you a pancake"-Oh Tori...you and your non sequiturs.

Well this is really long already so I'll wrap it up, but I love Virginia, and Mrs. Jesus....ok, that's all..

From Erik Williams (Posted Nov 19, 2002)

Hello. mmm-k here's my review of what I am more and more finding out to be one of Tori's greatest masterpieces. Although I was hoping for a bit of a return to a more "Pele" style (more Tori, less electronics) this album is just brimming with tasty tidbits and subtle beauty.

"Amber Waves"-this song just screams '70's porn era. I love the idea of the northern lights drowning. This song really brings out the character of Amber Waves and the pity I feel for her situation is genuine. I totally dig the chorus.

"a sorta fairytale"-I love this song. The drum beat is arresting and it is melodically beautiful. The edited-out third verse is probably my favourite part of the whole song along with both versions of the bridge. It is deceptively simple and I truly enjoy the minimalist piano.

"Wednesday"-I think this is one of my favourites. I dig the groove and the song in itself, though about dark parts of the relationship wars, makes me want to giggle and say "hey, just go drink some wine, it'll be ok!" I'm thinking "Mr. Zebra."

"strange"-I love this one too. It is dramatic and sweeeping in its sublteness if that makes any sense at all. Relying on simplicity and darkness to convey a mood of shocked discovery that things aren't the way they at first appeared to be. as Tori says, "the masks are finally down." I think, although I am a frontline detractor of electronic pianos (prefering acoustic by margins so wide i think I need an airplane), the mellotron sounds of the Rhodes in this one really suit it.

"Carbon"-the lyrics in this song are some of the most poetic on the album. the metaphor and imagery evoke true experience. It is a cold song, meaning you almost feel the cold breath of wind while standing at the precipice trying to convince this troubled girl not to become "un-made." Love the reference to her conversation with Neil Gaiman about a possible song called "Snow Glass Apples." Neil apparently loved the song and told Tori she HAD to make it. He would not accept no for an answer.

"Crazy"-I am not particularly fond of this one. I find it a little cliche, a little cheesy and a little beneath Tori's talent. However, it does evoke images of a late night drive down the highway with highway signs glaring in the headlights. Very Nostalgiac.

"wampum prayer"-although this is the shortest song on the album, I think it is one of the most important. This one truly connects with the idea of continuity of thought flow from one era to the next. I can almost see this being chanted by a shaman.

"don't make me come to vegas"-I love the latin groove to this piece. I'm thinking tequila. you can really feel the exhasperation in Scarlet's voice at the thought of having to come back to this place where she doesn't want to be because her niece has made some bad decisions.

"Sweet Sangria"-my first thought in this one is "The Waitress." the first time I heard this one, the chord progression I heard in the verse I recognized as that from "the waitress." Is Tori repeating herself? I don't think so. So much of this album is about where we've been and where we're going. I think that on Tori's own journey, she needed to subconciously revisit some of the places she's been to form a point of reference. almost like an archemedian point. I find the chorus to be a little long in this one. I could do without the second half, leaving it at "Yeah, what you think about that." But that's just me.

"your cloud"-this song is so dreamy. it floats. kind of hazy, like overcast. it's one of the moments in the album to sit and reflect. I see tori as scarlet on a train looking out at the passing landscape through a rain beaded window.

"pancake"-this song is an enigma to me. everytime I hear it I pick out something different. I kind of equate this song to "God." Sorta calling out the character in the song and saying "listen, what's the deal?" It feels like an absinthe trip dripping with poetic lyricism.

"I can't see New York"-I still have to listen to this one a few more times. I am put in mind of Bowie's "Space Oddity" although I am not entirely sure why. It seems to be one of her epic pieces and I think with more listening I can bridge the gap to it. I am still a little distant and kinda going "is that a bird or a plane?"

"mrs. jesus"-I wish I had written this song. It truly captures the ideas of religious fanaticism and I think awareness of that sort of thing is extremely important in this New Age.

"Taxi Ride"-this song grooves. I love the duality of the first line "Lily is dancing on the table." When coupled with "we've all been pushed too far," you think of some woman who has just snapped, dancing on the table. but then you think, wait. this is a funeral wake for a dear departed. Lily as in the flower dancing in the breeze drafting in through the open parlor doors. then you just feel sad. I also love the line about the glamourous bitch being in need and knowing the honey from the killer bees. dripping with thoughts of betrayal and redemption.

"another girl's paradise"-I love the change in the chorus with the hook "does it all come down to the thing one girl fears in the night." This song sounds big and is full of classic Tori ideas of woman verses woman and the stealing of thunder.

"Scarlet's Walk"-probably one of the most interesting songs Tori has created. I love the intro and the pre-choruses. I wonder if these are the same violets as in Cloud on My Tongue. Instead of harmonic reference, tori makes lyric reference to her past creations.

"Virginia"-I think this one is directly related to "Bells for Her." From the opening and closing piano riffs to her repetition of "not even you can" a la "not even you can stop what's coming..." The themes of both is very similar as well. If not sisters, first cousins definitely!

"gold dust"-if Scarlet's Walk is one of the most interesting, "gold dust" is one of her most beautiful and touching. The sheer joy she feels at the birth of her daughter is blatantly apparent and you truly feel touched by the fond observation of "where does the time go." Love the string arrangements, especially the tritone-sub used between the second verse and the beginning of the first chorus.

over all, I have to say I am impressed. though most songs are not as lyrically complex as some of her earlier work, they still require some thought which is something I have always admired and enjoyed about tori's work as well as something which I try to utilize in my own song writing. I have to say kudos to You tori and what's next. BRING IT ON!

From Soultrading24 (Posted Nov 19, 2002)

ok I think I am ready I have been wearing this album out since Ive gotton and most recently seeing Tori in atlanta was driving around listening to it for hours. It's the best album I think since chiorgirl altho I did like slg this is from her soul and this is what I think of her babes

Amber Waves
does anyone think it kinda sounds like pandora? anyway I like this one but kinda worn out on it so I mostly skip it.

a sorta fairytale
the best single since caught a lite sneeze! it's wonderful! I didn't realize the whole concept of the song at the very first listenings and I think the origianl version paints a clearer version of whats going on. great song!

wenesday
come on everyone loves this song? right?

strange
reminds me of my ex! it's great

Carbon
like it! sorry to not see this one done live it's kinda wearing thin now cause all the other songs coming forth

Crazy
I got the sampler so the songs on it I kinda skip but I leave this one on. theres extra guitar or something in it that gives it that extra kick it's classic Tori and you know she loves this one! I like 7&8

sweet sangria
this is when the album starts to really kick ass! I love this song! it has that whole western feel to it right? it's great love the line It matters now to you and me what you belive in. this one was only at it's best in tampa where she went nuts at the end

your cloud
one of my faves! it's one of those Tori ballads where she doesent have to be mushy it just comes from a place where it just is beautiful it doesnt have to be anything else.

Pancake
classic I really liked it on the sampler and it is a strong voice for the album

I can't see new york
great song! classic! wonderful! lyrics are great! I really havnt been having the best time of my life this year and I think this song to me means your in a really dark place in your life and looking for a way out!

mrs jesus
somone on here said this one should be taken off the record but I can't see it not being on here! good song.

taxi ride
sounds good to me. and it's for kevin!

another girls paradise
good song! lyrics are good and I like the meaning behind it.

Scarlets walk
one of my faves I guess Tori uses someone else's voice for the background vocals??? wow I never heard of her doing that. I love this song!

virginia
this is my fave right now! theres just something about the sound and the lyrics and her voice it's like Tori where have you been?

goldust
I know everyone loves this one and it is growing on me too!

this whole album is just classic sorry I'm not at reviews! so hope you don't hate it! I love this album!!!!!!!

From Chris Sommers (Posted Nov 5, 2002)

One word comes to my mind when I think of Scarlet's Walk, and that word is complete. I have never in all my life heard anything as complete and fully visualized and understood as this album. Everything fits together perfectly and there are no showing seams or flaws. Each song goes with the other. If you listen to it from beginning to ending, it's as if you have just watched some sort of bizarre movie that has made you feel every emotion possible.

Asking to name a favorite would be impossible. I think any Ears With Feet would agree with me on that one. I would give a blow by blow of each of the songs, but instead I will just name a few (okay, quite a few) that stand out to me.

Obviously Carbon is a favorite of all of ours, and I totally agree. Don't Make Me Come to Las Vegas and Another Girl's Paradise are great songs as well. But I think three girls stand out the most on this amazing record, and those are the title track, I Can't See New York and Virginia. I Can't See New York is a completely ferocious song. It wants to be endearing but I find it to be very much the opposite. The song Scarlet's Walk is a terrifically gothic masterpiece. The lines "I will follow her on her path-- Scarlet's Walk" are perhaps my all-time favorite Tori lyric. And then there is Virginia. On first listen I really enjoyed it, but it wasn't until I listened to it for the second time when I understood how truly remarkable it is. It's a fantastic song all the way through, but when it comes to the near end of the song, around the last 45 seconds where Tori chants Virginia over and over again, that's when it gets remarkable. I don't think I've ever heard anything as haunting as this and ever time I listen to it I have to stop whatever I'm doing and just sit there and close my eyes and go away with the music.

So clearly, I love this record. I love it just as much as all of other Tori's works, if not more.

From Justin (Posted Nov 5, 2002)

damn, she's a genius! let's get right to it...[please bear in mind that these are only my opinions, and they do have a tendency to change drastically from time to time]:

amber waves.

good introduction song. the lyrics, in their clever duality, really pull you into the story, tempting you into and preparing you for "your journey." the chorus is catchy enough, not too strong, not too weird. i think i finally like it.

a sorta fairytale.

the logical choice for the first single, although the album version's extra verse and stunning last bridge [which, with every listen pleases me to no end] are what truly make the song. it's signature tori. i've had a while to get used to it, but my appreciation for this song never declines. great roadtrip song.

wednesday.

this song proves that great things come in small packages. one of the more complex dishes on tori's menu, it jaunts across your palette. the melody and tempo shapeshift deliciously, while the lyrics leave a bittersweet aftertaste.....goes perfectly with coffee or beer.

strange.

i much prefer this one live -just the piano and tori. sorry, but it does at times sound cheesy -not that it's not a beautiful song, i just don't really care for the production. tori gets a demerit for the unnecessary use of a drum machine [i know it's not one, but it may as well be]. in fact, i could do without all the excess production. this is a simple, beautifully written song -c'mon tori, let's lose the makeup and let its natural beauty shine through. although as far as potential single talk goes, i must admit that i do think this song has more commercial appeal than 'crazy.'

carbon.

god, what can i say? i truly feel like i'm skiing when listening to this song. the stunning echoing effects, tempo changes, instrumentation, and of course the incredible vocals, propel me forward, and there seem to be trees and rocks coming at me, cold air rushing past my face as i slice through the snow....this is a song that you don't just listen to, you experience it. it sounds like the illegitimate child of siren and concertina. "ribbons of lithium", "where the world bleeds white", imagery just pours from the lyrics and tori's beautiful, dream-like delivery -all accented perfectly by the production. if there were any justice in the music industry, and assuming that the masses could accept the complexity of the lyrics, this song would be a single. and there would be a remix or two. and a video.

crazy.

i had heard this song previously, and its listening value has much appreciated in its new context. it is a good song. "first let's just unzip your religion down"....great line. definite long-drunken-roadtrip-on-an-overcast-day,-lazily-rolling-along-with-a-sprawl ing-monochromatic-landscape song. but as aforementioned, i just don't hear the marketablity[if its not a word, i just made it one] in this track as a single.

wampum prayer.

kinda hits me as a throw-away song. it isn't long enough/interesting-sounding enough to be acapella and still hold its own on the album. yet of course i can appreciate the beauty of tori's voice...unadorned, but shining brightly.

don't make me come to vegas.

i really dig the groovy, desert vibe. this song is strangely and pleasantly relaxing. it demonstrates what a master of diversity tori is, with some of the best lyrics on the album. "over my dead body..."

sweet sangria.

one of my favorites. also tastes of the west. the drums and percussion are hypnotic, with hints of 'liquid diamonds' and the doors. this song drips of sex and sorrow. her voice is like a velvet ribbon, weaving its way across the landscape, slave to the dry desert winds. and the ending is

your cloud.

okay, i stick by my contention that the piano in this song makes it sound like lounge music. "hello i'm tori amos, and welcome to my lounge act....i'll be here till saturday, and i take requests." with an oversized brandy snifter sitting on her bosey....i'm not saying that its not a pretty song -her voice and the piano drizzling like the rain....i wanna hear this one solo. "stiffler is a horizontal line!"

pancake.

yum. more hints of the doors woven into it, this is a signature tori song. the lyrics, her voice, the music.....all creep around you like a swirling mass of smoke. i love this song. i want to marry it.

i can't see new york.

so i can definitely see why some are drawing pink flyod parallels with this one. its haunting beauty is growing on me. more atmospheric than 'spring haze', but definitely a relative. i have yet to be completely taken with this song, but methinks it's on the horizon. for now, though, i find i have to be in the mood to listen to it in its entirety.

mrs. jesus.

why, tori, why? it starts off well, but once that damned "drum machine" [see above.] kicks in, i lose interest in hearing anything other than the live solo version of this song. although the production is clean, for me it's unnecessary. [flute + strings + "drum machine" = cheese].

taxi ride.

a cacophany of confection, confusion, and catharsis, all in just the right amounts.

this is one of those quintessentially deceptive tori songs. while bouncing around to its infectious melodies, i'll stop in realization of the cutting lyrics. sure, it's not the most musically complex song in the world, but at least, unlike most super-catchy songs, it's got......what's the word?.....depth. if this song isn't the next single, i'll eat my car.

another girl's paradise.

there's nothing great about the beginning, but the chorus totally makes up for this song's flaws. great lyrics. try as i might, though, i can't help but hear "jasmine fucks me in her groove". the more i listen to this song, the more i'm drawn to it, even if her voice may sound a bit too precious at times.

scarlet's walk.

another song in which the piano and vocals seduce you and then smack you across the face with a phrase that'll stop you in your cerebral tracks. and of course her voice is amazing. this is tori showcasing her vocal skills in a song that truly deserves and compliments them. the backing vocals, in their sparsity, accent the song perfectly. easily the best of her title-track songs, it leaves one in awe of its sheer beauty.

virginia.

sorry to repeat myself, but what can i say, this song is also gorgeous. i dig the guitar. i dig the piano. i dig the vocals......her voice at the end and the spacey-eighties sound effects are completely breathtaking. as is the entire song. i often find myself listening to it multiple times in a row.

gold dust.

um, okay i think, like 'crazy,' i appreciate this song more in context. it sounds like a movie soundtrack song, and i can't decide if that more pleases or repulses. but for the first time on the album, the strings finally sound at home in and integral to the song structure. at first i didn't think it'd be good as the last song, but it turns out to be a near perfect closer.

stand outs: a sorta fairytale, wednesday, carbon, don't make me come to vegas, sweet sangria, pancake, taxi ride, scarlet's walk, virginia. [yeah, that's half the record. so sue me.]

hmmmm....'s: strange, wampum prayer, your cloud, mrs. jesus. overall, i think this album is a very cohesive listening experience. it has some of tori's most stunning vocals on it. although the mood and production have obviously changed direction, she definitely hasn't lost her knack for melodies, nor her ablitly to maintain that classic tori sound. the production is clean, --which can be both a credit and detriment-- and the sways toward saccharine excess were few and far between. it's unquestionably her most commercially accessible record, and thus perhaps the least experimental [yktr encluded, of course].

overall, i think it's an amazing album.

yep, tori never fails to intrigue, to entice, or to dazzle me....

[i didn't get into the america theme because then this'd be a novel, but i can't wait for the tour and am hoping a cover of simon and garfunkel's 'america' will make its way onto a setlist!]

From Ben Ruppert (Posted Nov 5, 2002)

There was no skepticism on my part when I embarked on Scarlet's Walk. I received the album a day late because by the time I got the little yellow slip from the post office on the 29th it was too late to take it in. So when I did get it, I was excited beyond my expectations. I first watched the DVD, which got me set up for the listening of the album. I popped it in my CD-ROM drive, and I heard "Well he lit you up like Amber Waves in his movie show". The landscapes and textures of this song thrilled me to extents that I can't quite place my finger on--somewhere up there on a little niche in my mind's sky. I swept through the west coast with Scarlet, from the radio-friendly (but uncompromising) "a sorta fairytale", to "Wednesday", and continued to traverse this path to "Wampum Prayer", basking in her bare voice, and the history behind it and the words. "Sweet Sangria" has a wonderful contrast between the discordant and strange vers to the infectious chorus, "Balmy days, sweet sangria.".

This path that Tori Amos has created is beautiful: its holes are filled by starkly blunt insight, and sometimes left to be examined. The foliage is lush, filled with her harmonies and intense piano riffs. One can smell the roses, the foxgloves, the irises, but, for me, it was first taken in as a whole, letting the sounds, smells, sights, and all senses of America be presented by Tori and her perspective.

One of the most impressive tracks, musically and lyrically, is "I Can't See New York". It seems as though if one were to write a song about September 11th that it would almost definitely come out as something painfully clich&Mac218;: for after the first few weeks, it seemed as though all that could be said had been said. Until Tori decided to put her view on the matter, and did it as a storyteller, giving a voice to those on the plane. And the fact that she was in New York the day it happened gives it even more credibility.

"Another Girl's Paradise", made me sing at the top of my lungs with Scarlet and Tori and the song's shift from Major in the verse to minor in the chorus. And then "Scarlet's Walk". There was no shield to protect me from this song. It hit like an unexpected storm, and I found myself on the verge of tears, with its profound and aching refrain "I will follow her on her path/Scarlet's Walk through the violets".

By the time I got to "Gold Dust", I was a wreck of emotions. I wanted to sing these songs with Scarlet, and I wanted to walk with Scarlet again, and be elbow-in-elbow with Tori again as I was when I heard the album. I was filled with a longing--a longing to be touched by things in the way that Tori was touched by these things, these objects and feeling that we call America.

A path of wisdom and originality, of history, of insight, of understanding and open-mindedness provide the perfect terrain for venturing across America--Tori's America. This is her creation, her standing. And, thanks to a beautiful girl named Scarlet, Tori has done so much more than talk like others, she has talked like herself, like Scarlet, and she has walked: Scarlet's Walk.

From Kev Lannigan (Posted Nov 5, 2002)

I am secure in reviewing this album, because I know my way around the music industry by now, and I have absolutely ANALYZED Tori Amos' career.

This is definately a solid piece of work
but don't get too cheeky fellow Toriphiles

Yes, she seems to move from "tragedy to tragedy

Yes,her responses to direct media questions such as "What do you really think of your fans", or "Just what are really trying to say?" have gotten more obscure and more purposefully evasive over the years (Whatever happened to her "Tell it like it is" attitude from her shining, glorious Little Earthquakes days?) I know some of the most seasoned Toriphiles know that Tori Amos never actually answers questions, she just knda talks

but let us not forget that this Tori Amos has given us some flawless musicianship from each of her albums over these years

I never really bought into the concepts of To Venus and Back or Strange Little Girls, but those albums gave us rubies like "Juarez", "Josephine", and the breathtaking version of Neil Young's "Heart of Gold" It was never really a question of whether or not Tori Amos has talent, it was a question of just what her real agenda was?

Is she trying to take over the alienated youth subculture (Which is really quite cruel), or is she actually trying to help people by venting? At the very core of it, I think the latter is true

Scarlet's Walk is another one of her albums where they promote it as this big spiritual thing, but honestly, its just a really kickass record

I was most impressed by the beautifully structured, radio-friendly "A Sorta FairyTale", featurig that beautiful, "I'm angry-but-in-ecstacy" voice of hers, (a rather underappreciated voice, ifI don't say so myself)

The most pleasing thing about this album is the VERY apparent Native American influneces on here, as well the Bjork digital choir renderings. The choruses of Tori's are everywhere in this album, and will pleasantly haunt you for days. Harmonies that will haunt you for days, I swear. Also note that whoever Nancy Shanks is, these two women where MADE to sing beautifully together. It's a shame no one really notices just how perfect the two voices blend together that make that gorgeous resonant tone

Also gone are the non-sensical lyrics, yeah it was great that some of the lyrics left you guessng, it made it that much more personal, I know, but when she goes "Luna Reviera", you have to wonder.

These lyircs will cut straight to your heart, so fast you'll have to hit the rewind button just to reassure yurself she atually groaned out "misogynist homophobe" unforgivingly (the groovy, kickass "Pancake")

Trademark Tori Amos balladry (a talent record execs have recognized and cherished in her for years now) find themselves beautiul in "Strange" (what a beautiful march this song does) and "Goldust" (don't be surprised if it wells up and makes you cry, many of these songs do that to you)Like I said, everyone was so caugt up in what she was SAYIN, including her fans, that no one really saw just how goodshe is at craftng catchy melodies. She was a child prodigy fter all, a Mozart only in a different media

While I'm talking about the music, some of these songs suck. Like really bad. After creating beautiful, heartbreaking, ear tickling melodies, the woman will cut thm up, stop them, ad take the song in an entirely different direction (most notibly on the title track Scarlets Walk, in which she launches into a moving "I will follow/her ON her path/Scarlet' Walk/Though the violets" and then completely stop). The abscense in the piece is very recognizable and VERY frustrating when we all know that some of these songs have moments of pure beauty.

Other highlights are Mrs. Jesus (but it also has irritating breaks in the structure), Crazy and Sweet Sangria.

What I want to talk about is Taxi Ride. Personal to me because I know of the story (Kevyn Aucion) and also because I'm gay.

It's about DAMN TIME SOMEONE sang about the troubles of homophobia, and this song totally changed my life. We always knew Tori would speak up about it, and she has my utmost respect.

This review may seem negative, but its not. I will finish by saying Scarlets Walk is thoughtprovoking, beautiful, and IS the DEFINATIVE FOLLOW UP to that beautiful masterpiece called Little Earthquakes.

From tdisanto (Posted Nov 3, 2002)

First of all, This is the first cd I have bought in over two years. I normally do buy music anymore when I can get it for free. Being such a huge Tori fan I wanted to buy the DVD enhanced cd to unlock the scarlet web page. I enjoyed the packaging and the little "extras" such as the lizard toy and stickers. I think some of Tori's best music peaked on Pele. The tracks were all hear felt and come from a place of hurt and darkness, tapping into her personal feelings. The first listen I wasn't really digging the whole thing.... but I have come to love many of the tracks. I am curious to see how this songs will be played live. After last year tour, I am not sure how tori will connect at that intimate level on this tour. I felt she need to reconnect with her fans last year and went on a solo tour. So I think this album is better than the last three.

From kristen/beekept (Posted Nov 3, 2002)

many fans have cited this work as tori's best since pele. I agree, but I also concede that this album wouldn't be possible without the three previous - without experimenting with a band, tackling more public and/or accessible topics, and walking [sic] in others' shoes. certainly tori's personal growth and changing lifestyle have left their mark on her music, but even setting biographical knowledge of tori aside, I find myself viewing FTCH, TVAB, and SLG as stepping stones on the way to Scarlet. the depth, complexity and maturity of the album seem to indicate that these songs have been percolating inside her head for longer than even tori herself may recognise, looking for an outlet.  

tori has never been shy with new instrumentation and musical textures. from earthquakes to pele, we've heard drums, bass, guitar, and even a dulcimer, backing vocals, a prepared piano, strings, winds + horns, harpsichords, and let's not forget that bull. FTCH still struck many as new, because tori foregrounded the "band" sound and feel. on tour, she alluded to her brothers behind her as a sort of rhythm machine, and acknowledged that she now had to pay more attention to that pesky thing called tempo.

still seemingly enamored with the band idea, tori released TVAB, a combination of one disc of new material and a live disc featuring some of the old girls in new clothes [ie - remade for performance with the band]. a good portion of the new material had a pop flavor, and catered to more public issues - the 80s as a collective experience, and the tragedy of the kennedy plane crash. since she had new elements like the band and electronic samples to support her in both recording and performing, these releases let tori sit on top of the sonic stack - focusing on the lyrics and vocals, which were both stunning - but leaving something to be desired with respect to cohesion.

then of course, there was SLG. a foray into social commentary through music, a "concept album," a "cover album" - whatever you want to call it, it was quite an exercise. tori took apart other people's songs and put them back together again in her own ways, keeping the original lyrics but substituting a female voice and point of view where once there was a male's, often resulting in drastically different moods. SLG is striking and brilliant, but again, lacking in continuity.  

now, scarlet's walk. another concept album, but here the concept is a unifying force. what is america? what have we done and where are we going? tori offers up eighteen songs, almost as diverse as eighteen different americans, as an answer, even though we have one guide/narrator/imagined protagonist named scarlet. but scarlet is an alter ego of tori's, and tori is the guide we've had all along. the girls have always been individuals, and scarlet's girls [as opposed to pele's, who held hands and let off emotional steam; or venus' girls, who were all in the same room but avoiding conversation with one another] have locked elbows and dared to say that which had gone unsaid. with scarlet's walk, the chordal/harmonic depth, rhythmic and stylistic diversity, and adroitly layered vocals converge in beautiful musical richness.

wednesday combines bouncy country with 70s flavored funk and a slower, starker, gently reflective refrain - without a hitch. wampum prayer reminds us of the sheer power in tori's voice, evoking both her previous acapella pieces and somehow [perhaps through her own bloodline] simultaneously channeling the voice of the native American people. carbon is a dynamic journey, climbing up a snow-covered slope with a hand drum and piano chords, then plummeting back down at breakneck speeds on the skis of intricate harmony, eventually coming to an exhilarated and flushed stop. I can't see New York nearly defies exposition, as the song itself seems to convey the whole spectrum of emotions triggered by the semptember 11 attacks - its poignant piano work and shocking guitar chords melt together in a truly breathtaking manner. "I will follow her on her path / scarlet's walk through the violets," tori sings on the title track, in what is easily one of her most moving refrains. the keening at the beginning of the song invokes the ghosts of america's past, the struggles of the settlers and natives alike. the piece stands as a tribute: "If you're a thought / you will want me / to think you / and I did." finally, gold dust situates scarlet and the listener firmly in the present, in their own lives - jumping back from macro to micro. no matter how often you look back or pull out those old pictures from your coat pocket, you will always be you, and moving forward. enjoy what you have - the end of every journey [or album] marks the beginning of something new.

From Kevin (Posted Nov 3, 2002)

I'll admit I was skeptical about purchasing Scarlet upon hearing the 6-song sampler. To me, the songs sounded over produced, not anything remotely close to a Tori classic. Alas, I did not let the fear stop me, and was I ever pleasantly surprised. Tori has finally done it; she has matched the creative genious both musically and lyrically to her original smash Little Earthquakes. All 18 tracks fit perfectly together in a harmony of loss, love, and hope. Tori's harrowing vocals seem reserved on tracks like "Crazy" and "Another Girl's Paradise," but she makes up for it with the powerful grit of "Pancake" and the festive toot of "Wednesday."

We all know Tori is a tad eccentric, especially when describing her own music. Personally, I'm not understanding this as a "concept album." The songs fit well together, sure, but they sound equally as impressive on their own. Perhaps Tori made the cd too well, surpasing even her own expectations, I know it exceeded mine. To me, this cd is no more of a "concept album" than Little Earthquakes was.

To pick a favorite song would be like choosing a favorite star in the sky, there are so many beautiful ones with unique attraction. If forced, I would have to say "Your Cloud" is my favorite song. Tori's vocal is hidden behind a jazz like sense of passion and desperation, yet she finds herself within the chorus. The music is to die for, make sure to listen to it with candles! Other highlights on the Walk include "Carbon"- A percussion dream, "Don't Make me Come to Vegas"-A cheeky tune brighter and more amusing than most neon lights, "Taxi Ride"-A bit mainstream, but still a pleasant pick-me-up in a train of mellow songs, and "Virginia"-The chocolate surprise center of the Tootsie Pop. Though the album finds Tori in a new grounds as a rising pop-star, her sensual timing and lovely mixture of harp strings, piano keys, and red hair makes for her best album since her debut.

From Joseph Barnes (Posted Nov 3, 2002)

With Scarlet's Walk, the depth, feeling, and genuine passion which has been largely missing in Amos' work since Boys For Pele has finally and gloriously risen back to the surface. Thankfully, Amos again a presence in her own songs. Whatever From The Choir Girl Hotel (or, ‘Amos's Traveling White Elephant and Fire Sale'), To Venus And Back (admittedly, on which there was a lot to admire) and Strange Little Girls were supposed to represent, they're past us now.

Listeners will hear a kaleidoscopic mix of influences and musical references on the eighteen songs*from Kate Bush (especially on ‘I Can't See New York,' the album's ‘Hello Earth'), Steely Dan, Fleetwood Mac, Madonna, and Laura Nyro to Three Dog Night and Maria Muldaur. But what makes these songs special is that, more than anything else, they sound exactly like Tori Amos songs the listener has never heard but has somehow already imagined, or known well, and loved, perhaps in dreams; this is not mere hyperbole. Several songs, including ‘Strange,' ‘Don't Make Me Come To Vegas,' ‘Scarlet's Walk,' and ‘Gold Dust' are songs, however new to us and beautiful, that we somehow already know and cherish.

Scarlet's Walk is also Amos's most outreaching record thus far: Amos seems determined to connect, to offer these songs to listeners in easy and friendly fashion. ‘Amber Waves,' ‘A Sorta Fairytale,' ‘Wednesday,' ‘Your Cloud,' and ‘Taxi Ride' are warmly-felt, uncompromising, yet still extremely palatable and ear-catching.

‘Strange' and ‘Crazy' are the most perfect 3:05 and 4:23 minutes Amos has yet committed to record; ‘Mrs. Jesus' would have fit in perfectly on Boys For Pele, and ‘Wednesday' on Under The Pink. The ghostly, driving, seemingly fatalistic ‘Scarlet's Walk' may remind some of Stevie Nick's ‘Sisters Of The Moon.' ‘A Sorta Fairytale' proves that Amos can write a great top-40 hit without compromising a whit. The evenly controlled ‘Your Cloud' is every gorgeous ballad ever written by a women rolled into one, and walks a careful tightrope over saccharine without ever lapsing into it. Scarlet's Walk also moves in many new directions, including several cuts underscored by subtle jazz rhythms and intonations. Throughout, Matt Chamberlain again proves he is Amos' vital secret weapon in much the same way that Roger Fisher was to the Wilson sisters on the first two Heart albums. Amos's production (and the arrangements) are immaculate (if a little safe), particularly on the vocal harmonies; Amos has rarely sounded better than she does here. Some fans may find the beautiful but certainly unsubtle orchestration on ‘Gold Dust' a bit too heavy and overwhelming for the fragility of Amos's lyrics and vocals.

If Scarlet's Walk has any weaknesses, it's that, if listening to it without knowing Amos's intentions or having read the numerous prerelease articles, only ‘A Sorta Fairytale' and ‘Gold Dust' really suggest that the tracks represent a song cycle reflecting a journey, especially one across America in the early 21st Century. Unlike Joni Mitchell's traveling-by-car-across-America album Hejira, which was probably a partial if perhaps only semiconscious influence on Scarlet's Walk, the songs here fit together musically like pieces of a well-oiled puzzle, but there isn't a terrific sense of lyrical unity or much to suggest they've been garnered from the American landscape. Some of lyrics are remarkably plain-spoken, but as often as not they're as obtuse as any of those on Boys For Pele, which is not necessarily a bad thing.

Every song here works and works magnificently. It's also welcoming to see the sort of graphics Amos has chosen, and that she's willing to publically align herself with America, questioningly or unquestioningly. It's been a long time since she's presented herself straight-forwardly as a human being and a woman. It's likely that the Tori Amos fans love best is the unadorned Ms. Amos, electronic toys and body armor aside. Fans should welcome her, and Scarlet's Walk, with fully open arms.

From Megan Dougherty (Posted Nov 3, 2002)

I went and bought "Scarlet's Walk" on Tuesday morning like everyone else.. I got the limited edition and once I got it bakc home I loked at all the cool things inside and watched the TV.. The only song I'd heard is "A Sorta Fairytale", which I instantly fell in love with.. While watching the DVD, I wasn't that impressed with "Taxi Ride" or "Gold Dust".. I waited 6 hours before I listened to the album, and I did so while driving to school. I didn't have very high hopes for this album (considering I really didn't like "Strange Little Girls, and I never had a favourite Tori CD, except maybe for TVAB). I put the CD in my car and "Amber Waves" hit me.. I wasn't too impressed and starting thinking this wasn't going to be that great of an album.. ASF came one and I started to get excited.. I've been listening to Scarlet's Walk for almost 3 days straight, in my house, in my car, before I go to sleep, while I'm working.. This is my absolute favourite Tori album, and I never dreamed I would say that (since I just really started listening to her in 1998)! I always thought she had a pretty voice, but I always wished she would make some songs that woudl still have the piano, but have more of a beat and a few more instruments. Having said that, I love scarlet's walk! The first time I heard it, I thought all the songs sounded too similar, and there wasn't enough definition between them.. But now, I can tell that each song is different, and very well constructed, and they can all really stand on their own. The only song I'm not wild about, and try to skip is "Wednesday". I just don't like it that much. My favourite Tori song is now "Another Girl's Paradise", it's great! The whoel album is really fantastic! The instruments, her vocals, and the piano all come together so nicely and coherently that is makes for a truly amazing album..Tori has never sounded better, and her peformance and the lyrics are exceptional. I found the whole album to be very strong, but also very relaxing. I personally think that "I Can't See New York" is the perfect song about what happened on 9 / 11.. It's subdued, but compelling, and not at all what I expected. It's so beautiful and has become one of my favourites on the album. I didn't like the beginning of "Your Cloud" but the part where she starts singing "if there is a horizontal line", and all the layering vocals comes in, make this song really wonderful.. The title track is eerily great in the beginning, but you know you're hearing something special..The only song I'm not sure about is "Mrs Jesus", to me, it sounds too much like UTP or something, and I'm not sure where it would fit on this album, but I still like it. Tori should be very proud of herself. I know I am. This is probably my favourite album of the year, and Tori really really outdid herself! All Toriphiles should be proud!

From Natashia (Posted Nov 3, 2002)

The music (The notes) are hypnotic and beautiful, however the lyrics are very vague, and that as always is the annoying area of Tori's work. The DVD video in the box set is also fairly meaning less. It really has no point, and watching Tori making a bunch of her (Im really dreamy, mysterious, and cute) faces gets old fast. I think they could have released the video airing on VH1, for a sorta fiaere tale, that would have been cool. The editing on the DVD disk is lacking as well. Super 8 is cool to look at though. I really think the marketing for this project is weak and boring. However the fake Polaroid's are kinda cool. But Id skip on the silly cheap jewelry charm. That would be nice for a middle school kid. Tori is a interesting women. Im not really sure how someone can self promote herself for years on end though. Its a full time job for Tori, to preach Tori, I am sure.

From Howard (Posted Nov 3, 2002)

There's a sense of liberty and deep expression within Scarlet's Walk. Everyone knows its roots...a deep concept formed in the mind of the one and only Tori Amos. Although odd and far from what most humans' minds could create, we're lucky to have Tori's mind constantly working. What other woman would take the positions of the women in songs by men? Who else has created a guide map and polaroids to their tracklist? I myself had no idea what to expect. Sure, I had listened to the 6-track sampler because I can't wait for anything. This was beneficial. I probably would not have been as excited if I had waited because I would have expected something as weak as Strange Little Girls. But this music was like none I had ever heard before.

Scarlet's Walk, to me, is more than a concept album. Very few CD's have supplied envisionment material. I have always loved females who create music that is honest and intelligent, but when you are taken to another level, that's plain orgasmic. I see things when I hear the album. I see the route "Scarlet" has taken. You can actually step in her shoes and see what she saw. Sure, you can have different takes on things. For example, I see that the girl in Amber Waves (or Amber herself) is a gorgeous porn star just as Tori describes, layered in makeup unknown to her before. The 'sorta fairytale' is on the 101, and I see Tori's hair blowing in the wind and driving. I am beside her, taking notes. I am on the plane in "I Can't See New York". I taste the sweetness of "Sweet Sangria".

It's all just an amazing experience, and probably one of Tori's best pieces of work to date. Nothing will ever compare to the power and richness of her first three releases, but that's usually how it works with any artist. I haven't heard one bad Tori album to this day, not even Strange Little Girls. She's an artist who will continue to possess amazing talent and capabilities. Scarlet's Walk is a terrific album, and I can't wait for the tour.

From Strangelttlgrl2 (Posted Nov 1, 2002)

I am just totally blown away by this album! After the first spin of it, I just sat there...I couldn't speak. This is by far her best album since "Boys for Pele". I have been a Tori fan since Pele, and that is, I think, the only album that can at least compare to this one. Every song on SW stands as its own, but yet ties in together somehow.

The lyrics are definitely the focus on this album, with the music not far behind. I can't believe the growth and maturity on this album. It seems like with a new record label, new baby, and a wonderful husband, Tori is starting from scratch. Kinda cleaning the slate and getting back to the basics. So much though has gone into every song, and it shows.

I like the fact that Tori spreads the love around by not just strictly using the piano. And the band sounds great! I can't wait to see them live. I did hear the 6 song sampler for this album. I was kinda disappointed at first. I can see where critics got some of there harsh comments from, after hearing that. But when you put the girls in their place with their sisters, It was like hearing them for the first time! Each one has its place. They all play a role in this piece of work.

I am, so far, not following this as a concept album. I guess I haven't let that in yet. I need to be able to understand them as sperate first, before i pack the car up for the road trip. The album has so much to take in and is very consuming in different levels. I have to take my time with it, I'm a bit slow...lol.

I already have so many favorites on this album. I can't choose one as the best. There are so many reasons to love each song, its hard to pick a favorite. But I guess i'll ramble the ones I love so far...Carbon, Sweet Sangria, I absolutely love Your Cloud, I Can't See New York is positively breathtaking. i get chills everytime i hear it! and last but not least, Gold Dust. I am taking this from another review I read on here...: "If Tori decides to end her live shows with this one, there won't be a dry eye in the house!" that explains it all.

Ok, wrapping up my rambling, This one sits as its own masterpiece. So much has gone into this album. Tori has takin' a trip for us, she has once again opened my eyes to things i have never questioned, in my life! There isn't much more i can say. Forget the bad comments some reviewers have made. Final comment, Scarlet's Walk is a masterpiece of many levels!

From Fiona Bradley (Posted Nov 1, 2002)

And so it was that I had come to view Tori, metamorphosis seeming complete with the release of "To Venus and Back". No longer the chanteuse, needing only voice and piano to create magic. Now, the cacophony of instrumentation had drowned out even her Bosendorfer.

I do not see myself as a "Little Earthquakes" only fan, but my partner is (well, let's be generous, LE, UTP, and a little of Pele). His two, whispered questions after I first listened to "Scarlet's Walk" were -

"Is there any doof?"

"Any harpsichord?"

And there was not, and he was pleased.

I see Scarlet's Walk as the album that will bring many of Tori's fans back to the fold. Although I think Tori made many wonderful experiments with her work on Pele and beyond, I don't think it was always true to what Tori wanted to do. Piano struggled to be heard above dance beats, lyrics ceased to be understood in any form. But a change in record labels, the birth of her daughter, have brought us Tori's most personal, honest and complete work since at least Pele, if not "Under the Pink".

Perhaps surprisingly, the best track on the new album is arguably "I can't see New York". A simple, yet powerful work, it tackles the emotions surrounding September 11 without politicising, or evangelising, or over-hyping, as attempts by other artists have done.

"Wednesday" harks back to Pele, a wonderful, swirling tune dancing between "Father Lucifer" and "Doughnut Hole". "Strange" is simply beautiful, "Don't make me come to

Vegas" equally so. "Virginia"! Oh, Virginia. Secreted away near the end of Scarlet's journey, a sublime surprise. "Carbon" sees something akin to Tori' s live sound finally arrive on CD.

Like all journeys, there are times when we are tired, we want to go home, don't much care for whatever we'll see on the road from here. And I feel this way about "Sweet Sangria" and "Your Cloud".

All in all however, "Scarlet's Walk" is a stunningly coherent work, both in concept and in instrumentation. There is something for every one of us.

From strangelittleguigo (Posted Nov 1, 2002)

sonically speaking, i think this is one of the best albums ever. the songs flow extremely well into each other.

already old school tori fans are saying that this album, again, is not what they want from tori. one fan told a friend of mine, that she wished tori would get divorced, lose the kid and get angry again. well tori was never really "angry". she stated that rori wasn't playing the same type of music.

this is true. her music isn't the same. scarlet's walk is not little earthquakes. it wasn' meant to be. tori grows in personality with each experience. the growth then comes out through her songwritting.

the album has a very maternal feel to it. the songs have a very warm glow to them. i think this is mostly due to the the use of the middle piano keys, and also to the warm guitars that weave around her vocals. her voice also seems much warmer and almost more alive than on strange little girls.

songs like wednesday and don't make me come to vegas remind me of rufus wainwright's piano style. i wonder if he had an influence on the album. they are very caberet styled.

this album seems to appeal to all tori fans. for the old school tori fans she has seemed to incorporate more piano onto the album than she did on tvab.
then for pele fans we have tracks like carbon, which is reminiscint of the non-lp track siren. then new school tori fans will find the same firey lyrics on songs like i can't see new york that we did on choirgirl.

the novel album has one of the best hooks ever. amber waves is a toned down dressed up masterpiece. to me, its dorothy from the wizard of oz dressed in an evening gown. when i heart it i wonder if the marianne from pele would have become the woman amber.

the next few chapters are masterfully crafted. though our attention is more than grabbed tori keeps on the edge of our seats. the paces change, and there is a bit of mystery as to where they will taken next. they wind through the very western movie bar song sounding wednesday and the outstanind carbon (which features some of the best drums matt chamberlain has ever done) to the slow crazy.

then comes wamum prayer, which to me is almost an editors note, or aside to the audience. it seems to be completely indendent of the songs around it, yet with out it the album wouldn't feel whole. the old old thread seems to run thorughout the album. wampum prayer seems to be the entire thread collected into one instead of 17.

every song seems to be a hi-light.

i can't see new york though, seems to be the center of the album. the other songs draw your attention to it. they point. icsny is yes, anastasia, beauty queen, and juarez blended into a lull landscape where "no lines are drawn".

keeping in novel form, i feel as though the climax of the album is located in the song, another girl's paradise. this song upon first listen was the most difficult for me to connect with. i'm not sure why, the song is quite a wonderland of lush sounds rolling over and over onto each other. but after hearing it apart form the flow of the album. just skipping to it and repeating it, i realized its subtle power. like a southern lady, quiet yet immensely powerful and knowing.

the album then winds down with scarlet's walk. being a gone with the wind buff, i was immediately interested in whether there was any ilitteration to the book/movie on the album and was so happy to find there was. the important things have already been mentioned, htough, so i won't repeat them.

then we have virginia and gold dust winding us down to the end. slowing us to a gentle emotional stop.

this novel/album is something that will surely spellbind me time and time again. i pray there is a sequel.

From Larry Hirsch (Posted Nov 1, 2002)

The first time I had the opportunity to listen to "Scarlet's Walk" was on a drowsy, rainy, foggy day in which I was barely functioning on 3 hours of sleep. I heard it in my friend's truck on our way back from Houston, ecstatic that I'd gotten the album early and impressed greatly by what I'd heard --- but way too mind-numbingly sleepy and unaware of being able to fully absorb the album upon a first listen (the way it should be). I remember thinking, "God, I really love it! But I'm still devoted to Pele." I went to work zombie-like from sleep deprivation, but still glad I'd been able to hear the album.

Work dragged on even more than it usually did. I was almost to the point of lapsing into a coma, but still wired due to my excitement of having "Scarlet's Walk." When it was time for me to leave, I drove straight home, grabbed my CD and portable Walkman, lit up a cigarette, and sat on the porch listening to it. The fog was still thick, mist surrounding our house in an impenetrable haze, and as corny as it sounds it made the peerfect atmosphere to soak in the album (other than sitting in the middle of a desert). Yes, I know they're too complete different environments, but one of the beauties of "Scarlet's Walk" is that (for me, at least) the overall vibe of the album fits both to a tee.

All I can say now is that it took one complete, full listen for me to change my mind. I was once a "Pele" boy; like so many other Toriphiles my heart and soul belonged to "Boys for Pele." Nothing was ever going to cahnge that --- "Pele" was a part of who I am, and that's that. As I listened to "Scarlet's Walk" --- the music, the lyrics, the vocals, everything --- I realized that "Pele" is who I WAS, not who I am now. (To think, I've been that pretentious for so long! Then again, pretentiousness IS a common trait in most Toriphiles --- look around at the faery wings during her concerts if you want proof.) "Scarlet" has undeniably replaced "Pele" as my all-time favorite Tori album ever, with the latter running second.

There is not a single song I dislike on this album. That is a first for any Tori album, even "Pele" ("Talula" never really hit me until a year ago). There are songs I love more than others, but there's not one track that I skip as I listen to it. Even the two weakest songs ("don't make me come to vegas" and "mrs. jesus") are stronger than the ones I've disliked from Tori in the past, and as they come on I feel no need to push the forward button on my Walkman. The album and its themes of light and dark, oppression and suppression, political hypocrisy and internal hypocrisy, genuine bravery and false patriosm, along with its many other explorations into what many don't care to face, really strike a chord somewhere within me. I've been suffering from a depression for a long time now (cue the violins), and this album lifts me out of that. I applaud Tori for not creating another "Pele," or another "choirgirl," or another "earthquakes." Every album is different in its own way --- the sound, the lyrics, the "messages" --- and as she grows I feel we must grow with her if we truly are devoted fans.

That's not to say that we have to like every album she makes simply because she's Tori. There are some people so obsessed with her that they actually scold themselves for disliking certain albums or certain songs and force themselves within time to start liking them. This is not the case, nor is it the way it should be, in my opinion. I highly value any negative opinions of the album (other than the biased, personal vendetta that "Entertainment Weekly" seemed to hold against her in their skewered, enigmatic review), and i respect anyone who feels differently. However, I feel that this is the most mature, most cohesive, most fluid, and richest work of Tori's career. As with Bjork and "Vespertine," I believe that Tori has finally reached her zenith, and if she makes a better album after this I might possibly turn heterosexual.

My friends and I are always road-tripping (usually juanting to San Antonio, Austin, or New Orleans), and this album reminds me our "greasy spoon" IHOP kitschy endearing road trips. The majority of these songs remind me of my three friends Liz, Bonnie, and Willis.

Out of 1-10, in case you're interested (I wouldn't bem if I were you), this is what I think of each track:

Amber Waves --- 9
a sorta fairytale --- 10
Wednesday --- 10
strange --- 10
Carbon --- 10
Crazy --- 9.5 (it has really grown on me within days) wampum prayer --- 9
don't make me come to vegas --- 7
Sweet Sangria --- 10
your cloud --- 10
pancake --- 10
I Can't See New York --- 10
mrs. jesus --- 8
Taxi Ride --- 10
another girl's paradise --- 10
Scarlet's Walk --- 10
Virginia --- 10
gold dust --- 10 (my favorite Tori song EVER) Operation Peter Pan --- 9

Some people may think, "It's too early to judge how much you really love the album," considering it hasn't even been released a full week yet. I believe this to be true for some, but there are times when you see something or you hear something and you know it's love at first sight. This is what happened to me with "Scarlet's Walk" (actually, it was love at second sight on four hours of sleep).

Well, that's my two cents.

From Jessie/DarturaRabbit (Posted Nov 1, 2002)

First and foremost, I am going to write this review as an objective fan. It is impossible for me to be harsh in my detail, and as an artist, a dancer to be exact, I look for the artistic drive of others in their products. That said, a brief note. (Stay with me here, I promise we'll take the long road but the destination is worth the view!)

I find that all art is important. There are two deciding factors in what makes art appeal to certain people: their experience, and their passion. A person with no passion can look at art and with experience, take it apart and put it together without finding a shred of meat. A person with passion and no experience tends to go on at length with no real hard conclusion in their appreciation. I think the final product of all art is a combination of these two as well.

That said, a word about me: I am a native Californian; for my sophomore year at college in Connecticut I had to travel by bus, across the country, through many, many states, and some odd if not memorable experiences. Absently I thought "One day, I should write a book about this." Leave it to Tori to chronicle another passage of my life musically.

Her work is masterful. I'm sure you'll agree. Not one of you wouldn't be a fan if you were not touched by the music. The albums read as other mediums, "Earthquakes" is a diary, "Pink" is a painting, "Pele" is a novel, "Hotel" is a collage, "Venus" and "Girls" are scrapbooks of sorts, and now "Scarlet's Walk", a masterpiece, a map.

I think of this as a new beginning for her. Her first new album for a company that so far has put her more into view than Atlantic ever did, and it shows in the finished product. Sublime and deep, this is a walk that will go many miles.

(I bet you thought I'd never get to the review!)
     
The album, as all her previous ones, is wonderful overall. Not every person will say each album is flawless, as we all have our tastes, but each of you can agree that there is much to be respected in each volume. "Walk" is no exception. From the open track "Amber Waves" who is a reluctant leader of the pack, we are already treated to an aspect of this.

She DOESN'T want to go on this walk, in part because she's afriad it will unsettle her. This makes "Waves" more poignant when you realize that by the time she wants to turn back, she has forgotten her fear. "a sorta fairytale" which is a perfect first single, is the first of these ideals that gets challenged. Who doesn't want to believe in love at first sight that lasts forever? She learns not all is as we wish it to be, a hard lesson, but the first she acquires. She runs though her first string of lovers, and as a new passionate girl feels the pangs of jealousy and suspicion ("Wednesday"), and regret ("Strange").

On her travels she comes to the aid of old and new friends thoughout the album; Carbon, don't make me come to Vegas", "Taxi Ride", and begins to unearth her own history, embedded in the lost hills and plains of America, buried deep with the serects of a history stained with the sweat of the innocent, written in the blood of the conquered. (This is also referring to the deaths of many white people as well, I won't go into the racial subtext of the history of the US, image how long that would take). Her journey takes her to fear and angiush ("I Can't See New York", "Scarlet's Walk" "Virginia",) and finally to redemption (Gold Dust).

This walk is in step with many after the 9/11 tragedy, the birth of her daughter, the loss of her friend Kevin Aucoin and the success of her new label. This is a lot to get into an album. (Imagine your own loved ones, experiences and how long an album you'd have if you put them all down.)

Musically, Amos again takes big risks. This album undoubtedly has the biggest pop feel of them all. The arrangements call forth the lush greens, hard beiges, rusty and hardened reds and golds, delicate whites and violets. There was a lot of love and care put into these, and it makes for a harder time for the fans who favor Tori Grrrl, while for the newcomers, it takes them in and sits them down at the table easier.

I myself hated Boys For Pele when I first heard it in 96, and loved Venus when it came out. (Ducks the knives, chairs and dirty looks being catapaulted his way) I didn't have the experiences that helped me understand the art. The passion was there (Caught A Lite Sneeze) but it would take nearly three years before I could listen to the whole album. When I did, I agreed it was a centerpiece of her work thus far. I can understand why so many Tori fans are having a harder time taking in the new sound.

Musically the piano is not the centerpiece, but the family has grown, much as Tori's own has, to include many other people that enrich it with their own special flavors. The Rhodes and Wurley get lots of playtime here, and that is great. They each give the song a different feel that is nessesary in this journey.

The songs themselves are amazing. Each read like those little bronze plaques that get placed on monuments, giving a brief glimpse into another place and time we may not have been to, and by them we are that much more experienced. There are moments of soft clarity, the most powerful being "Wampum Prayer", a brief song, almost a tone poem, that sits in the center of the album, almost a revelation in the noise of the journey. A quiet spot to realize her own mortality. These moments often seen in her best songs "Baker Baker", "China", "Here. In My Head", make Tori the driving force in music she is today. Be kind to Scarlet if she should cross you on her path, because although you may not realize it, you are on your own walk, while she is on hers.

J.C.

PS. If you want, I'm ALWAYS ready to talk Tori, I live in Long Beach CA, and am ALWAYS happy to hear from any and all local ears to discuss....AOL IM is JCJedii Thanks for letting me ramble on! "I Was Here"

From Holly (Posted Nov 1, 2002)

In my opinion, this is the Tori album that I have been waiting for since Choirgirl.  To Venus and Back was filled with wonderful songs and concepts, but there didn't seem to be a sisterhood amongst the songs.  As for Scarlet's Walk, I honestly do not know where to begin.  Tori has managed to surprise me and blow my mind all at the same time.  I think that amongst the strong vocals, percussion, piano, and most importantly the lyrics and concepts, that this could very well be Tori's finest piece of work.  Don't get me wrong, I never thought that anything could replace LE and UTP, but Tori has grown and evolved into a musician that I had never forseen.  Not only was there the thrill of looking through the stickers and matching them to songs, there was the feel of myself being Scarlet and moving from song to song so carefully along the map and feeling what she feels as well as what myself feels as i feel combined into many introspective thoughts and perspectives on life.  As far as album highlights to me, "mrs. jesus," "carbon" "your cloud" and "crazy"  stick out in my mind, but I honestly cannot a pick a favorite among the 18.  I listen to it everywhere i go, in the car, in my room, on the treadmill.  

There is a feeling that in 5 years from now no matter how many times i have listened to this album, that something new will hit me.  There is so much to take in.  It doesn't get much better than getting to know the songs on a new Tori cd.

From Meilani Marie (Posted Nov 1, 2002)

This album has only been in stores for a few days, but already I've heard a lot of negative reviews from Tori fans. I've also read a lot of positive reviews. So far, it seems like fans were either expecting Boys for Pele or Little Earthquakes, or hoping for Choirgirl.

While I love those and the other Tori albums, I am glad that she continues to grow and develop as a lyricist and musician.

Scarlet's Walk, to me, combines many elements of all of her previous albums, but is also unique. As a journey, this album is amazing. Like most of her work, it takes time and repeated listens to appreciate, understand, or criticize it.

I purchased SW at a midnight sale in Sacramento, California, and have listened to it quite a bit. However, I expect my opinions to gradually change.

The album starts out with Amber Waves, a song that didn't impress me on the promo cd, but I have grown to like it a lot as the opener of SW. Like the rest of the album, the song is mellow, but the music is awesome. There is definitely a strong drum and bass feel to all of the songs.

A Sorta Fairytale has been criticized as being too "poppy," but I definitely like the lyrics. True, this second song of the album is no Blood Roses; but it is sorta sad at the same time as being relaxed.

Wednesday is one of my favorites, it reminds me of songs on Little Earthquakes a little bit, and I definitely like the guitar and chorus, while the lyrics are nice and silly, but meaningful.

At first I didn't really like Strange, I thought the lyrics were kind of ho hum, but now I do like it, though it's still not one of my favorites. To me it sounds like something off of Strange Little Girls, which I liked a lot, but not as much as her original work.

Carbon is one of my top 3 favorite songs on the album. It sounds like a really mellow Caught A Light Sneeze and Siren, which are two of my favorite Tori songs. I love all of the lyrics, "Carbon made only wants to be unmade, blade to ice" It's great!

Crazy is a song I love to drive to (as is the whole album-take a road trip with this, you'll love it!) It has a lot of imagery and a great sound. Tori's voice on most of the album is beautiful as it circles around itself and in the background.

Wampum Prayer is a short little a capella Tori song that really for some reason makes me emotional, probably because it really is intense like Me and a Gun, only it's about the rape of Native American Culture, but it's really beautiful.

don't make me come to vegas is a song that once I got used to I loved. Her voice is ironic and strong, and the lyrics are very cool. "don't make me pull him out of your head-Athena will attest that it could be done and it can be done...."

Sweet Sangria sounds a little like Choirgirl at the beginning, but obviously not as electronic sounding, more organic. I love this song. It's got a great melody and Tori's voice is perfect.

Your Cloud already has been compared to China, Baker Baker, Hey Jupiter, 1000 Oceans etc., as a great Tori ballad. I don't agree that it's really up to Hey Jupiter, but that's just me. I really didn't like this song until I read the lyrics. Now I like it a lot, especially when her voice gets deeper and she sings the part, "If there is horizontal line..."

pancake was one of my favorites from the sampler. I still love it, though I admit I listened to the sampler too much and am already a little burned out on this song. The lyrics are absolutely great, and I guess this is the angriest she gets on the album. Her voice on this sounds like Strange Little Girls era.

I can't see New York is pretty hard to listen to. I love it, it is a great song with really great lyrics, and the music is really dramatic and awesome. Tori's voice sounds the closest to Boys For Pele (probably second half though) that it does on the whole album, probably because her voice wasn't super produced on this song like on many of the others. But the lyrics "I can't see New York... I'm circling down, through white cloud, I'm falling out," I just can barely listen to it right now.

Mrs. Jesus I guess is the other side to Father Lucifer, and I find them similar, though I like Father Lucifer better. This song is funny though, with her usual allusions to Christianity, but also she alludes to the Beatles and Led Zeppelin, I'm sure you'll hear it. I like this song.

Taxi Ride has to be one of my favorites, not my very fav., but it's in my top 3 or 4. The lyrics are so great, sad, but great "just another dead fag to you... just another light missing, on a long taxi ride" The music is perfect. It's so upbeat you almost miss what she's saying, but I think this is going to be a favorite of a lot of fans.

Another Girl's Paradise I liked right away, it kind of reminds me of stuff from Little Earthquakes, and also a really low key Waitress.

Scarlet's Walk is in my top 3. It really has a southern feel, but also Irish and Native American. Remember the beginning of Gone with the Wind, "the land Scarlett, the land." Tori's voice starts out hauntingly "Leaving Terra" This song sort of reminds me of Choirgirl. It is so beautiful and I love the chorus. "What do you mean to do with all your freedom.."

Virginia is my favorite song on this album right now. It is so beautiful and the lyrics are so great. The piano kind of reminds me of Cloud on my Tongue, it's really pretty like that. "try and arouse her turquoise serpents"

Gold Dust is a lot of people's favorite on SW. It is so amazing, her piano is beautiful, and the orchestra makes the song even more emotional. This song really reminds me of fall, and it is the perfect ending to the album.

Scarlet's Walk may not be my favorite Tori album, but it's close. Musically it is not the amazing Boys For Pele, lyrically it is not the diary Little Earthquakes, or the whimsical Under the Pink, it is not Choirgirl, or Venus, but it is an entity unto itself, and it really doesn't need to be compared. This album can stand on its own. It will not please every Tori fan, but expect it to become a favorite in a year or so when we've had more time to be with it.

From Caroline (Posted Nov 1, 2002)

This is my first review here so here go's. When i heard the promos to this c.d, i was alittle shaky though there were some wonderful songs. When i bought the c.d my whole world of thought changed. It is one of her most amazing c.d's. - truly intelligent and mature. My fav. is wednesday, it has a English/ yet i feel that maybe on her trip she stopped in at a country bar and performed this one - def. favorite! Next mind blower is I cant see New York - I feel the sadness in this but it does rock this album with a feel of led zepplin/its like she got on a plane to reach the other side. Another is mrs. Jesus - again with the flute i feel the influence of zepplin, beautiful, peaceful song. Another Carbon - wow! I feel tori reaching her in this. It reminds me of under the pink with the intro and the guitar - i def. hear my siren connected. Virginia is awesome., i cant say enough on the whole album- wampum will sooth the most troubled soul- thats really the only one that brings tears to my eyes. i love this album -not every song but most of them. Tori is a wonderful teacher and listener and i would really like to see her get that grammy.

From Morgan (Posted Nov 1, 2002)

.Scarlet's Walk is one of those "essence of Tori" albums. Each song has a not-quite-identifiable rhythm that makes me want to dance and sleep at the same time; and a voice that is both chilling and achingly beautiful, no matter what the tempo or the lyrics. It has blown me away - the first time that's happened since Pele.

The first song on the album that made me break down a bit was Taxi Ride. Tori had me with the first two lines; we have all been pushed too far! It's haunting, it's honest, and the chorus only gets better upon each listen. Now, after almost a week, several songs stand out: Don't Make Me Come to Vegas (should I dance to it? should I weep? I can't decide!); Crazy (my sister contends it's one of Tori's top 5 songs, ever, and I can't argue); Amber Waves; Carbon Made (this gem was hiding out on me until yesterday!); and Sweet Sangria. *forgive me if the titles are wrong...I don't have the case with me now so I don't know for sure!

The only thing I can do with a new Tori album is wait to let each song speak to me when it's ready. And the best thing about a new Tori album is discovering, after weeks or even months, that there's a story on there (maybe one song, or three) that suddenly appears, and becomes the essence of that album. It's a moment where you "get it", and the album becomes a part of you. It's like discovering a whole part of the album that I hadn't previously known. I'm looking forward to "getting" each song, and having one song hit me from out of nowhere.

Interestingly, as I've been singing the tunes in my head while at work (where I don't play music) one in particular - I'm not sure which - kept turning into Fire On Your Side from YKTR...so, though I haven't figured it out yet, some part of Scarlet's Walk is reminding me of old school Tori. That's a good thing!

At the same time, I don't think this work can be compared to any other albums. I get a lot of Bee Side feelings from it...sometimes I'm reminded of Bachelorette; sometimes Toodles Mr Jim; even Beulah Land comes to mind at certain points. In short, it's a masterpiece. Congrats to Tori for making a beautiful, original, intelligent album. I adore it.

From Josh (Posted Nov 1, 2002)

After hearing "A Sorta Fairytale" in late August/early September, i knew that this album was going to be great, and i wasn't disappointed at all. Although i love all of Tori's albums very much, this is probably one of my favourites, right up there with "Under the Pink" and "from the choirgirl hotel." The first single, "A Sorta Fairytale" is really good, probably Tori's best since "Spark" and/or "Bliss." But "A Sorta Fairytale" isn't the extent of "Scarlet's Walk" - there are several great songs here: the album opener "Amber Waves", "A Sorta Fairytale" (the longer album version has taken a while to get used to (although i do like the additional verse), while the 101 Mix, which is on the single, is amazing.) "Wednesday", "Crazy", "Sweet Sangria", my two personal favourites "Your Cloud" and "I Can't See New York", the amazingly beautiful "Taxi Ride" and "Gold Dust", which is Tori's most beautifully haunting song since "Yes Anastacia." Although all the songs are great, these are the ones that call me back, although i'm sure they all will once i get to know them better. But i noticed something with this album: unlike most of Tori's albums ("Choirgirl," and "Venus" aside), her piano seemed to be the main feat, while on "Scarlet's Walk" seems a little more focused on her voice (the vocal arrangements on this album are gorgeous.) And while all the songs are really good, you can't help but get the feeling that some of them sound a lot alike, but then it comes back to mind that this isn't necessarily Tori, it's Scarlet, her "alter ego", as she put it on "Live with Regis and Kelly." And as we all know, not many of Tori's songs sound alike, so this is somewhat excuseable. I bought both the Limited Edition version with the DVD and the regular version, but my DVD player isn't working right now, so i haven't gotten the chance to watch "Scarlet's DVD" yet. I also got the Dolphin charm, one which i haven't seen around yet. All in all, this is an extremely good album, quite possibly the best i've bought this year.

From Sherrie Lemire (Posted Nov 1, 2002)

I waited until release day to listen to any of SW's songs (excepting the radio edit version of A Sorta Fairy Tale which you can't help!), so this was truly a first listen on the day of the release. I remember Tori saying something about not spoiling Christmas by opening your presents too early and this was exactly how I felt about the new CD - you only get to experience that "unwrapping" once and I wanted to savor it.

I decided to start with the bonus "Scarlet Stories" (think this was Mike's suggestion). I'm so glad that I did because it was such a lovely experience! I pulled out the map and traced the route as she was talking in the background, thinking about the places she was describing and the story she was weaving and how the pieces fit together. Each description melded into the next and sometimes I had to run over to the computer to see which track we were on so that I could keep the stories straight, but then it just reinforced how much these stories are interlinked. There were moments that I had tears in my eyes, particularly during "I Can't See New York" and "Taxi Ride" (I had read the story of Kevyn and was truly touched by it. I could tell she had close feelings for him, was grieving him, but was also angry). I love Scarlet Stories and would have purchased it as a work in its own right. I'm planning on framing the map to preserve it, so that anyone who listens to the songs while they're over can take part in the journey.

Then I put Scarlet's Walk in. I have not yet had the chance for a second listening so this is truly FIRST impression. To be fair, every new Tori album takes some getting used to - no cookie cutters here. They're like relatives, related by blood, but unique individuals, with their own personalities, lifestyles, language. Scarlet's Walk, however, produced the strongest reaction in me since Boys for Pele (which is now judged by most of us to be the best - so that says something!). I found myself actually wavering between tearful joy and horrified disgust. My boyfriend didn't know what to do with me - one minute I'm hailing the complexity and musical genius of the album, calling it an epic akin to The Wall or Tommy, and the next I'm sitting back with a grim expression, like someone betrayed. I have to laugh at feeling this way because some songs bothered me to the point that the words "sell out" crossed my mind (one of these was "Crazy" - I couldn't wait for that song to be over as I had visions of Tori playing in every pop cultured CD player in America. Noooo!).

But taken as a whole, based on first listen only, I feel that this is truly her greatest achievement to date - perhaps even worthy of a Grammy nomination. My boyfriend (a musician, which I add only because I am not, and a Tori admirer only because he has to be with me around) was impressed by the complexity of the arrangements, and was blown away by the bass on some of the songs. She is truly in a class by herself, and an example of how a musical gift can evolve into greater degrees of genius if given the right environment, respect, and opportunity. Ê

Taken individually, a few songs stood out for me on this first listen: A Sorta Fairy Tale (infinitely better and more complex than the radio edited version) Wednesday (great fun in a Happy Phantom sort of way) Carbon (a kind of personal anthem for Tori, in light of her comments in Scarlet Stories), Taxi Ride (brilliant, a tribute to a great artist, can't wait to hear the remix), Gold Dust (so far my very favorite - gorgeous and soft and lovely, what an ending). But how can a person comment based on one listen? These songs will grow with me over time, evolving, until one day an experience will trigger an understanding I couldn't have appreciated before. For instance To Venus and Back has taken me years to get into, but one day - bam! How could I have missed it?! Concertina has been stuck in my head for weeks. You see, I recently discovered that sitting in a particular chair at my kitchen table creates a unique listening experience for Concertina. Something about how the positioning of our speakers isolates certain tracks. It's quite amazing. If anyone cares to try it out just let me know....!

I'm not a music expert, just a music lover...and this album was worth the wait. Thank you Tori.

From Lee Chaix (Posted Nov 1, 2002)

Here are my initial thoughts on Tori Amos's new album, Scarlet's Walk.

AMBER WAVES: An ideal introduction to the album. Tori introduces us to the major characters and themes that we'll be hearing on Scarlet's Walk. Amber Waves is an upbeat, fun song that prepares us for the rest of the album. A single possibility?

A SORTA FAIRYTALE: A love story that tells the truth -- love is great, but sometimes it takes more. The rhythm section helps move the story and song along, and was an ideal choice for a single. I prefer the album version, however, particularly as I think the journey "down near Mexico" is an important part of Scarlet's journey. I love how the drums change as we get nearer to Mexico -- reminds of Juarez, actually. How appropriate!

WEDNESDAY: Very Lennon-McCartney. You can definitely hear the Beatles in this fun, fast number. Not my favorite, and I'm not sure I understand exactly how this fits in the journey, but perhaps that will come with time.

STRANGE: A new take on an old theme. This hearkens back to Tear in Your Hand, Doughnut Song, etc., and is perhaps an extension of A Sorta Fairytale -- how can we make a love last that just isn't working anymore? I especially love the chorus in this one.

CARBON: An immediate favorite. Tori's use of harmony in the chorus is absolutely stunning. I think Carbon really showcases the beauty and power of her voice. The bass and drum lines are equally as powerful. I'm surprised Carbon wasn't chosen for the six-song sampler, because I think it's a great representative of the album's strength. I have a feeling this will be stellar live.

CRAZY: When I heard this after the sampler's release, I had mixed feelings. It was nice, but not a favorite. Hearing it in context, however, makes a world of difference. I think Crazy is a pivotal point on Scarlet's journey -- she abandons her past love and parts of her life, invites a bit of insanity to join her on the voyage, and is ready to see what happens. Musically, not my favorite, but I appreciate it more now than before.

WAMPUM PRAYER: I see a big connection here with some of Tori's earlier work. The slow, sad a cappella voice is almost identical to Me and a Gun, which I don't think is an accident. In much the same way as Me and a Gun, Wampum Prayer deals with rape (of the land) and the victimization (of an entire culture and ethnic group). I'll need to roll this one around for a while, but I think it's a powerful parallel.

DON'T MAKE ME COME TO VEGAS: Fun fun fun! This is a great get-in-your- groove song. I think this also may be Tori's shining moment lyrically. She weaves in clever references with a fast-paced story and leaves the listener completed rapt and enthralled. I can't stop playing this one!

SWEET SANGRIA: I have not given this one the time I've given its sisters, so I'm not sure what I think of it. Initial thoughts -- not bad, not a favorite. The rhythm is captivating and works well as a follow to Vegas. Its feel matches its portion of the journey (Southwest). I think this one may be stronger live than recorded, but we'll see.

YOUR CLOUD: A hidden gem. Although the verses didn't pull me in initially, I was bowled over by the chorus. Again, I see some old themes resurface. "Where you end where I begin" and the search for an individual self within a relationship is an interesting parallel to Bliss, although now we're talking about a lover instead of a father figure. I adore the musicality of the chorus, and think a live version will be interesting, especially because I think the backup vocals really make the song.

PANCAKE: I liked this one a lot when I heard it off the sampler, and I still do, but I'm not sure I get how it fits into the journey. I'm surprised it doesn't come later, around Scarlet's Walk and Virginia. I don't get the connection with Your Cloud and New York. But sonically, I think it's stellar. Of course, references to God and religion are not new ground for Tori, but this time, rather than directing her anger at the deity Himself (a la God), she targets the entire religion and its impact on culture and the land.

I CAN'T SEE NEW YORK: A beautiful, elegiac masterpiece. The slow build to the climactic chorus is heartbreaking. I think Tori has honored those who lost and were lost on September 11th, and I'm moved to tears each time I hear it. So powerful.

MRS. JESUS: A nice throwback with the flutes. Not a highlight or a favorite of mine, but certainly continues the journey. I appreciate the Let It Be/John and Paul/Mary reference, and I can hear Beatles influence here as well.

TAXI RIDE: I adored this song when I heard it on the sampler, and continue to love it. Tori's layered vocals, coupled with the powerful bass and drums, make this song fun to listen to. I imagine Kevyn Aucoin would have loved it, and I think it's a great tribute. I can't help but sing along to this one.

ANOTHER GIRL'S PARADISE: I love this song. Again, Tori addresses female friendships and the betrayal and jealousy that often come along, as she did with much of Under the Pink (Bells for Her, Cornflake Girl, Waitress, etc.). This time, however, Tori looks at the even darker side of envy -- that what we desire in another may have its shadow side as well. Part of me wonders if this isn't also a message to some of her fans -- hey, it's not always great being me, either. Hmmm&Mac183; in any case, the chorus is captivating, and I think this song is where the journey begins to wind down and reach its end -- betrayal and jealousy lead nicely to&Mac183;

SCARLET'S WALK: The ultimate betrayal, where the uninvited guest becomes the unwanted landlord. Tori nicely weaves patriotic references with the dark, bloody consequences of "discovering" America. The opening of the song sounds like a sorrowful cry, which is appropriate for the subject. Musically, she sets the stage for the story of betrayal and death. A side note -- does anyone else hear a Stevie Nicks/Fleetwood Mac influence here?

VIRGINIA: Possibly my favorite on the album. The idea of betrayal continues, except this time, Virginia (the land? the woman?) unknowingly betrays herself to protect the man (the invader?) she loves. The dobro gives a nice Southern flavor to the song, and I don't need a map or the song title to know where I am. I also appreciate the quick changes between major and minor keys, which helps illustrate the duality and the confusion underpinning the story.

GOLD DUST: We've reached the end of our journey, and Gold Dust is there at the finish. All of Tori's album closers (Little Earthquakes, Yes Anastasia, Twinkle, Pandora's Aquarium, 1000 Oceans, Real Men) have a similar feel -- a slow ballad moving towards a crescendo and the final bittersweet ending. This is one of Tori's best ballads, and the beautiful orchestration swims in, around, and between Tori's vocals and piano work. A stunning way to end such a long journey.

OVERALL: I believe this is Tori's most important, most accessible, and best work to date. Tori's use of a voyage/quest motif is highly effective, and she is able to expand on several themes (sonic and subject) we find in her earlier works. She has grown as a musician, lyricist, and artist without abandoning her roots. I think Tori will expand her fan base with Scarlet's Walk - my husband, for example, groans every time I put a Tori CD in the player -- he absolutely can't stand her. But Scarlet's Walk resonates with him, and I think may for other non-Toriphiles as well. He can't stop listening, and is captivated by her music and her story. Scarlet's Walk is an impressive masterpiece, incorporating many past thematic statements with a new view of life and the resulting journey. I'm glad to travel along with Tori for a while.

From Eileen Christiansen (Posted Nov 1, 2002)

"I listened to Tori Amos's new album "Scarlet's Walk" from front to back for the first time yesterday. H. recorded the CD onto a mini-disc so that I could listen to it in the car. I wanted to get to know this album in my car. The album is about a road trip, so I thought that listening to it to start on my car's kickass sound system would do it justice.

Before I listened to the album in its entirety, there was a part of me that wanted to be detached from it. I didn't want to be loyal to it simply because I was a Tori fan. I wanted the album to stand on its own two feet alongside its sisters in Tori's varied discography. I wanted it to be able to tell its story without me placing a "good" or a "bad" label on it ahead of time.

I got in the car, I took a deep breath and I started to drive.

My response?

Tori is cooking with gas, my friends.

Man, oh, man.

I'd say that this is the most accessible album that she's released since "Little Earthquakes". I think it's an album that non-Toriphiles could enjoy, and it would be a great album for someone who has never heard Tori Amos before.

I don't have a lot of concrete things to say about the individual tracks yet; I haven't spent enough time with the album to really know the individual songs intimately. It sizzles. It sparkles. Tori spreads her wings to travel into new styles of writing and rhythm and it works for her. The mastering gives the music a warm and bright feel. Some of the songs are layered with all sorts of interesting sounds and effects, but you can tell that they would stand on their own with just a piano or a three/four piece band.

"Wednesday" grooves and bounces (not too country western, not at all). "Amber Waves" is a rock opera anthem. "Scarlet's Walk" is lush and majestic. "your cloud" is wistful and uses powerful poetic imagery. "Pancake" shakes its tiny fist. "Strange" is wonderful and very singable. "a sorta fairytale" is lovely in its full version. The song about "Vegas" is a lot of fun. "wampum prayer" is as soft and as gentle as "A Song for Eric"; I miss Tori's a cappella writing. "gold dust" is tear-inducingly good. The album's message is a hopeful one, even though it points to the sickness in our country.

Some of the songs are piano driven, some are band driven. Tori's vocal production is clear and expressive, sometimes highly emotional. She doesn't hold back, and she sinks into her character Scarlet like she would into a great pair of shoes. Strappy shoes, the kind that you'd wear to a night in the city. You know the kind I'm talking about, girls.

I cannot wait to see these songs performed live in concert. In the meantime, I'm going to spend some time driving and getting to know them. It should make my weekly drives a lot more interesting, that's for sure."

From CLE1978 (Posted Nov 1, 2002)

ok, so ive been a huge fan since i first saw the "silent all these years" video, and today is no different. i was so high off the album upon first listen, and of course took a road trip to it. i listened to only 3 of the promo sampler songs so that i could make it as exciting as possible, and of course tori did it again.

now, ive read a few reviews, and i have to say im really quite sick of people putting down venus and slg. ITS STILL TORI! i dont understand how people say its not as good, or whatever, because tori has always done things her own way, and for this reason im still after 11 years a big fan. i mean, slg wasnt her own lyrix, but it IS a cover album, what did you expect? i love all the songs, and will follow tori wherever she goes because i know her too well to think that shed actually try to go "commercial" (whatever that is). now venus is a beautiful album also. i try not to heed it too much mind, because if she had just done little earthquakes over 8 times then people would gripe then too. let her go, and i know that we'll be excited with her on her journeys. she hasnt let me down yet, dont close your mind to it just because its different from what she's done before...

ok, now scarlet is just a rush, its very much like the waves i felt sweeping over me when i first heard venus. the melodies, very strong, the lyrix of course again a strong point, and it maintains my interest even tho she uses mostly the drums/bass/piano on alot of it. i think its a very good album, but it wont be noticed, hers never are. and its sad, but that doesnt mean its no good....plus i get to keep her to myself(hehe).

i dont wanna pick thru all the songs and strip them down, because i dont even know the words yet, but even then i just relate, cuz she has the way she sees them, and that doesnt mean we have to also. i am a man, and i do not like feminism, because its about all of us not some of us, and i dont see alot of it on the record like one review said. wampum prayer is beautiful, just because somthing's short doesnt mean it cant be powerful. and prayer is very powerful. crazy is great, since i do have some of the same problems as tori growin