In a nutshell: The queen of kook has surpassed herself this time.
Here's the
concept: take 12 songs written by men but perform them from the perspective
of a cast of female characters. Why? Because it's "fascinating how men say
things and women hear them."
What's it like? Weird: The Beatles' Happiness is a Warm Gun introduced by
news footage about Lennon's assassination; scary: Tori's disturbingly
sinister take on Eminem's wife -butchering tale '97 Bonnie and Clyde; and
profoundly beautiful: a simple piano version of Tom Wait's Time. Other tracks
include Depeche Mode's Enjoy the Silence and 10CC's I'm Not in Love.
How many good tracks? Seven out of twelve.
Best track: Time
Worst Track: Tori renders Slayer's Raining Blood an unlistenable dirge. No
change there, then.
Verdict: A Tori Amos covers album was never going to be conventional but this
is as intriguing as it is challanging. You worry about her sanity though, * *
* (3 stars)
