Abnormally Attracted To Sin

Tori Amos has been a force in the music industry now for over 17 years, and on her tenth studio album "Abnormally Attracted to Sin" offers a mix of tracks which can be inconsistent in quality at the best of times.

Amos' trademark piano sound, as has been the case mostly since the outstanding "From The Choirgirl Hotel", is largely pushed into the background, taking centre-stage on just a few tracks (such as "Ophelia" and "Maybe California"); however, Amos has incorporated a variety of styles in "Abnormally..." that make this album far more interesting than her previous two efforts.

In terms of tracks, there are some clear stand-outs - "Give" opens the album perhaps perfectly, oozing appeal that makes the album feel "sinful". "Strong Black Vine" builds on Amos' work from the inconsistent "American Doll Posse", seemingly tackling religious intolerance head-on. "Maybe California" is a heart-wrenching ballad, surrounded by a lush string arrangement which conveys the true sorrow of the lyrics - and will probably sound even better at live shows as a solo piano performance. "Lady in Blue" sees Amos incorporate an almost jazz-like sound, while up-tempo songs like "Fire To Your Plain" and "That Guy" are particularly arresting.

However, as with most of Amos' releases of the 2000s (not including thr fantastic "Scarlet's Walk"), there are several songs which could have been omitted. "Police Me" is perhaps the worst song Amos has ever released, while "Not Dying Today" and "Fast Horse" just don't seem necessary. While not bad, "Mary Jane" just doesn't do anything for me, at all.

The core problem is that Amos is either too generous or self-indulgent in her creation; "Abnormally..." runs for 76 minutes, however with some rather honest editing control, Tori could've had a minor classic here with 13 tracks. While that is a shame, is cannot be doubted that Tori has produced another mainly good listen.

Whenever a new Tori album comes out inevitable comparisons to Little Earthquakes and Under The Pink are made, as if Tori somehow hasn't the right to grow older, change her style and develop as an artist. Truth is, she's been moving away from piano led songs for a while now and those who have followed her through the years won't be as surprised by the guitars, drums and synthesisers as those who may have recently rediscovered her.

Recent albums have seen Tori write music from the perspective of various fictional personas - one in Scarlet's Walk, five in American Doll Posse. This album marks a return to the more personal type of songs of The Beekeeper, which at times are intimate to herself and at other times allow her to re-emit the absorbed stories of personal circumstance told to her by others. Tori has long ago exorcised the demons in her personal life that gave life to such heart wrenching songs such as Me and a Gun, Playboy Mommy and The Beekeeper, and now stripped of the personas she created to channel experiences she'd not normally write about, many of the songs on Abnormally Attracted To Sin are incredibly relaxed and comfortable within their own skin. Motherhood may not have mellowed Tori, as shown by her heartfelt tirade about religious hypocrisy on Strong Black Vine, but it's clear that the inner turmoil that fuelled a lot of her earlier albums has gone. That doesn't diminish this album though, and makes it her most relaxing album to date.

Most people don't get Tori lyrics because she writes in prose and allegory, her songs constructed to convey feelings to the listener and inspire emotions that let the stories tell themselves. On this album, intricate and beautiful melodies are the flowerbed to lyrics that convey a far greater subtlety of metaphor than before, and it works on an almost subconscious level so that what you initially think is just an interesting song will start triggering images and emotions on the second listen in a way that no conventional pop album could. As long as listeners aren't expecting up-tempo piano ballads, they'll find that listening to this album all the way through is both a relaxing and an uplifting experience. It's a different side yet again to Tori's genius and it's a genuine wonder how she manages to keep doing that.

Although other reviewers have harped back to earlier albums, my personal option is that this is Tori best album. All the tracks are strong and apart from a small 30 second blip when she vocally goes though a list of chemicals, it's a winner. It is relatively mellow compared to some of her other ablums, but I see that as a positive rather then anything else. The Kate Bush label came and went, but I think it might of come back in that the album reminds me of the lionheart/never for ever lps in the way the songs develop and the way Tori handles the vocals.