For decades now the guitar has come to symbolise the ultimate power in rock and pop, especially in the former. Other instruments have accepted this fate imposed upon them by the almighty six-string musical seducer. But there remains one that has refused to bow its head: the equally commanding piano. And there are so many good examples of artists using the ivories to express their feelings: self-appointed King Arthur's court musician Rick Wakeman from Yes, the Argentinian rocker Fito Páez, the late, unbelievable Nina Simone. All these performers have brought, or brought, as in the case of Nina, an extraordinary level of deftness and mastery to an instrument whose origins were rooted mainly in classical music.
And to this list Killer Opening Songs would like to add the name Tori Amos. For almost twenty years now, this American singer has prowled the mainly male-dominated medium of rock and pop. From the very beginning Tori defied conventions: she avoided early 90s genres such as techno and grunge, her piano-based compositions travelled the diapason of her own troubled religious upbringing and she distanced herself from the Joni Mitchell/Kate Bush dyad.
Tonight K.O.S. is pleased to bring 'Crucify', the opening track of her debut album 'Little Earthquakes'. A very emotive song that touched upon issues like God, self-doubt and victimhood, 'Crucify' set the tone for Tori's singing style. Here's a performer whose voice accordions across low and high notes, never letting up or abating. Let's not forget that it was around those years, '92-'93 that the Mariah Careys and Whitney Houstons claimed their stake in pop's Mount Olympus, leaving as their legacy that yodelling competition they call nowadays 'X Factor' or 'American Idol'. All the more to admire Tori's uncompromising body of work.
But if the voice was exceptional the lyrics were mind-blowing. In passages like 'I've been looking for a savior in these dirty streets/looking for a savior beneath these dirty sheets/I've been raising up my hands/Drive another nail in/Just what God needs/One more victim' Tori raises a very important issue: that of victimhood and how to react to it. K.O.S. is of the opinion that some people enjoy suffering and not from a masochistic point of view, but rather from a consciously powerlessness perspective. They enjoy the attention that misery brings and occasionally make a nice living out of that. However in Tori's hands 'Crucify' becomes a parody of adversity: 'Got a kick for a dog/Beggin' for Love/I gotta have my suffering/So that I can have my cross'. The dark humour certainly runs underneath the placid surface of this Killer Opening Song.
All in all, Tori Amos has recorded ten albums, with her latest coming out this autumn. Strong evidence of her quality as an artist and her skills as a pianist. Besides, without Tori we wouldn't have Fiona Apple, would we? Just joking. Enjoy.
Copyright 2009
Next Post: 'Sunday Mornings: Coffee, Reflections and Music' , to be published on Sunday 25th October at 10am (GMT)
Amos is a poetic genius and a talented musician. Another great K.O.S. post, Mr. Cuban.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this interesting post. I was especially drawn in by your comments about suffering and KOS. I was just talking to an artist friend the other day about a series that she is working on. We were talking about "manufactured drama" and "appropriated tragedy." Somehow, that paragraph brought it to mind.
ReplyDeleteExquisite selection as always.
ReplyDeleteEs una música excelente y muy sexy! I love Tori!
ReplyDeleteI love how you love music too and then I realize but it is more than that. You know music. You must breath it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment about abuse, my God I got chills. I hope she is well now.
Love Renee xoxox
Tori Amos! si, non é un artista comune (per fortuna).
ReplyDeleteEd é sempre stata buona anche per provocare i "cosidetti normali" ;)
Ti ricordi quando promuoveva il suo album con la foto dove allatta un piccolo maiale? eheheheh
Ha provocato molto con quella immagine nei muri. E i critici erano tra diverse opinioni tra: disgustoso, e geniale.
Guarda qui: http://www.public.iastate.edu/~garden/music/tori/pig.jpg
A me é sempre piaciuta come artista. Una che contribuisce al fatto, che ci stá molta qualitá se guardiamo oltre una MADONNA o altre idiote di discodance;)
Saluti da Colonia Cuban,
Salva
Thanks Cuban. That makes two blogs I visit (and like very much) that rave about Tori; I see I shall have to do some discovering.
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot for your kind comments. Personally, I love my female singers to be feisty and self-confident. So, who else besides Tori makes it onto my list of top performers, with or without piano? Erykah Badu, Fiona Apple (of course), Kirstin Hersh, Joni and Janis (surnames are surplus), Amy Winehouse (first album), Gigi, Yusa (already included in the Killer Opening Songs section), Macy Gray (first two albums), Carleen Anderson, Billie (the only Billie), did I mention Nina? There are so many more. Memphis Minnie (without her there would not be any 'When the Levee Breaks' famously popularised by Led Zeppelin). The list goes on and on.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your feedback.
Greetings from London.
So talented.
ReplyDeleteThank you Mr. Gentleman Cuban for your kind words. As usual, you make me smile.
Catherine
Beautiful song!! WOW!
ReplyDeleteFor me piano music is the only instrument that I feel is lifting me and taking me away-like I'm floating on top of the the notes... hmm, hard to explain ;-)
what a great song....love it!!
ReplyDeleteMusic is a many splendored thing whose brilliance often masks, even hides, the suffering behind it, to remind us of the beauty around us and the need to do everything to preserve it.
ReplyDeleteTori Amos, lovely. As for Nina, I still miss her terribly. Cotton-eye Joe, The Other Woman -- she's still singing those when I close my eyes.
ReplyDeleteah, estuve loco perdio, metio como un camion sin frenos contra los molinos, asi de duro me dio cuando vi aquel primer video de TORI.
ReplyDeletenos pillamos, tony.
Many thanks for your kind comments.
ReplyDeleteGreetings from London.
Love, love, love that song. In fact, the whole album is incredibly strong. I remember how excited I was when it first came out; there is something so special about a truly distinctive performer.
ReplyDeleteNina Simone is one of my all-time favorites, so I guess that I like a bit of piano!
Thanks, Bee. I remember listening to this song long after I knew the exact words to 'Cornflake Girl' :-).
ReplyDeleteGreetings from London.
I listened to Tori all the time back in the day. And I do think she helped pave the way for Fiona Apple by bringing piano-driven singer songwriters into the mainstream in a way that Kate Bush never did in the U.S.
ReplyDeleteLet me just tell you again - I do love your music choices.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your kind words.
ReplyDeleteGreetings from London.