Jump in! The water's fine!

Well, here we are again...A new Tori CD and a new crop of reviews from disgruntled listeners who still think it's 1992. Guess what? It's 2005! Tori is all grown up. She's not going to make another Little Earthquakes. I wonder if da Vinci was criticized for not painting the Mona Lisa over and over again?

Tori Amos has continually shown the ability to fearlessly discuss topics and issues that others avoid (religion, rape, masturbation, mis-carriage, etc) and do it in a personal and emotionally cathartic fashion. Somehow, she's shared the most intimate places in her life without allowing herself to be consumed in the process. It's a tightrope that many have attempted to walk before and frequently the results have been tragic.

Now, we're presented with the new, ambitious "The Beekeeper". The 19 song CD, available with a very enlightening interview DVD in the limited edition version, has been released almost concurrently with her new book "Tori Amos- Piece by Piece" co-written with famed rock music writer Ann Powers. Together they offer an all too rare glimpse into the mind of one of the most unpredictable, uncategorizable (?), challenging, unique, discomforting artists of our time.

It's all too easy to fall into the trap of calling these songs AOR pop and dismissing them out of hand. But a closer examination of lyrics and the subtleties of the music exposes the much deeper currents hiding in the depths that remain unseen from the shore.

Themes include- betrayal, the impact of war, infidelity, growing up, death and loss, but Tori ties it all together with the overlying thread of the circle of life and the need to integrate all the pieces of ourselves.

The songs at times harken back to earlier work. In fact, a number of tunes DO recall "Little Earthquakes" and the "Boys for Pele" days. Still there are a lot of similarities to the more recent Scarlet's Walk as well. Especially as pertains to the narrowing of the range of dynamics through the album. While this is a departure from her earlier work, it doesn't negate the importance or power of what she's doing currently.

This album has the most accessible lyrics in quite some time. Because of this, I anticipate more commercial success with this release than she's ever had in the past. Some of the songs, while holding with her themes, are still solidly rooted in the pop vein.

Unfortunately, if something is different from what we're used to, most people's initial reaction is a negative one. My suggestion? Give the CD some space. Keep listening. Trust what Tori is trying to do. Leave your preconceptions behind and just let the music in.