Tori Amos: Night of Hunters

Tori Amos released her new album, Night of Hunters, and, as a devoted fan, I rushed to get it and listen.

Now I review.

Tori was given a scholarship to the Peabody Music Conservatory when she was just a little girl, which put her studying classical piano with the country's best pianists. She took a detour from this and was removed from the school a few years later, and put her focus into rock.

Album after album, she's produced achingly honest music that obviously draws from her classical training. But in Night of Hunters, she takes fourteen actual classical compositions and re-arranges them, adding lyrics and orchestration.

It seems a right fit for Tori.

My only complaint is the same complaint I've had for her last four albums. Angry Tori is gone, which means her frustration is gone. She no longer channels that passion through her music. But how could I ever be upset that someone I care about (even though I don't know her) is finally a happy person?

She went from this:

To this:

And I have loved watching it unfold. Even though I still relate more to young, fiery Tori, I am grateful that she has documented her life. Someday I hope to achieve the kind of calm she has.

Here's a link to NPR, which has the whole album on their website to preview. Give it a listen. It's fantastic.