Tori Amos - Under The Pink (1994)

Tracklist:

All songs written by Amos.

1. "Pretty Good Year" – 3:25
2. "God" – 3:58
3. "Bells For Her" – 5:20
4. "Past the Mission" (feat. Trent Reznor) – 4:05
5. "Baker Baker" – 3:20
6. "The Wrong Band" – 3:03
7. "The Waitress" – 3:09
8. "Cornflake Girl" – 5:06
9. "Icicle" – 5:47
10. "Cloud on My Tongue" – 4:44
11. "Space Dog" – 5:10
12. "Yes, Anastasia" – 9:33

Under the Pink," Tori Amos' second solo album, continues the singer/songwriter's exploration of her life's journey from the confines of a strict religious upbringing to personal and artistic freedom. She is armed with an attention-grabbing mezzo-soprano and lyrics that can kill with a turn of phrase. And Amos is still unsatisfied. God, parents, boyfriends, girlfriends, herself: No one escapes judgment.

Once again, Amos accompanies herself on piano, with drums, bass and guitar assisting; the occasional string arrangement or synth is added for not-so-subtle effect.

Her acoustic bent is well served on the album: The piano is not hidden beneath grandiose group arrangements as it was on her previous outing Little Earthquakes (1992), and her quirky hesitations and sudden shrieks are more in tune with the emotional states of her characters. Under the Pink still doesn't match Amos' riveting, piano-only live performances, but it sure comes close.

Under the Pink is Amos' honest reporting of a life fraught with turmoil and disappointment. Can it take her beyond her devoted cult to greater popularity? Possibly. The album is focused, the lyrics quirky and personable, the melodies eccentric enough to entice and simple enough to be catchy. Those qualities – and her emotional fearlessness – make Tori Amos a musical find to treasure.

Marie Elsie St. Leger

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Now playing: Tori Amos - Cloud on my Tongue
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Herbie Hancock - River: the Joni Letters (2007)

Tracklist:

All songs were written by Joni Mitchell, except where noted.

1. "Court and Spark" feat. Norah Jones
2. "Edith and the Kingpin" feat. Tina Turner
3. "Both Sides Now"
4. "River" feat. Corinne Bailey Rae
5. "Sweet Bird"
6. "The Tea Leaf Prophecy (Lay Down Your Arms)" feat. Joni Mitchell
7. "Solitude" (Eddie DeLange, Duke Ellington, Irving Mills)
8. "Amelia" feat. Luciana Souza
9. "Nefertiti" (Wayne Shorter)
10. "The Jungle Line" feat. Leonard Cohen

Hancock and his fine band -- Lionel Loueke (guitar), Wayne Shorter (soprano and tenor saxophones), Dave Holland (bass), Vinnie Colaiuta (drums) -- prepare a series of instrumentals and vocal interpretations of the songs of Joni Mitchell. The vocalists here include those who were inspired by Mitchell, namely Norah Jones, Corinne Bailey Rae, and Mitchell herself on one number, and some of her peers in the pop world, including Tina Turner and Leonard Cohen.

But Hancock understands something implicit about Mitchell: she was never -- ever -- a folksinger. Her compositions have always walked wildly adventurous rhythmic and harmonic terrain. Indeed, she has played with jazz musicians solidly since the 1970s, beginning with the L.A. record, The Hissing of Summer Lawns, and toured with jazz groups, including the all-star band assembled for Shadows and Light that included Pat Metheny, Jaco Pastorius, Lyle Mays, Don Alias, and Michael Brecker (Shorter played on a number of those dates as well).

The material here doesn't walk the line between pop and jazz -- something Hancock is very comfortable doing. This is a jazz record with vocals. The album's ten tracks are, for the most part, programmed for a vocal tune, followed by an instrumental.

River approaches brilliance; it's another accomplishment in a career full of them for Hancock. The album doesn't simply recontextualize Mitchell. Any fan of hers has known that she never comfortably fit the whole singer/songwriter thing anyway. It actually does that more for jazz and pop. He takes a sound that has been floating around since Jones issued her debut album, and roots it deeply in the jazz camp without giving up the immediacy of sophisticated adult pop -- which is, in a way, an element of the tradition of jazz itself. For jazz fans, this is a wonderful new chapter, a new way to hear him (and Shorter). For pop and Mitchell fans, this is a way to step quietly into another world and experience wonders.

by Thom Jurek

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Now playing: Herbie Hancock - Tea Leaf Prophecy feat. Joni Mitchell
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Dave Matthews Band - Before These Crowded Streets (1998)

Tracklist:

1. Pantala Naga Pampa
2. Rapunzel
3. The Last Stop
4. Don't Drink The Water
5. Stay (Wasting Time)
6. Halloween
7. The Stone
8. Crush
9. The Dreaming Tree
10. Pig
11. Spoon

With the notable exception of its 1994 breakout single, "What Would You Say," Dave Matthews Band has always been more about sound than songs. This continues to be true on the group's propulsive new album, Before These Crowded Streets. Teaming up again with producer Steve Lillywhite, DMB is more successful on this outing than ever before in translating the roiling energy of its stage show to the studio. The band also pushes in adventurous new directions, incorporating bright new hues into its highly distinctive, instantly recognizable sonic palette.

DMB's lethal secret weapon has always been its extraordinary – and criminally underpraised – rhythm section. If you want to organize a band with a front line of violin, saxophone, and acoustic and electric guitars, and your music relies on tricky time signatures, complex arrangements and fevered ensemble playing that bolts into reckless improvisational flights, your drummer and bass player better swing like Joe DiMaggio. Stefan Lessard and Carter Beauford more than fill the bill – they anchor this unwieldy outfit without ever weighing it down. And when it's time to fly, they give the band wings.

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Now playing: Dave Matthews Band - The Dreaming Tree
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