Customer Reviews

Jackie's Strength / Never Seen Blue / Beulah Land

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Any Tori Amos CD-single with the words "previously unreleased" anywhere on the box is definitely worth buying. This CD features two such brand new songs alongside the beautiful Jackie's Strength. It took me a while to warm up to this song, but now I enjoy it more and more every time I hear it. Great lyrics, great music, great singing, great everything; the delicate yet passionate transitions from verse to chorus never fail to amaze me. Never Seen Blue and Beulah Land are rather soft and subdued, which definitely correspond well with the atmosphere of Jackie's Strength. I personally don't enjoy Tori's slow, somber music as much as her faster-paced tracks, but I can't argue with the fact that Never Seen Blue is a particularly appealing song. I especially enjoy the later section in which Tori builds up the emotion behind the words and slowly works her way to a crescendo of passionate expression. Beulah Land is a little different, incorporating a small but important gospel feel. All of these songs can be quite calming, and they can also be quite serious if you immerse yourself in the lyrics. This CD also contains a bonus in the form of Tori's videos for Jackie's Strength and Raspberry Swirl, which makes it especially attractive to anyone who has not purchased the complete collection of Tori's 1991 to 1998 videos.

If you are especially drawn to Tori's softer side, the songs on this CD will probably delight you. For Tori fans like myself who prefer our Tori with more of an edge to her, the two previously unreleased tracks will still provide a lot of listening enjoyment. I don't see how any Tori fan can be disappointed in this particular CD single.

I don't think I have the words to explain how beautiful this single is. Jackie's Strength was not one of my favorites from the album, but I needed the B-sides.
"Never Seen Blue" has become my all time favorite Tori song. It has a dream-like quality that most artists can't even touch. Put this on with your morning cup of coffee, really.
There's also something about the piano in this song that sends chills through you. It's beautiful and if you are a fan, you must hear it. (If anyone reading this was at the Salt Lake show for the "Venus" tour, you've heard it. It was one of the last songs she sang before her encore. It was a rare arena experience.)-- If anyone would like to hear the story about her playing Never Seen Blue in Salt Lake, email me (blankfrank71@hotmail). It's a good one.
"Beulah Land" is also an excellent song. Reminiscent of "Way Down" on Pele. Also one of my favorites. This is by far one of the best singles Tori has released.

The gorgeous title track is taken from Amos's fourth solo album, "from the choirgirl hotel." As with many of Amos's singles, "Jackie's Strength" has many extra goodies. It contains two previously unreleased tracks: "Never Seen Blue" and "Beulah Land." Both were written and intended for release on her third solo album "Boys for Pele," but they did not make it on the final release or as b-sides to any of the album's singles. Luckily, they still saw the light of day with this release. They both definitely have a "Pele" feel as they are largely vocal and piano, with "Beulah Land" using a gospel choir in the background. Also included are the enhanced cd features: just pop this cd into your cd-rom drive of your computer and you can watch the promotional videos for "Jackie's Strength" and "Raspberry Swirl."

Let's get serious here. This single is only $3.49 as of now.(and I bought it for $2.99) So honestly even if it DID suck, its not like you spent your bank account on it. Fortunately it is a very good single. The price was what attracted me to it, that and the fact that "Jackie's Strength" is one of favorite Tori songs. The front and back cover art is beautiful. The pictures of Tori are absolutely amazing! They are both from the video for "Jackie's Strength"(which is included as and enhanced CD feature as well as the "Raspberry Swirl" video). The other tracks are great too. "Never Seen Blue" reminds me alot of the stuff she does on the second half of "Scarlet's Walk." It is pretty and insightful, but very soft. The song is an overall 4/5, which could be because it looks like nothing compared to "Jackie's Strength." The third track on this disc,"Belulah Land" is a bit confusing because it is actually a hymn, but the lyrics don't follow it(I checked it up on the internet.) I think the song is hinting at a paradise of some sort which could be interpreted as a heaven in the hymn. The song is pretty good and her voice is especially good when she says, "Something is coming, Yeah." Overall if you are a big Tori fan than this is a very good addition to your Tori library. The songs are definately material they could have used on the album since it only had twelve songs and I think these would have helped to balance out the NewTori/OldTori sound. Which "Jackie's Strength" does on the album, From the Choirgirl Hotel. So if you are picking something else up(it is ridiculous to pay almost $5.00 of shipping for a single) throw this in your Amazon cart, you won't regret it.

If you ever thought that singles are a ripoff, think again. Out comes Jackies Strength, a song with great power that has touching lyrics and an amazing video.
With it you get two of Tori's greatest b-sides, which were not on the album because they have a different feel to them.
And two videos!!! (Well, it was supposed to have 3 videos, but something went wrong and the never befone seen video was not included in most of the singles even though they were marked with a special sticker anouncin this)
This cd is a must have, because it has stuff you just have to listen to, and when you do you will want to own it.

Unfortunatly, information on this CD is limited so I'm taking a chance, and assuming I'm writing the right reveiw.This single is an excellent example of Tori's softer side.Both of the other songs on this single are equally as poinigant as "Jackie's Strength" itself."Never Seen Blue" is delicate and whistful, like the memory I'm shure she's trying to convey."Bulah Land" sounds very southern Baptist and even has a mens gospel chior in the backround.Both "Never Seen Blue" and "Bulah Land" were previously unrelised, so grab them now, you may not get them anywhere else.

Best $3 investment I've made in a long time. You don't get 4 songs and two videos as a toy in your $3 happy meal now, do you? Raspberry Swirl is an awesome video, and Tori looks beautiful in Jackies Strength. Charming.

Tori Amos cd single to Jackie's Strength has the most two gorgeous songs of all-time, Never Seen Blue and Beulah Land. I love, love, love these tracks to pieces, haunting and lush piano ballads. And Jackie's Strength is my favorite Tori song from her LP From the Choirgirl Hotel. If there is one EP to purchase, this is the one for you!

"Jackie's Strength" is no doubt one of Tori's best songs. "Never Seen Blue" and "Beulah Land" compliment it perfectly, and they make this single worth owning. So many bands/artists slap remixes on singles and call it good. Tori is known for putting never-before-heard songs on her singles, making them a real treat for any of her fans. "Never Seen Blue" alone would be reason enough to buy this. It has gorgeous lyrics and, of course, wonderful piano. "Beulah Land" is a little less breath taking but is amazing none the less. If you like anything that Tori Amos has done, you'll love this single.

There are many reasons to buy this single, the main one being for "Beulah Land" the third and last song on the single. If you are even reading this review, it probably means you are a big tori fan (like me) and so this is not a single you should miss out on. All three songs are great but you should get this for the two b-sides. The only reason I gave it four stars out of five was because I was slightly disappointed with "never seen Blue", which at times has the same melody as "Muhammed my friend" from "Boys for Pele"