Customer Reviews

Midwinter Graces

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

 

 

Tori Amos creates a refreshing take on the holiday season with her new album: "Midwinter Graces". Working with her usual team of Mark Chamberlain on drums, Jon Evans on bass, and Mac Aladdin on guitars, plus some nice orchestration, we see a lot of new Tori, and very little of the old/expected. The tracks especially worth noting are the ones that take the typical Christmas tunes and switch it up for something new and interesting, like the harpsichord filled "What Child, Nowell" or tabla'd "Star of Wonder". She is a master at taking our expectations of what SHOULD appear in a Christmas album and changing them.

The best track on the whole album, and my favorite, was "Pink and Glitter". While a slightly disarming title, the sudden entrance of the brass and the great big-band sound lend this piece a lot of "glitter". I highly suggest snuggling up to your lover with this, maybe on New Year's Eve, or maybe just by a fire....you get the idea. Tori's jazz vocals make a comeback, and are rarely drowned out by the brass, so the blend seems all right. This is one of the two highly publicized tracks, but this one is well deserved.

One of the other tracks getting advertising attention is "A Silent Night With You". Honestly, I felt this song was pretty mainstream sounding--maybe even a little too, although it did hark back to the sound of "Gold Dust" or many of the tracks in "Scarlet's Walk". Also, if anyone has heard any of her jazz covers, her vocals are reminiscent of it. The harmonies are pretty, but this whole track was just a little too repetitive and expected for me. Also the tubular bells to give the Christmas effect were overdone. But hey, how can you avoid that when you're trying to make a song sound like the holidays?!!! Of course, this is one of the ones the advertising is promoting, which annoys me just a little bit, because I don't think it's one of her best, nor one of her most creative.

However, then you have tracks like "Candle: Coventry Carol" that contain gorgeous medieval sounding singing and instrumentation, but sound like what you'd expect from a Christmas album. One track of note on the CD is one that actually sounds like the Tori we all know + some holiday cheer, er, holiday epic-ness: "Winter's Carol". Epic is the best word. The gorgeous piano intro, strings and vocals lend a lot to this. "Our New Year" is the only other track to stay within Tori Amos' usual musical language, but it's not a happy story! If you're looking for Christmas cheer, avoid this track. If you're just looking for good music, take a listen.

"Midwinter Graces" was definitely a refreshing look at the season, and didn't take spiritual sides one way or the other. Anyone (no matter what your prejudices/beliefs) can enjoy it because it's just good music!! I look forward to seeing what tracks end up on the Christmas stations this year.

If anyone wants a more in-depth review in terms of the individual tracks, head over to:[...] and check out the review there. I recommend buying this CD, and I hope other peope enjoy it as much as I did.

Great cd and I particularly like the "holly" song...I think number five. Definitely buy this cd if you like tori amos. She's a fantastic artist. My fav.

Being a long time fan of Tori's, I was not really looking forward to this. Actually, I was kind of disappointed she would even consider putting out a cliche xmas album. Boy did she prove me wrong! It is simply gorgeous. In fact, I think I like it even better than her last album! Many of these songs are either written by Tori herself or the are old classic Christmas songs and verses re-worked and/or mixed together. Highly creative and something I would never have imagined working out so well.

Winter's Carol is our first glimpse at the music from The Light Princess, another project I was wary of, but my god Tori will never cease to amaze me - fantastic!

From beginning to end, the best music I've heard in awhile (Christmas music or not!)


I would suggest the CD/DVD combo for the two bonus songs (amazing) even if you won't watch the 30 minute interview about the concept of the album (an interesting interview but may only really be enjoyed by Tori fans).


Highlights for me:

Pink and Glitter (Tori original - big band)
The Harpsichord (not a song, but the harpsichord is featured on a couple songs and fits in beautifully)
Harps Of Gold
Holly, Ivy and Rose (Her daughter does vocals making this song even more precious)
Star Of Wonder
The Band (once again, not a song - just awesome to have the drums and bass. Strings too, of course, but that's expected with Xmas albums.)
A Silent Night With You (Tori original with mix of traditional carols)

I may not be your typical professional reviewer, but I wanted to give my little feedback here while the CD is still new. I just bought it today (the DVD/CD combo) and I like it very much. First of all, am I truly the only one to hear some classic Tori elements in a few of the tracks. Especially in "Winter's Carol," which could have easily been placed in any of her 90's albums. I mean, hell, the piano is finally more pronounced compared to her last few albums. That alone is refreshing. Regardless, I found the tracks to be very nice and well done and not typical rehashed holiday music that annoy me to no end. I am normally not a fan of holiday music (yes, yes, very Scrooge of me, I know) because Christmas carols are so overrated and overdone. However, seeing as how this particular album had a lot more creativity poured into it for being a holiday album, along with a more historical insight, and that I love Tori, it is no wonder why I would buy this album. None of the songs are even boring at all. I think she did a great job because it's not completely holiday sounding, so it's almost like getting a brand new studio album (not sure if this counts as one). You can listen to a few of these tracks without it being close to the holidays, which is nice. The artwork is amazing! Have any of you seen the inside? I have the DVD version and the booklet is breath-taking. She included the four typical natural elements: air, earth, fire, water. So it's not too much of a Christmas album, but more with elements of one. She also explains the album in great detail in the DVD interview, which lasts 31 minutes. She is so intelectual and I admire her intelligence and articulation. Oh, and before I forget, in track 5, there was quite a surprise: her daughter Natashya sings! Well... barely, anyway, but it was cute to hear for a change. Overall, the album is very worth buying and I would recommend it, especially the DVD/CD combo since the price difference was only a dollar at BestBuy. My favorite tracks as of now are "Star of Wonder" and "Winter's Carol." I liked "Abnormally Attracted to Sin" to a certain degree (though it is one of my least favorites, along with "Scarlet's Walk" and "Strange Little Girls") so it was refreshing to listen to a much better album. And I'm sorry, but this album is far better than those I listed. I could definitely listen to all the songs on this as opposed to the others I listed... well... except for "Silent Night" because I'm so sick of that song in general, no matter how good Tori reworked it. The only downside is that my version nor the standard version comes with the 15th track titled "King..." something, I forget. Where would I get that at? I saw it on iTunes, was not sure if it was an iTunes exclusive or not. But yes, here you go... my review: take it or leave it. But I tried to be as fair as possible without sounding like a fanboy. Still, my favorite albums will always be "Under the Pink" and "From the Choir Girl Hotel." I still prefer classic Tori, but can appreciate new Tori (regardless of how badly I miss classic Tori). :)

I have been a fan of Tori's since she was doing small club gigs back in the early 1990s. I have been to nearly every concert she's played in Orlando and even had the pleasure of meeting her twice. That being said, this album was one huge disappointment. There is no magic here, and not one song on this album would work as a single. Reworking old holiday tunes is one thing, but this is more of just pieces of the old stuff stuck randomly into rambling bits of uninspired droning. Nearly all the songs are indistiguishable from each other and it pretty much sounds like most of the filler tracks from her last three albums. It's sad to see someone who I truly enjoyed lose sight of what brought her fans around in the first place.

When we mention Christmas, we usually think of joy, lights, feasts, spirituality, gifts, excess, thanksgiving, happy children and love. When thinking of Tori Amos, one might conjure images of cornflakes, waitress murder, unorthodox takes on religious concepts, celebration of womanhood. As you see, there is very little overlap and that is why Tori, despite her being a minister's daughter, would probably be the last musician we'd ever expect a Christmas album from. But then, she's not really calling it a Christmas album, is she? Midwinter Graces is technically labeled a "seasonal album" instead, so I go and nod, okay, this is characteristic of her, after all.

But what could a "Christmas" album from Tori Amos sound like? Definitely not trite or religious. But surprisingly not at all that would make devouts rally to ban this album from being sold in a Catholic country. For one, she retains the soul of traditional (and Christian) hymns ("What Child, Nowell", "Emmanuel", "Star of Wonder", "Jeanette, Isabella" and quotes from "Gloria" in "Harps of Gold"), and yet fuses them seamlessly with the rest of the album.

"The rest of the album" is the one that I can happily say sounds very "Little Earthquakes"/"Under The Pink"-like, where the piano rules. Not lacking in richness - the sorely missed harpsichord makes a comeback, complementing the strings and the perfunctory Christmas bells that lend themselves to some of the songs' old world-ly sound. Precious tracks "Holly, Ivy and Rose" (where Tori duets with daughter) and "Candle: Coventry Carol" bring you to an entirely different world. I have never experienced winter where I live but this album puts in my head snapshots of the season over the ages and across cultures like a silent movie.

Meanwhile the cheery, urban side that is associated with the holidays is in the subtly wrapped present that is "Pink and Glitter", with its (quiet) big band ballad arrangement. Very anti-Tori title, but nice song. My favorites are "Winter's Carol" (this is Tori's return to form) and "Our New Year" (the "saudade"-filled finale that seemed to be a common thread going on with "Toast" in "The Beekeeper" and "Gold Dust" in "Scarlet's Walk"). There is a love song "Silent Night With You" that borders on sappy, but forgivable.

Short, sweet, different and spiritual, this album is. Not much about the lyrics, but I like that it successfully set a mood - that is, of bittersweetness. The minor chords and orchestral arrangements can take your mind to a gray and cold Northern village where faint lights bring hope and a spirit of rebirth for the New Year, an overall sentiment of peace, which is what the winter solstice (and Christmas, for that matter) represents for most people.

Well I listened to a few of the songs on this album, and it is nice, mind you that she has gotten out of her screaming/Marilyn Manson yelling/I don't know what mode like she did on a few previous albums...but unfortunately, due to probably age and the wear and tear on her voice, it does not have the same quality as she did 5 or 10 years ago....and none of the songs are really that captivating...they are more peaceful than usual, but no classics unfold...it's too bad...ladies and gentlemen, the songs wore out after Choirgirl Hotel..anything before that shines, but that's unfortunately as far as she goes...I don't know who is doing the writing, but there is no same beauty as of the 90's and before...even when she sings live these days, her old songs don't have the same clarity and substance as they used to..oh well...it happens....