As with most of tori's albums it took a few listens but it has made it's place. I actually like all the songs. Highlights are Teenage Hustling, Dragon, You Can Bring your dog, Secret Spell, Body and Soul, and Digital Ghost!

Listening to this album reminds me of another decent but not exactly first rate "America" titled album by another monumental talent: AMERICA EATS ITS YOUNG by Funkadelic. Both albums are lengthy affairs with a fair amount of 2nd rate (and even some 3rd rate) material but they both also have some major gems if you take the time to dig through the sprawl. One major problem with this album that I noticed right away is that the passion and ingenuity that marks Tori's greatest work is just largely absent (some of the material, while passable, just sounds like it could have been churned out by any Pop/Rock act of the day). But that also means that the songs here are less opaque and less distant, which may actually make the material easier to digest for some listeners. If Tori would have trimmed this effort down, she would have had a pretty strong piece of work on her hands here, but there is just a tedious amount of middling material on this album. Tori has an uncanny grasp of dynamics and a brilliantly effective grasp of accent, both of which she puts to extraordinary use in her best work, but you only see occasional traces of those special qualities on ADP. But at least the display of her skills as a craftsmen and a songsmith are still really strong, even when the material isn't. Tori uses standard piano, bass, drums and guitar on almost every track on this album. The fuller instrumentation actually works really well with the rockers, some of which rank among the best she's ever done, but the guitar and bass actually detracts from some of the ballads and mid-tempo numbers (one notable exception is "Father's Son", where the fuller instrumentation is used sparsely with brilliant effects, the fully orchestrated "Girl Disappearing" also works brilliantly as is). When this album was first released, there was a prerecorded live performance of "Almost Rosey" with just her on a piano featured right here on Amazon, and while it is a fine song as presented on the album, I actually think it was better in the performance where it was just her on her piano. Tori does a fine job with the fuller arrangements but she's often simply at her most gripping on the more spare numbers where she really allows herself room to breathe. The first track "Yo George" is a critique of our current President, and while I appreciate the sentiment, writers often seem to have difficulty avoiding being trite and cliché when writing directly political lyrics (lyrics from many 60's and 70's Rock and Soul acts notwithstanding) and Tori doesn't do so well with her stab at it here either. It's the first of many mini-song fragments that really fall short. But you can't go wrong with the next track "Big Wheel", which is a rich up tempo rocker with clever variations between the verse, both sections of the split chorus, and the rollicking bridge. The gorgeous uptempo ballad "Bouncing Off Clouds" that follows it is another major winner. From this point, the album isn't exactly consistent (mainly due to lackluster mini-song fragments), but it is full of major highlights all the way through "Almost Rosey". "Secret Spell" and "Beauty of Speed" are two of the best rockers that she's ever done (and "You Can Bring Your Dog" and "Code Red" are really strong too), and mid-tempo numbers such as "Mr. Bad Man" and "Almost Rosey" as well as slow ballads like "Girl Disappearing" and "Father's Son" are also really strong. The mid-tempo "Roosterspur Bridge" and the slow ballad "Digital Ghost" are also fine efforts. It's the song fragments in this section that make for the absolute lowest points: "Devils and Gods" is *somewhat* worthwhile, but "Yo George", "Fat Slut" and "Programmable Soda" are all really bad. That's the bad news. The good news is that all of the full songs in this run, with perhaps the exception of "Body and Soul", are all generally solid pieces of work. The end of this album is pretty shaky though. "Dark Side of the Sun" (whose socio-political lyrics are once again a little *too* obvious) is a decent effort overall, but it's sandwiched between two more incredibly banal song fragments: "Velvet Revolution" and "Posse Bonus". "Dragon" is at least partially redeemed by that gorgeous chorus. My initial reaction to this album was much like many of the Tori fans here who were highly disappointed, but I've learned not settle in on an opinion of an album by an artist with any mettle until I've had the chance to fully digest it. I'm glad that I continued to listen to this album. It's nowhere near as great as BOYS FOR PELE or UNDER THE PINK, she'll probably never reach those heights again, but most artists will never reach *those* heights in their entire lifetime. But, highlights like "Big Wheel", "Bouncing Off Clouds", "Mr. Bad Man", "Girl Disappearing", "Secret Spell", "Beauty of Speed", "Father's Son" and "Almost Rosey" make me really glad that I have this album in my collection.

Please note-- I'm not a HUGE Tori head..
BUT-- My husband is & he got this before it came out. We went to see here recently in Santa Barbara & WOW! Great show & this cd.. Gets totally stuck in my head..
Being a metal headed guitar player... this is a HUGE complament!!
I can honestly say Its worth getting even if you are a metal head & seeing her in concert .... You cant imagine how wonderful she is!
All the songs on this cd are so catchy & I do admit, she can write & perform & just make you a fan even if your trying not to be.. lol
You go girl & everyone.. get the cd you'll love it..

I have been a fan of Tori for 14 years and while this isn't her best album it is still pretty damn good. I prefer the songs with less heavy guitars.
I can't wait to hear her next album; I hope she reintroduces the harpsichord as Boys for Pele is one of my all time favorite Tori albums.
Also if you haven't seen her live please try to she's amazing, her voice sounds the same as it does on the albums and she plays the piano nonstop she's brilliant! Tori is defiantly my all-time favorite artist.

While I admittedly am mainly an R&B fan, somewhere along the way I strangely became a fan of a few experimental and alternative acts, such as Björk, Fiona Apple, and M.I.A. Visiting message boards of the aforementioned artists, I realized that all of their fans seemed connected; they all seemed to enjoy the same three artists. It was like the acquired tastes went hand in hand. And there was one more artist that I realized was popular among these groups that I had missed out on: Tori Amos. This was around the time this album, American Doll Posse, was released. I figured that I would enjoy her music, too. The album cover immediately intrigued me, but I was a bit skeptical and forgot about purchasing the album for awhile. The other day, with a little extra money in pocket, I finally bought it.

I was really excited to start listening to it and I was ready for a great experience. "Yo George" was a bit of a dud for me. I don't mind at all if songs get political, but if you are going to write one dissing the president, you better come with some fiery, strong, argumentative lyrics to show you really mean it. "I salute to you Commander/ and I sneeze/ `cause I now have and allergy to your policies, it seems." Um... what is that? Plus, the song is less than two minutes. All of the doubt I felt immediately flushed out of me with the opening notes of "Big Wheel." The almost ragtime-like piano, the slapping percussion, and the slight twang in her charismatic and sensual vocals gave the song a somewhat western feel. The energy-packed song just hits you and never lets you go. I've found myself humming it uncontrollably for the last few days. I also immensely enjoyed the following track, "Bouncing off Clouds." The song has a driven piano loop that takes you on a journey of emotion. Tori's vocal delivery is genius. Plus, it's just catchy as all goodness. "Teenage Hustling" was also a good one, even though the song structure of it felt a little jumbled.

Unfortunately, the next nineteen tracks didn't do much for me. Some I could take or leave (the majority), and then others were barely tolerable to me (the closing track, "Dragon," which just dragged on.) That's actually the problem I had with most of the songs; they seemed to just drag on with no specific direction. They were just there, wandering aimlessly. The little interludes were annoying to me, especially "Fat Slut," which, to me, sounds like a self-indulgent punch of revenge to some distant family member who called her fat or her enemy in eighth grade who wrote something bad about her on the bathroom stall. The album, like many other reviewers have pointed out, is way too long. At times, Amos' vocal styling is a bit grating, in my opinion. And while the concept is very interesting... I don't get it. And quite honestly, I don't feel like taking the time out even trying to grasp it. It seems like a way to cover up the lack in quality of the music. I did like the artwork a lot, though.

American Doll Posse has an amazing opening, and it really had me expecting a great album. The great beginning made the lackluster, long, and unmemorable middle and end that much more disappointing to me. This album is mediocre at best, but I will definitely check out some of her earlier works before I judge her as an artist. Obviously I don't completely dislike her, because "Big Wheel" and "Bouncing off Clouds" are truly magical to me.

Key tracks: Big Wheel, Bouncing off Clouds, Teenage Hustling.

I was a Tori fan from the git go, just so you know, BUT...Even from Little Earthquakes (an album soley devoted to aspects of sex, as all her recordings are (even Big Wheel spurts the acronym M I L F)) I found her derivative....and thus dismissable.

She and fans like to compare her to every one in rock, but no one compares her to the ONE and ONLY true influence she has ever really had, the one whom she emulates with every note she sings...Kate Bush.

Tori is a Kate Bush wannabe, and no one, not her, not her fans want to admit it, but she has been ever since she was a teenager, and that is an unarguable fact.

Kate is the real deal. Tori is a boring wannabe in denial.

I have loved Tori for awhile now. I'm an Under the Pink lover, so this album has a different sound than some of her older albums, but keeping up with modern music. Still very good though, produced very well, and makes me forgive her mistake with "The Beekeeper".

I've been a diehard fan of Tori Amos since 1996. I have just about everything she has done. Before ADP was released there were songs that leaked onto the Internet and I listened to them and I was not impressed with what I was hearing. Today, I finally broke down and bought this album only because I wanted my collection to be complete. My opinion has not changed whatsoever. It's still rather bland and lifeless. There's a reviewer here who mentions that Tori needs to get back out and experience some life (besides touring) and I say AMEN to that! I'm extremely disappointed with this collection. I wish...oh how I wish I could say there are a few gems here in this set of songs but there really aren't. I like, like NOT love, one or two songs. That makes for a disappointing collection. Take off the wigs Tori and get real again. Please!

To understand my title, you'll have to read Pip's blog on tagworld-- don't worry, there;s a link to it on Tori's web page.

Tori stretched herself pretty thin with The Beekeeper-- maybe too thin-- but it paid off because now she's an expert at concept albums, or at least appears to be so on this one. NOT ONLY IS THE MUSIC GOOD-- stripped down, raw, what we came to expect before Beekeeper brought us a rather unseemly melting pot of sound-- the CONCEPT is airtight; the blogs are a stroke of maybe not genius, but something close to it. Brilliant, Tori! Viva Velvet revolution!

Tori Amos is one of those artists that you either get or you don't. And since I DO get her, I have no problem with her latest album, American Doll Posse.

Well, actually, I DO have a problem: this album, like most of her recent albums, is way too long (it clocks in at 78-1/2 minutes -- although it's a whole minute shorter than The Beekeeper). That means that Tori still doesn't understand that she doesn't necessarily HAVE to fill up the entire CD, but on a serious note, it means that a few of the songs start to sound the same after a while, and it also means that there are some missteps, like "Teenage Hustling" and "Smokey Joe". And when "Fat Slut" went off, I was like, "WTF was that?"

It's a little odd that Tori takes on five different personas for this album because when your music is generally unconventional, you'll probably have a different vibe with everything you do anyway -- but actually, Tori sounds the way she usually sounds on ALL the songs. Anyway, there are plenty of highlights, like "Digital Ghost", "Secret Spell" and "Dark Side of the Sun". The opener "Yo George" is also good (sorry, but I just can't get enough of that anti-Bush music).

Most of the rest of the songs on here are excellent as well, but as I mentioned before, there's still the idea of having too much of a good thing, and since Tori has done that at least since Scarlet's Walk, this album really deserves more, like, a 3-3/4-star rating than a true 4. Trimming down the material like she did in her early days would fare a little better, but if you can get into her, American Doll Posse is still worth picking up.

Anthony Rupert

Well Im finally ready to review this after about 30 listenings and 1 concert at the orphum the other nite! I must say @$*&! Bravo, Hell YEAH!! This one great cd!!!! One of the things in life that I look foward to is a new Tori cd and this is killer music!!! Personally I enjoy the softer side of Tori, her beatiful voice even if I im a big TOOL fan!! Anyway the stand out tracks are Fathers Son, girl disapearing, code red, dark side of the sun, smoky joe, beaty of speed and the rest of this cd!!

I've enjoyed the melody and the passion that I've been able to find in Tori Amos's past albums, but American Doll Posse fell short of that for me. The tracks are heavily political and subsequently they lose the raw emotion that I have always admired as her signature.

I have been a huge Tori fan since Little Earthquakes and own just about everything she has released. While I might not listen as often as when we had Tori lyric reciting contests, she is still among my faves.

That said, American Doll Posse is practically unlistenable. Clouds Bouncing is great, and then there are 23 songs I can barely stand. It's sad. I also find the multiple photo thing and photo video a bit self indulgent. Dave Matthews, another of my faves, seems to have gone the same direction and it's tough.

The release of a new Tori CD used to mean months of constant pleasure enjoying the new sounds. This is just grating.

But hey, maybe it's just me. Seems like plenty of people still love it.

This is one of Tori's best works. I love it. It is certainly a must buy for the avid fan or newcomer to the Tori Amos clan.

There are good and excellent female songwriters/singers. And, above all of them is Tori Amos.

You know. It ain't no Little Earthquakes. duh.
I currently really like some of it... and I don't really _not_ like any of it -- tho some is getting vaguely "easy listening" for my tastes. Its kinda like most of her music is about pain and strange stories of her former life... and shes run out of it? I think perhaps, Miss Amos, needs to get on of those wigs on, and get out into the world, have experiences, not tours, and add more fuel to the fire.

I thought, over 20 songs, how is this cd going to turn out? Incredible. Tori is amazing always has been and apparently always will be. My favorite, "Big Wheel" is a bit more catchy then many of her very unmainstream hits. There are several little tidbit songs that are not even 2 minutes long, that's why there are so many songs on this cd. Some of them have Tori's trademark weirdness, like "Programmable Soda" or "Posse Bonus", but all in all a very good cd.

Of Tori's later releases, I like this one best. Her knack for speaking archetypal visuals that evoke visceral responses remains the at fore of her art, including ADP. I admit that I am weary of the multipersona offerings she has delivered over several years. Though I fully understand that when a person pushes the limits of herself and consciousness as Tori has, the Self gives way to a much wider perception of Being, beyond that of artful ego narrative. I value that, yet miss the ferocious voice of Tori speaking on her own.

That said, I found the composition on this CD very formulaic, something which I neither expect nor enjoy from Tori. I find her at her best when she moves out of meter, when she breaks the sonar wall. For the most part, the structural composition of most of this CD presents nothing new to her sound. It continues very much in the pseudo pop genre of her later albums. Apart from Big Wheel, Digital Ghost, Beauty of Speed, Dark Side of the Sun, Smoky Joe, and Dragon, I am not instantly captivated by the overall sound. Scouring the lyrics is always a joy, as Tori consistently delivers hidden treasures. She is no doubt the thinking listener's siren, and for me it is those gifts of embracing shadows, merging feminine and masculine, questioning rote authority bound in her lyrical poetry that keeps me listening to ADP.

That said, ADP will be in my playlist for a good while, and who knows. Maybe after a few more plays the music and the words will fuse for me.

Let me start off by saying that I find all of Tori's albums great in one way or another. With that said, I believe that ADP is one of her best efforts. Although a little lengthy, it has many gems such as "Teenage Hustling", "Big Wheel", "Dragon", and many more. If you were a Tori fan and stopped listening after "Scarletts Walk", or the "Beekeeper", I really think that you should give this one a try. My favorite Tori album is "Choirgirl", and this album pairs her soprano and brilliant piano skills alongside awesome guitar riffs. It's worth a try!

I have to say, if you really really enjoyed Little Earthquakes through Boys for Pele but felt lukewarm about anything afterwards, this one really comes through. I missed Tori in a sense but this one brings her right back!

I have a love-hate relationship with Tori Amos; since I never met her, it probably is an unrequited love-hate relationship. There is something about her that draws me, and I consider her one of the best female artists out there today (and you can even question if "female" or "today" needs to be added). Plus, she is very thought provoking. However, I know we have two different world-views, and she may consider me an enemy because of mine.

I enjoyed the rock in this project. Some reviewers mentioned her rock influences, but when I listened to this, I found similarities with another group that was not mentioned, and it is possible that Ms. Amos was unaware of -- 2nd Chapter of Acts. Tori's style of music reflected the Annie Herring written songs, though it lacked 2nd Chapter's harmonies, but the similarities on several songs were evident. I can easily believe the similarities were coincidental, though maybe Tori is a closet 2nd Chapter of Acts fan -- can you picture her singing along with "Easter Song" and "Well, Haven't You Heard?" (about Jesus' second coming), or playing the groups hymn projects non-stop?

I will admit I listen to Tori for the music; I avoid the lyrics of her songs because it might make me dislike her. Another reviewer hinted that she is part of the artistic anti-Bush lemming crowd, which I would expect.

My favorite tracks were "Big Wheel", "Bouncing Off The Clouds", "You Can Bring Your Dog", "Secret Spells", "Body And Soul", "Programmable Soda" (this one has a clear Annie Herringish style), "Code Red", "Beauty Of Speed", "Almost Rosey", "Velvet Revolution", and "Posse Bonus".

One thing I like about Tori besides her integrity as an artist is her long albums -- you get your money's worth! I applaud with someone who is outside of the commercial mainstream.

Only may be half the CD is worth me listening to. Big Wheel, Teenage Hustler, Clouds Bouncing- these are awesome, Some are so reminesant of the early 90's I want to choke. She needs to learn that sometimes more on an album is just more.

On American Doll Posse, Tori Amos starts by announcing that she has been brainwashed by Zionist propaganda, or that she is part of the criminal Zionist network.
Anyone who is pushing the idea that George Bush is anything more than a puppet and a script reader for Zionists, is either brainwashed or part of the criminal network.

Being mad at George Bush is equivalent to being mad at a doll, a puppet, a marionette, or a mannequin.
The lyrics "King George" imply that George Bush is powerful. But at this point in American history, the president is nothing more than a spokesman for Israel and Zionists.

By getting Americans to focus anger on a puppet, the Zionists are able to divert attention away from themselves. Don't be fooled by Tori's lyrics. George Bush has nothing to do with policy making. He does and says what the criminal Zionists tell him to do and say.

I don't know if Tori Amos is just another brainwashed individual, or if she is part of the criminal Zionist network. But I cannot give more than two stars to this album because of the Zionist propaganda (even if it is unwitting propaganda).

***In the song yo George, Tori Amos does appear to be leaving herself an 'out' (possibly to protect herself in case America ever wakes up and starts arresting members of the criminal Zionist network). She asks, "Is this just the madness of King George?".
With those words, technically speaking, she can argue (if she ever gets arrested for being part of the Zionist crime ring) that she DID recognize the possibility that Bush is just a puppet, or that Bush is just a reflection of America.

Nevertheless, it is part of the Zionist strategy to get people to focus on a puppet like George Bush.
So regardless of any technical interpretation of the lyrics, Tori Amos is getting people to focus on "King George", and not the pro-Israel elements that control George Bush.

Maybe Tori Amos is just a coward, and is afraid to address the fact that America is wrapped around the finger of Israel, not the finger of George Bush.

After the dreary, smothering, monotonous, vapid Beekeeper, American Doll Posse offers Tori fans a tiny breather, welcoming life back into the dark trenches of Tori's mind. Of course, such a life is now operating on a dull bulb, allowing only glimpses of beauty in 1 out of every 6 songs. Digital Ghost, Bouncing off The Clouds, Big Wheel--these tunes all recapture the imagination of Tori, while the many of the rest left me wanting more. Overall a vast improvement over Beekeeper, but small potatoes compared to classics like Choirgirl.

Sales of this CD have been non existant. Die hard fans are raving and drooling over it like crazy, but that's all that seems to be left is die hard fans. Only 87 people have even given reviews for this CD and it ranks 300 on Amazon sales less than 3 months after it was released. Sales have not even surpassed 50,000 units. You want a comparison? The last album Beekeeper, charted high and sold 300,000 copies, 300 people left reviews for the CD, and it dold well for many months after it's released. Interest in Tori Amos is falling quickly, the tour for the album (which currently is playing small venues in UK and Australia) apparantly has not been planned for the US as previously announced. Their may not even be a US tour at this point. Tori Amos may have seen her day. By the way, The CD sucks, it's the worst piece of junk she has ever released. Beekeeper was pretty decent, the rest of her CDs are all good. American Doll Posse is like outtakes of previous unreleased material that was not fir for any album plus little snippets (all the short songs) some of which had potential but ended before they began. There are a FEW decent songs on the album but that's all. Don't believe the die hard fans who adore Tori Amos and would praise anything she releases. The fact is that most of the people who cared anything didnt even take the time to buy the CD or post a comment. It's better an artist who puts out a CD and has thousands of fans who still care about their product who will come and leave conflicting reviews (either you love it or hate it), than when it gets to the point that nobody cares anymore. That's where it's at for Tori Amos. Yes, there are people left that still like the old music and for that Tori Amos has become an alternative nostalgia act. Time to book tours with small venues each summer and stop putting out pure garbage like this! And what's up with the awful cover art with the agin Amos dressed in various pathetic outfits and poses. Her wierdness has reached a new level, but worse than that she doesnt look good doing it anymore. Stop already, it's embarrasing!!!!!

Wow. If you read my reviews for Tori's previous two albums, you'll notice that I was rather lukewarm in my assessment of them. Both "Scarlet's Walk" and "The Beekeeper" are very good albums in their own right, but not the two brightest stars in Amos' catalog. On "American Doll Posse" we get to experience the full range of Tori's moods, talents, and sonic textures. From the jumpy beat of "Big wheel", to the manic pace and bombast of tracks like "Body and Soul" and "Teenage Hustling", to the aching beauty of songs like "Girl Dissappearing" and "Smokey Joe", this album has it all. It is as if finally Tori has acknowledged and accepted the full spectrum of her talents, and is finally able to have all her very different guns blazing at full power. This is quite possibly Tori's best album since "From the Choirgirl Hotel", and it is right up there with her first three masterpieces. Yes, it is. Just listen to it a few times before jumping to conclusions. No true longtime Tori fan should feel dissappointed with this album at all. It is Tori at her very best.

The day has come when Tori has finally began sacrificing her songwriting capabilities for the big bucks. I can take any amount of pretentious backstory and I have loved every album, even going against the majority to love Scarlet's Walk and The Beekeeper and see the maturity in them and love them as inevitable steps in the progression of an artist, but American Doll Posse is rushed and completely uninspired. I cannot fathom why people are lauding this CD as her best in years. Wtf?!

This album has altered my respect for her as an artist. Her progression has stopped. It seems she has finally started listening to her rabid fanbase who only want a return to "form"... Angsty, dark, screechy. Well guess what? That was all well and good, I don't dislike that era. But she has to grow up and evolve and it saddens me that people want Little Earthquakes/Boys for Pele over and over again. Enjoy the albums for what they are, enjoy Tori's refusal to rehash ground and churn out the same albums for years. I'm sorry if everyone hated The Beekeeper, but it had well written songs as well as one of her best ever (title song) and the album truly came alive during the live shows in which I felt it was the strongest material she had written in a while.

I also don't like the blatant "influences" on this album. Tori's always listened to pretty good music (as her choice of covers show), but honestly, basing yourself on a handful of mediocre, cliche 70's bands and aspiring to emulate their sound/feel? What's wrong with her? The world really doesn't need Tori's Led Zeppelin impression.

Bottom line: The songs are boring. Unlike ANY of her other albums, within the first few listens any magic is gone from the songs. They simply don't hold up. They are overly simple, as are the lame drumbeats and guitar notes in the background. It's like a really bad lame version of Choirgirl/Pele, minus any creativity, plus tons of self-consciousness and case of trying way too hard. Tori, you're TORI, you don't need to try to be anyone except yourself. Make them work to be your fans, that is the music that will actually endure.

I feel cheated out of 20$ after rushing out and buying the bonus copy of this CD. I literally gave it away and I don't miss it. Every song is like a pale copy of something else she's done, but with all the magic missing. Tori, this is where we part company. Please, find yourself again and stop trying to please fans who only want to stunt your growth and want you to re-release Boys for Pele again and again.

The only good song on here is the bonus song Smokey Joe.

I've heard better from her. This is very experimental. It has some really good songs, some OK and then some that make me think, what was she thinking?

I am a huge Tori fan. I was really looking forward to ADP after I heard the single, BIGWHEEL, and so bought it. I loved the concept that Tori had five separate personalities performing within the album, but that actually makes it feel kind of schizophrenic. I suspect that as I listen more, I'll like it more, since that's usually the case with her albums, but the fact that there are 23 tracks makes it a bit tougher to get to every song multiple times. But anyway, any Tori album is better than most others from anyone else.

I must preface this review by stating that I am a big fan of Tori Amos, her work has always moved me and I have all of her albums as well as numerous DVDs and VHS tapes of concerts and videos...in a nutshell, I have been a "Toriphile" since the release of her mind numbing debut "Little Earthquakes" which was absolutely earthshattering.

I must confess though, I find it harder and harder to get motivated to buy her new albums, alot has changed in her personal life since the glory days and it is reflected in her music....she is happy now, she is a wife and mother and I couldn't be happier for her, she deserves it, she had a rough life and if anyone deserves middle aged bliss, it is Tori Amos.

Having said all that, her music has become watered down and emotionless and she has not "moved" me with her work since Choirgirl Hotel.

The piano, for the most part, has been put into the background in favor of a more band oriented sound and the haunting, moving, deeply personal lyrics we have come to know and love have been replaced with political statements, aimless jargon and tired and dull concepts and alter egos.

Tori's lyrics have always been cryptic and confusing, especially on her best work like Boys for Pele.

The difference between then and now is that back then I was very interested in trying to decipher them because it was worth the time, the music meant that much to me and I was desperate to know the mystery of it's meaning.

Now, the music is so bland, unemotional and uninteresting that I don't feel the need to even bother digging deeper anymore.

I saw traces of this on Scarlett's Walk, which was a good album but began to show chinks in her considerable armor.

The Beekeeper was a huge disappointment outside of a few memorable songs and I have to say that American Doll Posse just confirms what I suspected but refused to fully acknowledge for years.....Tori Amos peaked a long time ago and the magic is officially gone.

It's a sad realization for me as a HUGE fan of her past work.

Earthquakes was simply unbelievable, Under the Pink was a very worthy follow up and Boys for Pele is among the best albums I have ever heard by anyone, she brought her listeners on emotional journeys with these albums and was totally captivating and entrancing, that stuff moved me beyond belief and I still listen to her earlier stuff on a regular basis.

I will say that it is a bit unfair for me to judge her new stuff by comparing it to earlier material, but any Toriphile will tell you, it is IMPOSSIBLE not to do that, her early work set a very high bar and she is simply unable to even approach that bar anymore, in fact since her last great album "From the Choirgirl Hotel", every album since has gotten worse and worse.

That bar is now permanently out of reach.

Listen to the sings from Beekepper and ADP and then go back and listen again to songs like Precious Things, Mother, Winter, Tear in your Hand, God, Cornflake Girl, Baker Baker, Waitress, Pretty Good Year, Caught a Lite Sneeze, Professional Widow, Hey Jupiter, Marianne, Putting the Damage On, Spark, Playboy Mommy, etc, etc..

And that is just naming some, there were a bunch of other great songs she had on those albums and nothing she has done since Choirgirl (with a handful of exceptions) even compares, it's like we're talking about 2 different artists at this point.

I think alot of fans are like me and have been in denial about her current works, we want so bad for the ride to continue that we are overlooking the obvious, which is right in front of us.

To give this album a 5 star rating is the definition of the word "reaching" and I'm sorry to say, it is very comical to me, it's like judging with your heart instead of your ears, which I have done for a while now myself because of my affection for anything Tori, but those days are over and reality has set in, at least to me.

Little Earthquakes is a 5 star album, Boys for Pele is a 5 star album, I don't give 5 stars to just anything, it must be truly worthy, and to call American Doll Posse a 5 star album is just silly, it insults and belittles the memory of her true 5 star efforts.

It is a desperate attempt to convince ourselves that this is still the mystical, magical, fiery red headed princess that touched our souls years ago.

But in the end, that magic is gone, that fire no longer rages.

The best way to judge is this.....in 3 or 4 years, when you need a Tori fix on a long drive, which cd's will you choose to accompany you ?

If you say "American Doll Posse" you are lying to yourself.

You will take Earthquakes, Pink and Pele, maybe Choirgirl as well, and you know it.

Those albums are timeless and never get old.

The Beekeeper is already old and very forgettable and American Doll Posse will be forgotten soon enough, both of these albums will have zero staying power.

I love Tori, she has been a special person in my life and always will be through her magical back catalogue but as far as continuing along on the ride with her new music and buying her future cd's, I will quote Tori herself from one of her best songs, "Tear in Your Hand"....

"Maybe it's time to wave goodbye now"

IF your one of Tori's more discerning fans such as myself...you agree that we dont love her any less,,,,we just expected a little more from her this past millenium than the tepid "ehh-inducing" Strange Little Girls and The Beekeeper. I almost gave up on her entirely.

Move out the way for AMerican Girl Posse. Tori realized she was asleep and burst back on the scene with amp, balls AND YET kept the piano. Many of us love Tori for mainly one thing-- Her Passion. And here it is folks, wrapped up in angry guitars and cascading pianos.

With its 5 interludes, this album most resembles the flow of "Boys for Pele".

If you were worried before...fear not. Tori has finally returned.

I suspect there are pages of debate on what's the best, but honestly, I've loved the body of her work, including "Beekeeper" which many folks didn't care too much for. I think "Big Wheel" and "Yo George" will get the play out of this CD initially, but "Posse" can follow any of Tori's work and stand on its own.

***This review is c/o newWitch Magazine***

I've always been a huge fan of Tori Amos. She's the type of artist, like Björk or Ani Difranco, that people either love or hate. Personally, I think her music is absolutely miraculous and the newest album is no exception.
For American Doll Posse, Tori has assumed the guise of five different characters, each of which is said to be an embodiment of an archetypal energy, with particular intentional connections to Graeco-Roman deities. The powerful artwork within the liner notes is, quite naturally, revolutionary. The album also has powerful lyrics concerning religion, politics, and the effects of violence (both physical and psychological). I do find that, unfortunately and unusually, some lyrics seem to be superficial in their focus, though this is certainly not the case for the majority of the record.
The album runs a full 79 minutes and is 23 tracks long, and is sprinkled with a few short songs; a great characteristic of Tori's records. I would imagine that the lyrics to the shorter tracks (most of which run just under or over a minute in length) are particularly significant, being songs in and of themselves. For example, the complete lyrics to the 11th track are,
"Devils and gods, now that's an idea / But if we believe that it's they who decide / that's the ultimate detractor of crimes / `cause devils and gods / they are you and I / devils and gods / they are you and I / devils and gods / safe and inside."
So, is Tori a Witch? Well, maybe. I would argue that she is at least Pagan to a large extent, even if she wouldn't admit it. For example, Tori's 1994 music video for "God," a track from the album Under the Pink, shows her crouched and veiled, cupping her hands to a burning candle in which a needle is pricked straight through--a scene that could have been a direct reenactment of the illustration in the Farrars' classic A Witches' Bible. Then, on one of the thank-you messages on the back of a Scarlet's Walk era CD, Tori says "Blessed Be" to a friend. It's obvious that she at least knows a bit about the Craft!
Those, in addition to the song "Secret Spell" on this album, actually add to my case about Tori's possible Witchery! I also find it pretty nifty that one of her theme characters is equipped with a medicine bag and a sage bundle--reminiscent of native and shamanic magick--and another with a chicken--quite reminiscent of Vodou magick.
American Doll Posse proves to be a good middle ground between Tori's "harder" and more confrontational music, and her "softer" and more lulling tunes.


RAVEN DIGITALIS

While I'm not one to disrespect "The Beekeeper" on its merits, I'm not sure we needed two of them...and Tori, true to her unique genius, knew when it was time to return to her roots.

This is a louder album by far, executed with passion and fury and tenderness and a gigantic ironic smile.

I'm completely in awe. Whenever I start to conclude that this world of ours doesn't make all that much sense, Tori is there to remind me that I'm right about that, but that it doesn't need to end there.

Almost everything on this compilation works, even the slight songs. I loved virtually the entire album.