Tori Amos takes a Scarlet’s Walk

Tori Amos’ new album is titled Scarlet’s Walk. The Scarlet that most people are familiar with is surnamed O’Hara, the tempestous heroine of Gone with the Wind who played her life’s odyssey against a backdrop as monumental as the American Civil War. So how on earth is Tori Amos Scarlet’s Walk associated with her? It must be because Tori is also living her own odyssey across a mythical America with all its joys, excesses, beauty, squalor, disillusionments, etc. etc. in the album. And she named one of the routes she takes Scarlet’s Walk because it goes through the Scarlet O’Hara milieu of Georgia, South Carolina and Virginia.

Other roads that Tori takes are named Amber Waves, to Las Vegas, Wampun Prayer, to the mid-west, Your Cloud, to Montana, Pancake, to Miami, and so on with Sweet Sangria, Taxi Ride, A Sorta Fairytale, Wednesday, Strange, Carbon, Crazy, Don’t Make Me Come to Vegas, I Can’t See New York, Mrs. Jesus, Another Girl’s Paradise, Virginia and Gold Dust. These routes are also the titles of the songs contained in the album which are set to melodies so pretty they lull you to a false sense of quiet introspection. In truth though every bit of Scarlet’s Walk is honestly biting, hurtingly open and so full of fun, love, rage, disappointments, challenges and everything one encounters on the way to self-realization.

Tori is a classically trained pianist who was expelled from the conservatory, so she switched to singing and writing pop songs. These come with a difference though. Her works are very personal musings so compelling, they never fail to jolt the listener. In one, Me and a Gun, from the album Little Earthquakes, she even sang about her own rape. Scarlet’s Walk is her seventh album. Her tales have lost the uncertainty but her goals are still hazy. Like any woman on her own in search of where life wants to take her, Tori takes her direction from whatever comes her way. It is not always the right path but it brings her closer to self realization.

The words, the music, the entire album all belong to Tori. Her poetry is flawlessly original. Her piano-playing is strong and competent. Her singing goes from sexy sighs to agonized wails to smoky middle-ground that is so cool and relaxing. And take note of how she approaches each song as a producer. She maybe a first-rate artist but she also knows how the studio works and confidently uses its resources to enhance her materials.

Retro fare

The nostalgia tripping continues. Saturday, Dec. 21 has perennial Pinoy favorite, the Air Supply at the Araneta Coliseum. But before that, there is the 70’s group, the Stylistics. An early Christmas gift from Live Artists Production for the benefit of the Philippine Foundation for Breast Cancer, the concert will be hold at the Casino Filipino in Parañaque at 9 p.m. held tonight and Saturday, Dec. 13 and 14. Here is one more chance to thrill to those wonderful love songs Betcha Golly Wow, You Make Me Feel Brand New, Stop, Look Listen, I’m Stone in Love with You and others.

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Meanwhile as the year ners its end, ehre are the songs currently lording it in North America as per the Billboard listing. The singles Lose Yourself by Eminem from the 8 Mile soundtrack; Work It by Missy Misdemeanor Elliot; Jenny from the Block the latest by Jennifer Lopez featuring Jadakiss & Styles; Underneath It All by No Doubt featuring Lady Saw; The Game of Love by Santana featuring Michelle Branch; 03 Bonnie & Clyde by Jaz-Z featuring Beyonee Knowles of Destiny’s Child; Air Force Ones by Nelly featuring Kyjuan, Ali & Murphy Lee; Gimme the Light by Sean Paul; Don’t Mess with My Man by Nivea featuring Brian & Brandonn Casey; and Luv U Better by LL Cool J.

The albums: Up! the two volume set by Shannia Twain; Tim McGraw and the Dancehall Doctors by Tim McGraw; 8 Mile the motion picture soundtrack with Eminem; Now 11 the latest all-hit compillation by Various Artists; Better Days, another posthumus release by hip hop star 2Pac; This is Me... Then the new studio album by Jennifer Lopez; Cry by Faith Hil; Back in the US Live 2002 by Paul McCartney; Let Go by Avril Lavigne; and Stripped by Christina Aguilera.