Greetings,
There was this adorable and hilarious video floating around the internet a few years ago wherein Leah Remini meets her BFF Jennifer Lopez at the pool. Leah, who is wearing no make-up, accusingly points the camera at the "looking to the nines" J-Lo and says, "Can you be ugly once? Just be normal once!" It's great. Go check it out. What is my point to bringing this up? Well, every time Tori Amos releases a new album, I, and probably others who delve into songwriting, often feel the need to say, "Can you just make a normal album for once?" Let me explain.
To be honest, no Tori Amos album has ever been normal, because they are all extremely unique to who she is. Like when you hear one of her songs, you know that it's her. But around the turn of the century, she started doing what I would call "concept albums". Again, they all might have had that, but less blatantly. I think it really started with 2002's Scarlet's Walk, which is a phenomenal record about a trip across America, getting to know her and the stories within. And if you can get your hands on a deluxe copy, do it. It has pictures and stickers (YAY!) and a map of the country that shows where the songs take place, which I have framed and hung in my house, thank you very much. Anyway, Tori started to get really creative, even more so, with the themes of albums, putting together, not just a collection of songs, but almost using the songs like chapters in a book. Frankly, I love it, and it inspired me greatly. So, I chose one to talk about today, The Beekeeper.
The Beekeeper was released in 2005. It uses the theme of gardens and something that Tori calls a "sonic shape", a place for all the songs to live. If you look at the actual physical album, you can see that the songs are divided into different sections: The Desert Garden, The Rock Garden, Roses & Thorns, The Greenhouse, The Orchard and Elixers & Herbs. For real! Anyway, each place has a theme of its own, so that they can be expressions of whatever emotion or story that they choose. Tori also explores some religious themes, but from the female perspective. That sounds like something she would do, and to be honest, she does it well.
As far as the songs themselves go, there really aren't any bad ones, but, of course, I have my favorites. So, I'll try to stick to some highlights. There was the first single, which usually gets the most attention, "Sleeps With Butterflies". I love the piano work on this, as it matches the lyrical content so well. As I like songs that are named after and/or inspired by books, I've got a soft spot for the song "Jamaica Inn". Now she also mentions the name Rebecca in this, which makes me wonder. Was this a thinly veiled ode to one Ms. Daphne du Maurier? Maybe. Or Hitchcock, because he did both movies.
Songs like "Cars and Guitars" and "Ireland" stand out to me, because, musically, stylistically, they strike me as being quite . . . spunky. Sorry. I know that might be a strange word to describe anything that Tori does, but that's the one that comes to mind. Deal with it. "Witness" is a great song that has a gospel choir singing on it, which was a perfect fit for it and makes it . . . here's another out of left field word . . .
groovy. What! I'm sorry. My favorite of all the songs is actually the last track called "Toast". I can't really put my finger on why I love the most. There's nothing specific. I just do.
One of the best things about this album is where Tori opens up about some personal things in her life. I know, she does that often, but this time she's dealing with her mother. In an interview, she discusses how she had recently been faced with the idea of losing her mother, and this is greatly explored on this title track. It's extremely moving, but in a way, it's also uplifting. Same is the case with the song "Ribbons Undone", where Tori connects her feelings of seeing her mother as she is, but also her daughter. It's a tearjerker, in my opinion, but again, there's such beauty in how she sees the world where these two people are concerned. It breaks your heart, then hugs it with comfort. And if you ever get a chance to listen to that interview, where she discusses some things her mom told her, you won't be disappointed.
In case it's not clear, I am definitely recommending this album. If you're not a fan of Tori's already, this isn't a bad place to start. Now, whilst she and I don't agree on everything in real life, when it comes to her artistry and creativity, she has always inspired me, like I said. This work was one that pushed me with my own creativity. I know I can't be her, nor should I try to be, but artists like Tori show us how to tell our best stories and put forth the best versions of ourselves and our work.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
