Music
Store

The first time I listened to 'Scarlet's Walk', I admit to being a little shattered with a not too good impression, but after giving it several run-throughs it began to grow on me, which made me feel very relieved. If I didn't like this album I was afraid that I would no longer be able to call myself a Tori Amos fan because of recent let-downs, but songs like the quirky "Wednesday" (which brings me back to her 'Boys For Pele' days), "Crazy", "Sweet Sangria", "Taxi Ride" and (my personal favorite) "Scarlet's Walk" make this all worth the purchase.

What makes this album even more interesting is the fact that Tori wrote this on a cross-country road trip, which she took shortly after the terrorist attacks. And while this album is nothing like my favorite Tori album, 'From The Choirgirl Hotel', at times it reminds me of 'Little Earthquakes' (my second favorite) but is best to be compared to 'Under The Pink'.

'Scarlet's Walk' is much lighter and not so dark in mood as previous albums, but is still guaranteed to please most fans of Tori's earlier works.


Best of 2002: the best comes to those who wait!   February 22, 2003
 33 out of 34 found this review helpful

After over ten years of recording albums, Tori was finally able to match her the achievement of her musical debut, 'Little Earthquakes.' 'Scarlet's Walk' does just that: she's back, after a not-so-brilliant 'Strange Little Girls' made up of versions in 2001, with an album for posterity, what could be a considered an album for the road and one that you can't take out of the CD player once you pop it in. The first couple of songs ("Amber Waves" and "A Sorta Fairytale") set the stage for what's left down the road... "Carbon" and "Crazy" take things up a notch, making you beg for more. But the true best lies toward the end: in "I Can't See New York" she reminds of Kate Bush more often than not. The strength of her Bosendorfer is coupled with Matt Chamberlain's exquisite bass and an impeccable drums work to yield a song for the ages. The great music doesn't stop. It's all "downhill" in a spiral of amazing tracks back-to-back after #12, to top it all with the closing "Gold Dust," in my opinion, one of the best pieces of music and lyrics Tori has ever composed. Thanks for it all, Tori. You brought life back into the void that no one else has been able to fill!


The album fans have been waiting for.   November 2, 2002
 28 out of 30 found this review helpful

For the original Tori Amos fans, those who have been around since "Little Earthquakes", there has been a certain sound that seemed lost on her most recent releases. While Choirgirl, Venus, and strange little girls all have there moments, fans have been longing for the quiet, peacefull and sometimes just bizarre Tori that won their hearts so many years ago. For those fans comes Scarlet's Walk. Tori latest release re-captures her old sound while not copying it. All the songs on the CD, while in her old style have a life and identity of their own. From the opening song, Amber Waves, to the well known,A sorta fairytale, Tori instantly grabs our attention with the personal and intimate lyrics that we we never seem to understand, yet always can relate to. We see many new sides to her aswell as getting back in touch with the Tori we already know. She takes risk with the old fashion sound of Wednesday, takes us to a special place in her heart with the different, yet beautiful sound of Your cloud, gives us a haunting and suprisingly non-cliche statement on the 9/11 attacks with I can't see New York, and takes us back to her old symphony days with Gold Dust. My only reservations about the album is that to of the strongest songs, Scarlets Walk and Wampum Prayer are so short that leave a lot to be desired. But maybe that's the way of this passionate and instantly addictive new release from of the most talented and intriguing artist of our time.


Scarletys Walky a conceptual journey across lives, the U.S.   February 13, 2003
 17 out of 19 found this review helpful

Tori Amos' newest effort "Scarlett's Walk" is an extremely rewarding conceptual journey in song across the United States, from a porn star in Las Vegas ("Amber Waves"), to finding love in unexpected places ("A Sorta Fairytale") to echoes of First Nations ("Wampum Prayer," "A Sorta Fairytale," "Virginia"). The sounds of the songs range from sultry jazz-inspired songs ("Carbon," with a gorgeous piano solo that feels right at home in a "Due South"esque score sort of way, or in Sarah McLachlan's "Fumbling Towards Ecstasy," "Don't Make Me Come To Vegas," with its bongos and prowling bass piano, "Your Cloud," "Gold Dust"), to a ragtime-vaudeville sound reminiscent of the Michael Jackson/Paul McCartney duet "Say Say Say", moody ballads ("Strange," "Sweet Sangria," "Pancake"), laments ("Amber Waves," "I Can't See New York"), to haunting melodies ("Crazy," "Scarlet's Walk," "Gold Dust"). I must admit, this is my first Tori Amos album, and the vast majority of her lyrics have me baffled. I guess I'm just not a stream-of-consciousness beatnik poet at heart. Consider the following snippets:

"Carbon"

Carbon made, found her at the end of a chain,
"Time to race" she said, "race the downhill."
Behind crystaline irises loons can dive,
where the world bleeds white.

"Pancake"
Oh, Zion please remove your glove,
And dispel every trace of His spoken word,
That has lodged in my vortex.

One of the neatest features is the interactive "Scarlet's Walk" CD Rom, which features an interactive map showing three choices: Scarlet's Walk, Native America and Tori Amos' tour. With the "Scarlet's Walk" you can follow Scarlet song by song, collecting Polaroid snapshots and reading more about national parks, etc. You can put together a personalized journal of Scarlet's walk filled with Polaroids from various places she's visited, watch short music videos, read the lyrics, listen to a bonus song ("Tombigbee"), read Scarlet's journal entries/poetry and more. This is *the* best enhanced CD I've ever had the pleasure of exploring-far from mere screensavers or uninteresting videos, you are truly made part of Scarlet's journey across U.S. Combined with the powerful music (and occasionally cryptic lyrics), "Scarlet's Walk" is truly a journey that we all should make.


A Refreshing Return   November 1, 2002
 16 out of 19 found this review helpful

"Scarlet's Walk" is a breath of fresh air from Tori Amos, after a triumvirate of overproduced and and overrated albums.

After last year's uneven covers album "Strange Little Girls," Tori did the right thing by completing an album of original material within a year. Not only that, but the material on "Scarlet's Walk" is perhaps some of her best since "Boys For Pele."

While "Strange Little Girls," "To Venus And Back" and "From The Choirgirl Hotel" had their moments, they all seemed to lack the passion and authenticity of Amos' earlier releases. This authenticity and passion has returned on "Scarlet's Walk." Many of the 18 compositions bear some similarities to earlier songs (e.g.: "Wednesday" would fit well alongside "Happy Phantom," and "I Can't See New York" has the hauntingly epic feel of "Yes Anastasia" and "Little Earthquakes").

From a more technical standpoint, the production of this album is immaculate, and I was surprised to see that Tori herself once again sat in the producer's chair. One area of great experimentation is with the use of reverbs and delays on her vocals. Never have the effects been more prominent than on this release. "Virginia" is a good example of this, as are many other tracks.

Overall, this is a refreshing return to form by one of the most talented and enigmatic artists of the last decade.