A truly amazing and angelic journey

I must admit, I was hesitant about buying anything from Tori Amos, as I was not that engaged by her previous works...kind of thought she was just a bit too 'out there' for me, and I have always had a problem with artists who seem to want to work out their problems with their music...well strike me down NOW!!!



From the opening notes of 'Scarlets Walk', I was instantly drawn to her magic, and have since gone back and given the early Tori a relisten. I know a lot of reviewers are saying this is a more 'back to form' CD, and I must agree...and I think a big step forward as well. Tori has the most expressive and angelic voice - one that can take you from the clouds to the grave all in the same 10 minutes. I mean that in a positive way, because she expresses a lot of well thought out joy and sorrow all at the same time. You just want to listen to the next song, because although you have a pretty good idea of what you're going to get, Tori puts her twists into the lyrics and arrangement...great stuff!



I am not big on a lot of the 'new' female singers lately (e.g. Alanis, Gwen Stephani, et al...) - seems like a lot of pent up anger spewed forth by talentless hacks. Granted, there are a lot of male singers like that too, but this was starting to seem like some weird movement, and made me go running for my old Pat Benetar and Stevie Nicks CD's....but I don't want to live in the past, so on to Tori...what a relief!



Anyhow, if you want something a little different but not way out there - with the added bonus of excellent songwriting and arranging, take a walk with TA across America - this CD will soon make it to your frequently played list!

What a beautiful journey.

This was the second Tori album that I heard all the way through and I fell in love with it. This is a good CD to listen to when you're feeling down or when you want to relax. I love Your Cloud, Gold Dust, A Sorta Fairytale, Amber Waves, Scarlet's Walk, and Taxi Ride..those are my favorites. I would recommend this CD. Take the walk with Scarlet, you'll be glad you did. At least I know I am and I will take it many more times as I listen.

SO close to greatness.

Tori Amos never should have started producing herself. Although the first of these effrts, 1996's tumultuous and beguiling Boys for Pele, may be her strongest album to date, each subsequent recording took a painfully audible step toward imminent adult-contemporary mediocrity (see the full culmination of this half-assedness, 2005's The Beekeeper; remarkably boring).



But with Scarlet's Walk, her first album for Epic Records, Amos seems truly rejuvinated. She has not expressed ideas this interesting since Boys for Pele, but unfortunately, she has also never sounded so glossy. My problems with this album are trifold.



First of all, and most noticeably, the record sounds like Tori Amos by way of Annie Lennox. Both great vocalists, but Amos' truly amazing piano abilities are deeply obscured in favor of repetitive drum beats and simplistic arrangements. Thankfully, though, there are enough beautiful sounds on the record (the main reason I still pay attention to her anymore is that the woman just has a gift for unforgettable melodies) to drown out the blandness.



Another problem of mine is that the whole thing is too long. For an artist (yes, she has earned that title) who was at the beginning of her career shrewd enough to limit her albums to 12 tracks, and then save a handful of incredible B-sides for distribution among a rabid and endlessly devoted fanbase, this effort feels bloated. The whole thing can be divided by the essential (Carbon; Scarlet's Walk; Virginia; Gold Dust), the good (I Can't See New York; Crazy; Strange; Sweet Sangria), to the desparately radio-friendly, the most disappointing of the album's dimensions (A Sorta Fairytale; Taxi Ride). For an artist as lyrically ambitious and challenging as Amos has been in her past, to hear a song arranged as well as Taxi Ride culminate with "I'm glad you're by my side" is nearly unforgiveable.



Finally, and most dualistic of my complaints, the good aspects of the album are so good as to render the only-mediocre filler (and it's rampant) that much more hard to bear. The seance-style meditation that is the title track should be listened to by any who doubt her ability to create meaningful beauty. The lines "just tell your guards for me/ all debts are off this year/ they're free to leave" and "'what do you plan to do with all your stories?'/ the new sheriff said, quite proud of his badge/ 'I'll weave them through every rocket's red glare/ and huddled masses'/ you just lift your lamp/ I will follow" are 2 of the best from her yet. But then the bad. I already mentioned Taxi Ride, a nice little song with some good ideas and her characteristically pleasing melodies capsizing under its snore of a chorus. But there's more. Your Cloud, Another Girl's Paradise, even the only-decent opener Amber Waves, all SOUND like tracks a better producer would have left out; they sound unnecessary. In the end, despite a closing trio of songs that may be the best ending she's ever penned, I couldn't help thinking a shorter album would have been much stronger.



This is worth buying for any Amos fan, or for anyone looking for music with some ideas for a change, but the fact that she can do better (Boys for Pele; Under the Pink) is only given nuance and meaning by virtue of the fact that she can also do much worse. For the album immediately following this one, The Beekeeper sounds like the after-moan of a load blown too soon.

Beautiful packaging with an excellent CD.

If you enjoy Scarlet's Walk, this is the format you should buy the CD in. This is a great little package with all the extras you get. Scarlet's Walk is worth owning already without the extras, but this gives a little extra something to the fans. I would recommend this, it's worth every penny.

Tori Amos at Her Most Mature, If Not Best

On 2002's Scarlet's Walk, Tori Amos mixes beautifully thought-provoking lyrics and lush melodies and piano arrangements to create an incredible, unforgettable album. Each song connects to the next in a series much like the chapters of a book - Amos herself describes this album as a "sonic novel", told mostly in the views of not so much her alter-ego as varied levels of her consciousness, Scarlet, who encounters various characters as she travels across American in search of the path that she has lost. Although all of the songs are rich in emotion and texture, "Gold Dust", "Wampum Prayer", "Virginia", and "Pancake" are among some of the most detailed and well thought out. Each song deserves five stars at the least, and this album, although not nearly as piano-pounding nor as eccentric as her previous albums, Scarlet's Walk is well worth the buy as just the album or as a special edition set.

A journey through America's past and present.

"Scarlet's Walk" is an example of music today that analyzes America, its politics, history, and people. It focuses mostly on the treatment of repressed minorities by the American government throughout America's short history. Most significantly, the album focuses around the plights of the Native American people, a subject that only recently has gained attention in schools. However, when it is talked about in schools, it is almost always misconstrued and clouded to show Americans as the "good guys" and Native Americans as the "bad guys." This album is constructed as a sonic novel of sorts. The songs function almost like chapters painting a picture of the United States' past, present, and possible future. Whether concerning Native Americans, homosexuals, or other repressed peoples, Amos tells the story from seemingly every angle. Sometimes the subject matter gets very dark, but Amos portrays the country the way she sees it, the good and the bad. This "novel" is told from the perspective of a character named Scarlet, whom Amos refers to as her alter ego. Like Amos, Scarlet is a descendent of the Cherokee people, hence the incredible emphasis on Native American history throughout the story. Scarlet is on a post September eleventh road trip, and each of the songs details certain parts of her journey. Along her way, she meets many different people, visits sacred Indian lands, and begins to question what she believes in. A tour de force from start to finish, "Scarlet's Walk" is an unsettling yet empowering journey through the American history not taught in schools. Some highlights include the first single, "a sorta fairytale," the second single and best song on the album, "Taxi Ride," the September 11th-themed "I can't see New York," "Scarlet's Walk," and the heart-breaking "gold dust." This version of the album contains a bonus DVD with videos for "a sorta fairytale" (though not the promotional clip shown on MTV & VH1) and "gold dust" that show behind-the-scenes footage of Amos at various road-stops during the photo-shoot for the album; you have the option to listen to her commentary on those songs and the project itself, or just sit back and watch the images and listen to the music. There is also a photo gallery with the song "Taxi Ride" as the backdrop. Also included in this set is a map of Scarlet's journey through America with the song lyrics on the back, a sheet of Scarlet-inspired stickers, and a charm (it could be anything ranging from a metal seal to a plastic frog - there's no telling what goody you'll end up with).