M U S I C

American Doll Posse - Tori Amos (published Qwickly.com, May 2007)

Tori Amos is back, and she�s brought her posse with her.

Amos' ninth studio release, American Doll Posse, is an exploration of what it means to be a woman in modern society. If this scares you, you're probably not an Amos fan. Not that this matters, as Tori Amos does not produce albums for you. Instead, she knows her fans will follow her wherever her muse takes her.

This time there are five muses. Isabel, Pip, Clyde, Santa and Tori are the American Doll Posse of the title, and they bring their distinct voices to this rambling collection. The dolls rage, they flirt, they weep and they laugh, showcasing facets of one of the most interesting figures in music today.

With so many personalities and a whopping twenty-three tracks, the album is at times stunning, at others a dismal failure. If Amos had edited this recording, no doubt she would have created a masterpiece. But something bigger, her unique artistic vision, would have been lost. At a time when concept albums are out of vogue, Amos' commitment to big ideas can only be respected.