SILENT ALL THESE YEARS / ME AND A GUN

In my opinion American, piano playing singer-songwriter TORI AMOS was one of the most essential new female artists of the nineties, perhaps even number one altogether. Often she has been compared to Kate Bush, and I would also, but to say she's a Kate Bush clone would be unfair and ignorant. Amos does have a style of her own (which admittedly sometimes comes rather close to SOME of Bush's songs... but only close). Her debut album Little Earthquakes came in 1992, and it was preceded by some single releases. This 4-track 12" single contains two songs of that album plus two songs that appeared in the 2-cd remaster (2015) of Little Earthquakes.

'Silent All These Years' has a smooth orchestration while the focus is on Tori's sensual voice and delicate piano. Very pretty but perhaps a little too sugary to be among her strongest songs ever. One of the sweetest for sure. The other album song is 'Me and a Gun' which is much starker, featuring only slightly treated and depressed vocals. If anything, it proves the artist's ability to take the less expected road into an uneasier territory, but it's not a song I would often return to.

'Upside Down' is a good, conventionally piano centred Amos song. The arrangement features mellotron and clanging bells. Her fluent and elegant melodicism is truly recognizable, and probably her song-writing style has been a big influence for numerous female artists of this Millennium. 'Thoughts' captures Tori's voice as its most captivating and siren-like. The piano playing is very dynamic in it. Beautiful!

A star was born.