While the multi-talented American singer, songwriter, pianist and composer Tori Amos’ 1996 album Boys for Pele, left most fans and critics scratching their heads, her stellar fourth studio album ‘From the Choirgirl Hotel’ released in 1998 found her returning to the electronica infused baroque pop-rock form that first made her originally famous. Tori crafted an inimitable style on the ground-breaking albums Little Earthquakes and Under the Pink, and From the Choirgirl Hotel has more in common with those discs than with Boys for Pele.
However, Tori’s lyrics sound still as complex and confusing as ever. On the radio hit “Jackie’s Strength,” for example, Tori weaves an indecipherable web that involves her wedding, Camelot, black magic, even anorexia, and mooning David Cassidy. We don’t claim to understand the song, and we wouldn’t trust anyone who claims that they do. Even though the song’s lyrics are beyond comprehension, Amos gives them such a powerful delivery that it’s clear the song has some meaning (even if Tori is the only one who knows what it is). “Jackie’s Strength” highlights the core of Tori Amos’ mass appeal – she can sing just about any lyric and make her listeners feel that they can relate. She has such a uniquely emotional voice that she makes you feel the meanings more than you can comprehend them.
From the Choirgirl Hotel features some of Amos’ most accessible songs since Little Earthquakes too. The lush, atmospheric Top 40 hit “Spark” kicks off the album, and it contains a few fairly obvious references to Amos’ then miscarriage. It’s anything but your typical radio single, but then Amos is anything but your typical performer. This is the woman who had the nerve to cover Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and the Stones’ “Angie” on the same single.
Amos also dabbles in numerous styles on From the Choirgirl Hotel giving it a more diverse sound feel. From the haunting sounds of “Black-Dove (January)” to the techno-influenced 2 Grammy nominated “Raspberry Swirl” to the rock-flavored “She’s Your Cocaine“, you soon get a feeling that this album was meant to appeal a large audience. Still, the album’s focus never strays far from its trademark Tori Amos voice-and-piano center, giving all the songs a sense of unity and a comforting relief to hardcore Tori Amos fans.
Undoubtedly, From the Choirgirl Hotel is a complex, sometimes dark and emotional album, unlike any of the other Tori Amos albums (even the ones that came after) that gets better and better with repeated listenings. If you are a connoisseur of 90s music, this is a great 90s alt pop-rock album you don’t want to miss.
