Tori Amos - Little Earthquakes

Emotionally and musically intense, Little Earthquakes shows that the piano is as much a rock & roll instrument as the guitar. Tori Amos's debut (if one disregards Y Kant Tori Read, as one would be well advised to do) is at once listenable and challenging; she takes on every topic, from sex to gender to religion, in an uncompromising manner. Her music appears gentle at first, but this appearance is deceiving, as one quickly learns upon listening to the wrenching "Crucify" or the almost violent "Precious Things." By the time the album gets around to "Me and a Gun," sung hauntingly by Amos without accompaniment from her piano, the juxtaposition of Amos' sweet voice and the emotional complexity of her lyrics is both familiar and shocking. Sandman fans should listen for a reference to author Neil Gaiman in "Tear in Your Hand." --Genevieve Williams Amazon.com

Little Earthquakes - Tori Amos

A beautiful CD, especially when I'm relaxing.
The music reminds me on Kate Bush's melodious & powerful songs.
May 26, 2008

Seismic Event

When this album was released in 1992, I was in high school. One night, I was fortunate enough to stumble across a stunning redhead performing on what I believe was ABC's In Concert. Her piano playing was mesmerizing and her voice was an instrument in and of itself. Later in the show, she did "Me and a Gun", an a cappella piece about her own rape. I was completely stunned. I'd never heard such a personal emotional statement by a performing artist before. The next day, I went in search of Little Earthquakes and was unable to find it, settling for purchasing the Crucify EP. For the next week or so, I haunted the record store, checking every other day until the album was stocked again. It was worth the wait. Very rarely does a performer make their debut with such an articulate, mature recording. Now granted, Little Earthquakes wasn't technically her first album, but it still amazes me that she was able to write such compelling songs so early in her career, and these songs are light years beyond Y Kant Tori Read. I've waxed rhapsodic over "Winter" on my Crucify review, so I won't recap here, other than to say that it remains my favorite song of Tori's. She's made better albums, but Little Earthquakes has withstood the test of time, remaining valid. I won't go into a song by song breakdown, but this album opened my eyes to many things, not the least of which was the female perspective and how it often differs from the male point of view. Her song structure and vocals, which could go from a whisper to a scream, were markedly different than any of the other music I was listening to at that time. This album more than any other encouraged me to listen with an open mind. February 25, 2008

Excellent Debut, Though Not My Favorite Tori Project

For me, listening to Tori Amos is a guilty pleasure. I despise a lot of her lyrics, but I love her music. Her debut project is an excellent exhibit of her music.

My favorites on this are "Crucify", "Precious Things" (musically -- definitely not lyrically), "Winter" (my favorite of this project), and "Leather". Can I really call "Me And A Gun" a favorite? Not in the sense of it being a song I could enjoy, but it is definitely an important song. I applaud artists who take risks, and Ms. Amos is good at that.

January 13, 2008

one of the seminal albums of the 90s

"Little Earthquakes" was a revelation when I first heard it. Here I am now, 15 years after having first heard the album, reviewing it. Is this a review of the album or of everything that I have tied to this album? They have become inextricably intertwined for me, which speaks to the power, beauty, and honesty of "Little Earthquakes".

Tori Amos showed us what a girl with a piano can do. She can bring the house down with the intensity of the title track. She can stop everything with the pure emotional power of the haunting "Me and a Gun". She can speak to previously-unvoiced inner anguish, as surfaced in "Mother" and "Silent All These Years". And then we find out that some of the best songs from this era aren't even on this album; run, don't walk, to go get those b-sides right now. "Sugar" and "Take to the Sky" are two songs that simply must be heard.

This album is one that will stand the test of time. It is 15 years old as of this writing, but the lyrics and music are still as ground-breaking today as they were when they were first released. I've long since lost count of the number of times that I've given this album as a gift to a friend who I think needed to hear it. I still do it now. I haven't yet found any other single album that touches souls in the same way that this one does. December 17, 2007

I cry my eyes out

If there ever was a CD that cut to the quick, it has to be this one. I will not critique every song (they're all beautiful and heartbreaking) but one song almost seems written just for me. "Winter" takes me back to my childhood so quickly and so poignantly I can barely listen to it. I grew up in the midwest with snowy winters, I had a white horse I loved beyond belief, I used to put on my dad's gloves, and I know the pain of growing older as a woman. Every word speaks to everything I feel - all I can say is that every time I listen to that song, I cry my eyes out. A catharsis perhaps that I need. Tori Amos is a true jewel - a poet and a musician. Love her! August 11, 2007

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