Reviews (page 4 of 8)
A bit meandering, but I do love her overall sound and her creativity. It just lacks bangers.
In 1992 PJ Harvey and Tori Amos both released their debut albums. Meanwhile, there I was in rural Canada picking out my first ever compact disc. Celine Dion's self titled album. Time may not heal all injustice but at least love can move mountains.
This is my first time listening to a full Tori Amos album. Crucify, Tear in your Heart and Little Earthquakes were standouts. She was another trailblazer in a musical world filled with of male musicians. Although not totally my style, it is an incredible first album from a very talented musician. The lyrics still hit hard - especially crucify.
Not bad. I like it. Plus 2 stars for silence all these years. This random song hugely influenced mandarin pop as well as Cantonese pop. The rest of the album is just ok.
one step above oil spill for me...
Kate Bush walked so Tori Amos could run. Even though I know a couple songs of Tori’s that aren’t on this album don’t have this exact sound, all I could think about is just how similar her and Kate Bush sound while I listened to this album. What helps the rating overall is that this album is much less experimental and is a lot more accessible.
Solid mom music.
Wow, went into this with very low expectations. But this is amazing.
I knew I was going to like this before I started listening but holy shit!!!! The only song by her I'd heard before was her cover of Smells Like Teen Spirit (which I need to know how she came up with) from the deluxe of this album. Just a hauntingly beautiful album.
3/5
I like the piano and orchestration. Some cool sounding songs. Glad to know more Tori Amos.
the og indie sad girl
She Tori on my Amos until I have Little Earthquakes
Q U E E N
Tori gonna Amos
she's good, I'll have to listen again when I'm sadder
I didn't expect anything from this album, but it's awesome. There's a bit of Broadway/musical vibe, but the songs are all so interesting that I want to listen to it again and again. Even though it's not my favorite music, it reminds me of Florence and the Machine in style, very good. Best tracks imho: Crucify and Happy Phantom
OK
A good listen
A powerful and lovely album. It’s not my musical preference for sure but I did enjoy a few of the songs quite a bit. I’ll always have a deep respect for super talented artists who forge their own path. This is really well done on every level.
I just found this album boring really. I wanted to like it but couldn't.
Powerful singing and key slinging. I'd not sat and listened to Tori Amos before but she is a force!
I saw on Spotify in the “Fans also like” section that Suzanne Vega was listed as a similar artist and I feel like that’s a very apt comparison. This album has a similar sound to the eponymous album by Vega from what I remember. My favourite tracks were Winter, Me and a Gun (although not one to listen to on a shuffle given it’s quite dark and not really a song), and Little Earthquakes
2.5 57:11 (12 tracks, debut), 1992 I liked it a lot more while walking with headphones. Still Tori comes across as whiny. While I applaud her work founding RAINN; it doesn't mean I have to love her music. I've always felt she and Davitt Sigerson exploited for money her personal tragedy. I really feel like Tori could have remained a classic pianist (for a lot less money and fame) but choose this route. Still for anyone who loves this album I don't want to take anything from you - she is a talented musician and artist.
Well, I guess I do have to listen to this. Wonderful album, depressing content.
I have some close friends who really love Tori Amos, but that love never managed to rub off on me. I know I’ve heard her music in passing before, but I’ve never listened to an album of hers. I tend to enjoy female singer-songwriter albums from this era, and I love some good piano playing, so I think this album might be right up my alley. My inclinations were correct, and I really loved Little Earthquakes. Everything about this album was excellent: the vocals, the piano playing, the musical arrangements, and the songwriting were all top tier. I could kick myself for never having listened to this album until now. I wouldn’t say that Little Earthquakes was a fun listen, due to the emotional weight of these songs, but Tori Amos is a compelling storyteller with her music. How has Tori Amos never won a Grammy? The older I get, the more I realize what a sham these awards are. But I digress. Little Earthquakes was excellent, and I need a physical copy of it yesterday. Some notes on the individual songs: I loved the piano, vocal effects, and percussion on “Crucify.” I got big Kate Bush vibes from this song, but not in way that was derivative. I loved the way that the vocals were layered. Such a big and beautiful sound that’s still super intimate. I loved the strings on “Girl.” The piano was excellent too, and I loved that little crescendo that the song built to, where more vocals were mixed in. Fantastic. Whoa, “Silent All These Years” was brutal lyrically, but so gentle in its sound. That little tinkling percussion element is really excellent. It’s such a small detail, but I loved it. I really loved when the multi-track vocals kicked in. The drumming on “Precious Things” was awesome. These songs have been so gentle so far, and this one is too, but those drums really add some serious pop to the chorus. The strings on “Winter” were incredible. Each song on this album is so beautiful musically, but there’s so much variation. The piano is usually driving the sound, but the other elements add so much richness to things. I love the way her songs flow. Some songs are quiet and then loud, but the way she structures things makes so much sense. The shifts in energy never feel unnatural. There’s some sort of deep whooshing element on “Happy Phantom” that I love, but I have no idea what it is. It’s gotta be some sort of percussion instrument, or maybe a keyboard effect. The piano was excellent too. The bass on “China” was excellent, and I read that the guy who did the bass was in The Soft Boys and Thompson Twins. What a career that guy had, and then COVID took his life. Jesus, that’s awful. Excellent lyrics on this song though. I really loved the sound of “Tear In Your Hand.” The piano and guitar sounded fantastic together. The percussion was really tight and neat, and sounded excellent as well. And of course there’s multitrack vocals too that come in later. Little Earthquakes was an outstanding album. If this is what it’s like to listen to a musical prodigy, then sign me up for more.
Felt very similar to Joni Mitchell and Alanis Morissette
Insert generic “sounds a bit like Kate Bush” comment here. Which is sort of true. I’m not a fan of Bush though and I preferred this, especially towards the end of the album. Nothing particularly grabbed my attention but it was pleasant enough.
I remember hearing a few of her songs on the Women of Rock Sirius channel, not sure if it was any of the songs here. I liked it, some of the lyrics definitely hit
When I was younger I used to hate Tori Amos. Like really hate her. I think a lot of that had to do with the fact that I was into punk and shit and this was far from that kind of music. As I got older though the songs kind of wormed their way into my brain and started to understand why my girlfriend liked them.
This was a new listen for me. I enjoyed select tracks but it did not surpass other singer songwriters of the era that I prefer like Fiona Apple or Alanis Morriset. Standout tracks: Winter and Crucify me
Not her best but his album!
This is a lot like Kate Bush but if Kate Bush was, like suuuuuuuuuuper boring instead of being awesome. Every note of this is like "I am an . . . ARTIST!"
Meh
I would just never choose to listen to something like this
I spent a lot of time as a teenager talking shit about this album, but I can admit I was wrong. This is great. Beautiful piano, haunting lyrics and the voice is jsut perfect for it all. Really enjoyed this one.
pretty but idgaf
Tori fucking rules and why am I not listening to her every day?
Kind of like a slow pop album. Pretty good.
Slightly insipid but not bad. 3.
I never really listened to Tori Amos in the 90s or 00s so listening to these albums fresh they just kind of pass by. There aren't really any standout tracks for me. It isn't offensively bad or terribly produced or anything I just cant connect with it.
I really want to like Tori Amos. She’s a great pianist, classically trained, but I just can’t get there for most of her stuff. To me, her voice and styling sound like something from a musical theater kid. It feels more like performance art than an album. 3 stars for the talent level but not really a fan.
Soft spoken rock songs with a high-pitched, whiny component on every track . Tori Amos is undoubtedly musically talented (in both her vocal achievements as well as her piano playing) but this isn’t my style of music.
Ahh, Tori … how I’ve missed you. Listening to this was like opening an old love letter to look back at something special from so long ago. I’m still struck by the brilliant songwriting, the piano-tinged edginess which landed perfectly between my love of Billy Joel and Ben Folds and the fierce independence of her voice. Admitting this bias, the album is full of powerful songs to me, which seem to have gotten better with time. Crucify, Girl, Silent All These Years, Winter, Happy Phantom, China, Leather - I’ve known and loved these songs for decades. I’m fine without the final third of the album, which drones and gets self indulgent, as Tori does, but the opening run is so solid I can forgive it. This is a great debut and core to the explosion of 90s folk rock and the wave of female singer/songwriters.
Beautiful album. First time listening to the entire album, but I've had heard most of the songs before. Happy to experience start to finish. Tori"s voice beautiful. Her songs have a subdued confidence to them, she's not flaunting her talent she is simply using it to create beautifully composed work.
A classic album I was really looking forward to. And it was a thoroughly great listen, though it didn't blow me away. Maybe a hot take, but I even enjoyed the skits, which I don't normally do.
I purchased the singles Silent all these years (incredible) and China at the time of release, but was scared off by some of the harsher bleaker stark tracks (like Mother) and didn't get the album. Tori also looked gorgeous and somewhat like my girlfriend at the time. Listening today the album is very impressive (the first half in particular) but is still hard work to take it all in one go, with the aforementioned Mother still being a long tough challenge. I'm still pleased to see how well thought of it is on review sites like rateyourmusic.
I remember trying to give this a go as a college student and giving up. I didn't find it as difficult to listen to this time but it's still really not the kind of music I like. The last track was the best by far. 2.5
i can tell it's well made it simply isn't for me
"oh it's hot and wet and slick, and it's makin' everybody sick, ooOOIIIiiil SPIIIIIILL" ok sorry now that I have that out of my system, I'm really glad I didn't know about this during my really depressed teen years because holy cow I wouldn't have made it out of bed. Now I found some of it really grating but other parts very pretty, not sure I'd listen to it all again but would continue occasionally listening to a song.2.5
Little poems and little heartaches.
I've heard a bunch of songs off this album, but I don't think I've ever listened to the whole thing start-to-finish. I just don't really like Tori Amos' singing. If she made an instrumental album, I'd probably enjoy it more.
Heard it before. Great album both when it comes to music and lyrics. I love Tori 5/5
I can’t think of anything to add that hasn’t already been said.
Wasn’t really expecting to like this as I had (probably incorrectly) associated her with angsty balladry. However, was a really strong album. The confidence to strip it all back to the voice in one of the later tracks was impressive and highlighted how strong her voice is. I will listen to it again, which is an endorsement in itself.
What a voice. Takes the reins from Kate Bush but also does her own thing. Due to the piano being so front and centre, the album loses momentum by the end and could have benefitted from branching out and being a bit less MOR but the front half has some really catchy songs. ‘Winter’ in particular is up there with my favourite ballads.
The album gives me Emma Ruth Rundle vibes but a bit lighter in tone, which I can totally get behind. Will listen to more Tori Amos.
This was a surprisingly enjoyable album. Not a close listen, but I really enjoyed Silent All These Years and some of the later tracks that were playing in the background. I'd say this strattles a 3 / 4 line for me.
Good voice, triumphant sounds. Pretty good listen for singer/songwriter.
Very underwhelming singer-songwriter album that tried to be too epic at times. Was just hoping for a random 90s single that I had completely forgotten about to come up. That second to last song where it was just her singing made me want to throw my headphones. Waste of an hour when it was new music Friday for other albums that I need to listen to today. #nomore90ssingersongwritersplz
Tori Amos is a name I feel like I've heard throughout my life but I can't name a single song by her. Didn't recognize a single song by her on this one. Not bad but also not my jam really. Really enjoyed Little Earthquakes!
I don’t think this is bad but it doesn’t connect with me at all.
Veldig melankolsk. Nesten vanskelig å få hørt hele albumet
This is still as different and fresh to me as it was when it came out. Tori Amos was absolutely not the kind of music I was listening to in the early 90s, but she still somehow always made it into my rotation. This is the first time I have listened to this particular album on good equipment, and I'm very impressed. It's very well-recorded, and her unique stylistic choices make this an album I regret not paying more attention to. I love the singer/songwriter with a piano combination, generally sparse arrangements with such changes to more dense segments, the occasional soaring strings run, and her her unique voice. Great album, and honestly a bit unexpected to see here
There is a brilliant power and self-assurance to this album, especially given it's Tori Amos’ first solo album. Some of the tracks attack you with ambient yet powerful sounds that contribute to excellent ballads, completed by the excellent piano playing throughout. What let's the album down for me though is that some of the slower, less impactful songs don't hit the same heights and at times it makes for a slightly inconsistent pace, leaving me wanting more from certain sections of the album.
p696. 1992. 5 stars. American Kate Bush, but that ain't a bad thing. Razor sharp and frequently harrowing lyrics, great songs and vocals. Not a weak track on this,
Not what I expected. Excellent
Best Song: Silent all these Years I bought this right after it came out and it absolutely blew my mind. While I know that Tori used to be a poppy before she switched gears and that people can say that she "ripped off" Kate Bush, I find this more sincere and honest. I have been a fan ever since I heard this the first time and listened to all her albums. 5/5.
Pure power
4/5
Not for me, though I can appreciate how talented she is.
This just isn't for me.
Great album
Not really like the style
too edgy for me but sounded ok
There's something I enjoyed about this one, not quite sure what. It was good enough to listen through, but I admit I did get a bit fed up towards the end craving something else. Tori has a great voice, it's melodic and calm. Listenable.
I didn’t like this album when I was in college even though everyone said it was the best. 25+ years later, still don’t.
muito chato e clichê … sofri escutando
permanently altered my brain chemistry at 15
Ohhhhhh yesssss. Tori Amos is perfection. Source: I was a teenage girl in the early 90s.
Sublime, haunting and moments of pure joy!
Good album.
Beautiful voice, great piano and overall composition. Probably wouldn’t listen to any of it again except for “Happy Phantom” but that’s just because of my taste.
didn't love - unique vibe but couldn't finish it
*1992. *I've never been a fan of Tori Amos - this took me a few listens to appreciate. *The lyrics, melodies, and her voice are all haunting and beautiful throughout. *Wintry vibes throughout. *Tori sounds more like Ani DiFranco (who I really like) than I realized. *I'm really surprised I liked this, and that I'll definitely be listening to this one again. RATING - 7.5/10
I still don’t understand why this type of literal, paragraph-format word soup is considered good song writing. Obviously she’s an icon, but I just don’t get it personally. I gave it a good try though.
I have mixed feelings about this album. On one hand I’m a bit ashamed to say I had never listened to an entire Tori Amos album before. This woman is amazing!! She’s so creative and musically talented. Her songs China and Winter were my favorites on the album. On the other hand I’ve never been a huge fan of her voice. It grates on me after a while and there are even times when she does these screaming things with her voice that make me feel on edge or anxious for some reason 😅 While I can admit that Tori is an incredibly talented artist, her style just isn’t for me.
Wonderful lyricist, but the music isn't compelling.
A very impressive debut album. Although it’s often dark and haunting. Tori definitely set the standard for the 90’s female singer/songwriter.
Amazing album then and still is today.
The best and the worst I can say about it is I didn't mind it playing
Cute, okay at best tho
I'm not huge on singer-songwriters. She has a nice voice and these songs felt varied enough to be interesting, but also kind of vanilla at the same time. I got bored. Annoyed at me and a gun. Don't need to listen to this again. 2*
beautiful angelic voice with deep lyrics. "Silent All this Years" "China" my favs on this album
Sounds like a 90s album my mom would be obsessed with. Technically good but not my vibe
Meh.
🗯 Tori’s debut and she arrives fully formed — a whole world, not just an album. Little Earthquakes isn’t just a set of songs, it’s a Tori-flavoured universe: raw, sensual, smart, and beautifully devastating. Like Kate Bush before her, Amos balances intimacy and theatricality with a rare gift for making the personal sound mythic. The piano isn’t just accompaniment, it’s weapon, shield, and confessional all at once, but surprisingly, I don’t feel she overuses it to the point of polarising. It’s compelling from start to finish — confessional without indulgence, vulnerable but razor-sharp. You don’t just listen to Little Earthquakes; you step inside it and let it rearrange you. Verdict: Essential (a universe conjured, fully formed) For fans of: Kate Bush, PJ Harvey, Fiona Apple, piano confessions that cut deep but not of the legion of over-eccentric singer/songwriters it spurred forward.
65/1089 read some reviews before listening describing this as Kate Bush/Alanis Morisette/Fiona Apple/Björk and i’m VERY happy that that was accurate, i thoroughly enjoyed listening to this one I will ABSOLUTELY be checking out the Deluxe edition with so many extra tracks 92/100 faves: Tear in Your Hand, Little Earthquakes, Crucify, Mother
This was heat
2.2 Not my type. Just sounds like Kate Bush but without the songwriting talent. Just seen it's routinely ranked amongst the best album ever so I'm obviously missing something. Maybe someone will explain it to me one day.
Leather is a vibe. Tori Amos provided the soundtrack to the 90s.
Deeply poetic lyrics, this album demands study. Phenomenal.
Best track: me and a gun, and precious things 2,5 /5 Not my taste a bit to melankoli
I really like her voice and there were a couple songs that got my attention. Overall, not really my style and didn’t get super excited.
Not for me but it’s good
Fantastic album, I have listened to it off and on over the years, but never as closely as I have now. I love her piano playing, melodies and lyrics. Not a bad song on here really, and even after many listens, several of these songs still give me chills.
This was pleasant. Like an updated kate bush, there was joy and a touch if madness and some epic grandeur to it. It announced her as a talent to the world but lacks the stand put singles of layer albums. A nice listen.
I feel like there’s so much happening with her music but also absolutely nothing
Best Song: Happy Phantom. Playful melodies and a great interplay between her vocals and the piano. Close second to "Leather". Worst Song: Silent All These Years. A little too "Hallmark movie". Overall: What seemed at first glance to be a collection of relatively ordinary pop songs in actuality turned out to be a diverse set of unique and wonderful glimpses of originality. She is clearly very talented, both in vocal ability and songwriting prowess.
Ugghhhhh do you ever watch those rich white Jewish American movies from the early 90s like meet the fockers, sex in the city and so on, where the subjectivity of the characters is just in another stratosphere? Easy money, big houses, no worries. And then the characters are obliviously living out petty dramas in ivory towers, but their vain concerns were accidentally global hegemon? That's what this music is. Music for your rich friend's mom to feel like she's heard, and part of the sisterhood of travelling pants. I want to invert a quote from Thoreau about eagles flying low amongst gorges in the mountains - the naive heights reached here are reaching the top of the modest emotional tree canopy of pop at best. Three stars for being technically proficient music and singing. Three stars for gauche introspection.
Locked into the timeline it was created. Good? Bad?
Smoothness.
At times wonderful and at times forgettable. When it’s good it’s very good but that’s not that often
Genre: Piano Rock (Singer/Songwriter) An album that surprised me big time, with big sounds, confident vocals, and lush production, Tori Amos crushed it here. A woman who knows what she’s talkin’ about, and doing it in a way that’s introspective, but is full of confident, bold sounds. I loved this listen, and it’s an album I’ll definitely look to come back to. 4/5
235/1089 - It's a bit too low energy throughout for my taste and I'm not a fan of her vocal fry but she's a fantastic piano player and a good songwriter too.
If I had wanted to listen to a Kate Bush album…I would have listened to a Kate Bush album.
langweilig
Tori is special to me. An artist I wrote off at the peak of her fame because I was a juvenile juvenile, I've come to love her sound, her energy, and what she stands for.
My college roommate was obsessed with Tori. I never really got it. Good nostalgia though.
Kate Bush meets Joni Mitchell
Classic
Really enjoyed. Excellent vocals.
Helt ålreit. Mye lugnt. Ikke bråkete nok til å overdøve høylytte kollegaer.
Getting strong Kate Bush vibes from this one. Especially Happy Phantom.
Better than Coldplay
-this was beautiful… i’d heard of Tori Amos’s music for a while but never actually listened to any of it. i guess i was expecting something more like PJ Harvey but i was honestly blown away by the classical musicianship -3.5 for now just because the second half dipped in enjoyability for me but could jump up to a 4 -Favorites are Girl, Precious Things, and Leather
A classic. Wry, beautiful, rocking, delightful.
it had moments here and there but overall very dull. just not my kind of singer-song writer vibes
Budget Kate Bush from the 90s Its ok
Opening track reminds me a touch of Kate Bush. Unfortunate for me, but this comparison is mainly surface level. The two have a flair for theatrics and double tracked/ layered vocals that are executed in opposite contexts, at least coming from “The Dreaming” to Little Earthquakes.” For instance, the second track, ‘girl’ examplifies how layered vocals are used to effectively convey two different, yet complementary moods at once rather than create something of a panicked atmosphere like with “The Dreaming.” Third track is much more direct and intimate than the two that came before, and I’d say the album falls into a more expected feeling from here, boasting a consistent lyrical theme through an assortment of varied instrumentation. As a note however, Little Earthquakes feels like it’s tailor made for those who crave overt storytelling in their music. Tori’s Lyrics are the anchor of many track’s progression, leading to the wonderful instruments on hand following a subdued presence, at least for my ears. This leaning limits my personal enjoyment of a track as I tend to prefer focus being placed much more on a track’s instrumentation and the way its complexity can lead lyrical expression. Overall, this distinction leaves “Little Earthquakes” as more of a curiosity in my mind. One I can appreciate just fine, but would rather use as a talking point with friends than a companion for any personal downtime.
One thing that I love about this challenge is rediscovering albums that I was exposed to many years ago and had completely forgotten about. I vaguely remember someone playing me a Tori Amos album when I was young. It didn't click at the time (I was probably too young for either the music or the lyrics). But 1 minute into "Little Earthquakes" and I knew I was in for something special. I remember many of these songs but I didn't remember how powerful they were. Tori Amos is understandably throw in somewhere in between Kate Bush and Fiona Apple. But listening now, I feel something very different. There's a rawness, and a pain that's been channeled into power. Nowhere is that more obvious than "Me and a Gun" which is a shocking and brutally honest account her real life trauma. But the entire album is incredible. The opening track "Crucify" is an immediate stand out for me, and instantly attention grabbing. Tracks like "Precious Things" make the ground feel unstable under you. Other tracks, like "Winter" feel bleak and isolated. In short, compared to other women singer-songwriters, Amos feels more angsty and uneasy. I hate that I sat on this one for so many years but truthfully, this was the time in my life when I was ready to appreciate this album.
A really good album, I liked Crucify, Girl, Leather and the title song Little Earthquakes the most.
This is an absolute work of art. The production, the vocals the playing, the lyrics and the melodies. Tori Amos never sounded better than on this record. Songs like crucify, me and a gun, cornflake girl and silent all these years are as significant as any song released since and they have aged beautifully. The subject matter of a few songs is the rape she suffered as a young girl. The songs are sad but memorable. A true companion piece to joni Mitchell's blue in lots of ways.
Solid album with raw emotion.
I only had a limited knowledge of Tori Amos prior to listening to this album, largely her 90s hit Cornflake Girl. Some impressive piano work, slightly discordant but fitting with the slightly crazed vocals (shades of Kate Bush). All in all, a decent album
A raw uncompromising debut that really hits you
This list is full of crazy bangers from genius female musicians. They really stand out amongst some mid musicians.
Piano-driven, confessional, and kind of haunting, but it leans heavy into the same tone throughout. Spins: 1 Playlist Additions: - Crucify - Silent All These Years - Winter
From an album named for the singer's birth year (Swift's "1989") to an album released in mine. Feels fitting. Even more so when you consider that this album and Amos herself must've been influences on Taylor Swift. I definitely hear a lot of places where Swift, directly or otherwise, must've found influence both in lyrical content (personal songs about interpersonal conflicts and relationships) and in tone (especially in her more recent releases). I also thought a lot of Lorde during this album for similar reasons. Now as for this album...it was alright. It definitely got better as it went on. Tori Amos undeniably has a great voice - powerful and strong when necessary, quiet and thinner when the moment calls for it. But "piano rock," as Spotify labels it, has never been my thing. A little too dramatic for my liking, a little too high stakes at times. This is an album I likely never would've sought out, put on, and listened to in its entirety. And while I didn't love it, I do appreciate Amos for her obvious talent and can see why she achieved the fame she did. Some of the more bluesy and scaled back numbers were my favorites and will definitely be making the playlist I keep from the albums in this project. She's a wonderful talent who just made music that wasn't quite my thing. But I can appreciate that. Three stars. Standout Tracks: Girl, Precious Things, Happy Phantom, Leather
Impressive singing. Stylistically, it started to bore me by the second half.
Increible
Strange how the voice feels familiar, like it reminds me of someone, even though I’ve never heard her before—there’s a kind of nostalgia in it.
An outstanding debut album that arrived as a refreshing respite from the Grunge explosion that dominated Alt Rock at the time. Of course, it's only a debut if you disregard Tori Amos' earlier project, Y Kant Tori Read. YKTR only released one album that Amos had tried to distance herself from before relenting and adding a couple of its songs to her live set. Honestly, it's not that bad. Sure the 80's Synth-Pop sound is dated (and probably was in 1988), but the songwriting shows real potential. Surprisingly, the musicians credited on "Y Kant Tori Read" include Matt Sorum (later of Guns 'n' Roses), and Robin Zander & Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick. Then "Little Earthquakes" landed quietly in the middle of the mosh pit that was Alt Rock in the early 90's. The first video released to MTV, "Silent All These Years", enjoyed modest plays in the 1 AM to 5 AM rotation. Fortunately, wiser ears demanded more Tori and were rewarded with a tidal wave of female-fronted acts that wouldn't subside until the last pair of Birkinstocks shuffled out of the final Lilith Fair.
3.5 because it still have a crush for Tori Amos
Boring enough to put me to sleep, but annoying enough to keep me awake.
Wow can Tori sing! I listened to the Deluxe version of this album and it was a lot of fun. Definitely started to get repetitive, but this was solid. The piano parts were super catchy. Her cover of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was HAUNTING Liked Songs: "Crucify" , "Girl" , "Silent All These Years" , "Precious Things" , "Happy Phantom" , "Leather" , "Tear in Your Hand" , "Little Earthquakes" , "Upside Down" , "Take to the Sky" , "Sweet Dreams" , "Flying Dutchman" , "Smells Like Teen Spirit"
E36, Landau - Pforzheim, Deutschland. Ganz gut!
Deeply personal and very raw. It’s a statement piece. I view this more as a self-portrait, and it’s beautiful and a little broken; just like all of us.
Not my style. Very creative work from her though.
Reminds me of an earlier Chappell Roan who I also quite enjoy. Loved the raw songwriting too. Surprise album for me.
Winter! I like her voice. Kinda Alanis Moriset ish. Lyrics are good to. Interesting instrumentation
Yep, this was brilliant and I can't believe I'd never heard a single Tori Amos song before. Everything stood up musically, lyrically. Some of it was soul destroying, some hilarious. A lot catchy. First two songs were brilliant. Obviously a lot reminded me of Kate Bush but even more so Joni Mitchell. Silent All These Years could quite easily have been on a Joni album and nobody would have batted an eyelid.
This was pretty good, interesting. But a few times it did feel a little "Disney" which isn't my thing. I also felt I spent most of it comparing it to the Fiona apple album that came up on here a while back and I much prefer the apple. I wanted it to go a bit wilder and push things more. By all accounts her later stuff did this more, so perhaps I'll be looking out for a later album next time.
beautiful and interesting voice. i love how the songs tell a story
Powerful and beautiful stuff. It had been too long since I'd heard this one.
Too many words! The same criticism I have of Joni Mitchell. Beautiful stuff but more music and more space please
Tor Amos has a nice voice and the sound is good, but I do feel like I am listening to the same song over and over again.
Boring
While I liked this a lot more than expected (I did not expect to like it), it's not a record that I will likely listen to often - maybe some of the songs. I had not much exposure to Tori Amos going it, just "Cornflake Girl" (not on this record), and "Crucify Myself." Some tunes on this I really enjoyed... rounding up to 4, it's really a 3.5 / 6 out 10 for me.
I'll always give her five stars
I would generally listen to her but not loop her. 4.25 stars
Wasn't really sure where this was going. Nice, tho.
Fabulous and fantastical while still being somewhat grounded.
Took a couple listens but eventually became obsessed
This takes me back to the Nineties. I enjoyed it. Four stars.
Veldig mye bra låter. Liker albumet godt.
I remember when this album came out and all the buzz around it was how controversial it was that she was the daughter of a Methodist preacher instead of focused on the performance and arrangement. However, you could not escape "Crucify" on most contemporary and alternative radio for a good year. As a whole album, it's pretty captivating. Whimsical piano passages, sparse cavernous drums, dramatic strings and Tori's commanding vocal performance. My personal feelings on this album though is despite everything previously mentioned, it does tend to drag on a bit and overstay it's welcome and at times feels a little self-indulgent. Great artist, very 90s female singer songwriter, but not my cup of tea. Still a solid 3.
Pleasantly surprised as I’ve seen the name but never listened before. Feels like a later gen Kate Bush
Love the vibe, didn’t get through the whole thing so can’t accurately judge it
The earth moved, a little.
Moving miniatures
Jebus, this just made me edgy and angry after an hour. Not for me, no sir.
good songs, i didn’t get a chance to listen to the whole thing but the first few songs had great melodies and memorable lyrics
honestly, i was going to give this one a three… and then i heard “me and a gun”. in order for art to be truly effective, it needs to affect you in some way. few songs have affected me to the point of getting goosebumps quite like this song. the rest of the album was good, but “me and a gun”, the song she wrote about the time that she was raped, left a lasting impression.
Crucify är ju en fantastisk låt och jag tror jag fortfarande har singeln liggandes någonstans. En ganska fin skiva för övrigt.
1/5
Overall: 4/10 I'm sorry to say that this just wasn't for me. The talent is obviously there, and the one thing that really stood out to me was the piano playing. Unfortunately, I'm not only not a fan of her voice but I also don't like her lyrics. I found so much of it strange in a bad way, which is weird because I love strange artists. Maybe I'll come back to this later in life and discover what I'm missing, but right now it's not something I plan on revisiting. Fav Song: Winter Least Fav Song: Girl
loved the piano playing and arrangements, wanted to really like it more but... 3.5/5
Spectacular record. Still playing regularly around here.
My dad loves Tori Amos lol
Not bad.
I liked this well enough at the beginning but as it progressed I had less patience for it. I liked the slower songs least. She also has a few vocal idiosyncrasies I'm not super fond of.
The album had a nice flow overall. It had some standout songs like “Leather” and “Me and A Gun”, which I really enjoyed. Tori. Amos captures the nitty-gritty aspects of life very well in her songs. They remind me of a street in New York City lined with old coffee, shops, and little boutique stores. It was definitely a good listen 🥰
I don't get it :(
Effortless voice. Still a bit boring though.
Was really surprised, what a beautiful at times haunting record. Me and a Gun hits like a truck - can't find words. Enjoyable album, which reveals more layers with each listen. Strong 4.
I loved this one, from the opening song you get this perfect balance of vibe and melody. Her voice is absolutely gorgeous throughout much of this album and I liked most of the lyrics too. In particular I really liked “Girl”, “Silent All These Years”, “China”, and the title track. The title track in particular was fantastic in part because of the bass line which gives the song almost an earthquake feel that combined with it being just a really good song.
Maybe the best memoir written in the last 50 years about everything wonderful & awful about being a girl.
Not bad. Too long but fine.
Blah
Not my music
I haven’t heard this album in over 30 years. It came out when I was in college and I remember that it stunned everyone. Listening to it now was like hearing it brand new all over again. No skips, every song hits. Unbelievable album.
it starts off pretty good, but drops off into a mix of weird solos and slow pacing songs, indistinguishable from one another.
The Good: For once little is better than much! The Bad: Much Earthquakes does not sound correct… The Ugly: Earthquakes… If my memory is correct, than many moons ago Rick Beato mentioned this album in one of his hour and a half talk about something or another. If I am not mistaken, while Rick and a friend were doing something or other, one of the songs off of this album came on the radio—because people still listened to the radio back in the ‘90s—and they knew that they were listening to something special… Me, I probably heard the same song around that time, also via the radio, but it was not something that my ear was ready to listen to as I was more into rock and grunge and roadhouse blues at the time… Today, marking roughly 3 weeks since this album showed up on my 1001 list, I can understand how this album is something special. I’ve listened to it 4 times in the past weeks, and upon each listen I am starting to like the album more and more. For now, 4* easily granted to Tori! Maybe, just maybe, I will have to come back and numb it up to 5* at some point...
Yea it was nice. Good singing. Nice piano playing. Whatever.
I wouldn’t have listened to this without the list, I guess. Still not really my thing.
Great album. Tori Amos’ vulnerability on songs like Me and a Gun and Silent After All These Years are highlights of this album.
3.4
While I would have been too narrow minded to listen to this on release as a young man, now I think it is pretty good in a Kate Bush kind of way
Didn't really grab me then, or now. I get that she's talented.
take it or leave it Will I listen to again: 0%
This is a day when I wish there were half stars. Rounding up.
Ok, but did it need to be an hour long?
I didn’t mind this, but can’t see myself listening again. Simpsons: No
I recognised the name, but I didn't recognise any of the tracks as I was listening. There is nothing on this album that I would actively seek out to listen to again; it was a pretty boring album, to be fair.
I thought this was bloody brilliant. It was pretty heavy so I don’t know when I might listen to it again but I thought it was such an amazing album.
Pretty voice, kinda boring
It is a decent album but the style of music is not something I am a big fan of. 3 stars or C.
nice album. i don't have a lot of experience with tori's music, but i found this album to live in a comfortable place between kate bush and ben folds. her voice is quite nice and i love that the production feels sparse, yet big at times. the songs here are pretty good, with a lot of seemingly personal lyrics about some tough subjects. i think overall, the package is pretty good and i could see it growing on me with subsequent listens.
Lovely
Ég hélt ég væri að fara að hlusta á eitthvað svaðalegt næntís popp. Ég kannaðist við nafnið en engin lög og svo er þetta bara svona líka rosalega góð plata. Ég rokka á milli 4 og 5. Hækka upp í 5 fyrir að koma mér svona hressilega á óvart en finnst hún samt vera 4.
It was a decent listen, just really not my style.
Listened before. One of my fav albums of all time
Some very good songs but overall not THAT great for me...enjoyed it!
Esta bien, relajaito
I’m not particularly excited by her voice, lyrics, the instrumentals and production. Very run at the mill stuff
I played this album so much in college and throughout my early 20s, I practically have it memorized. Amos' powerful lyrics tell great stories - not all with happy endings, but that certainly does mirror what happens in real life. It's a powerhouse of an album considering it's just Amos, a piano, and some backing vocals & instruments... not a full band in the true sense. The focus is always, as it should be, on her skillful piano playing chops and her hypnotizing voice. The first album I've rated as five stars, but for me, it deserves it.
temu kate bush
2/5. Just not for me
For my money, Little Earthquakes is one of the most remarkable debut albums of all time. Copy/paste to read the rest: https://tinyurl.com/bdfexm49
She’s great but she’s not my taste
Released in 1992, Little Earthquakes marked Tori Amos’ solo debut with a bold, piano-driven sound that stood in stark contrast to the grunge and bubblegum pop dominating the era. Built on a foundation of expressive vocals and virtuosic piano, the album weaves in symphonic flourishes, subtle synths, and off-kilter melodies to create a dramatic and emotionally charged listening experience. “Crucify” opens with goth-tinged intensity, while “Silent All These Years” delivers a restrained but powerful meditation on voice and identity that has become a '90s classic. “Winter” is perhaps the emotional core—both musically and lyrically devastating—while the playful, jazzy “Happy Phantom” nods toward the sensibilities of future artists like Fiona Apple. “Tear in Your Hand” veers toward slicker, more pop-friendly territory without sacrificing the album’s rawness. The result is a singular, operatic record that doesn’t just explore vulnerability—it weaponizes it.
Very much a singer/songwriter of the 90's, but where other singers Suzanne Vega or Tracy Chapman are steeped in the coffee house tradition, Tori Amos sets her sights higher. Her vocals soar, the production makes Little Earthquakes sound huge, and here style sounds more akin to Celine Dion than to her aformentioned contemporaries. It's not something I'd come back to often, but I'm glad I heard it so I can appreciate Amos a little more.
Powerful songs and performances.
Enjoyed.
This is #day335 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… this has to be one of the most beautiful female singer-songwriter albums I've ever heard. Intimate, yet powerful. I was first introduced to Tori Amos by a friend, a grunge-head, who once showed me her cover of "Smells Like Teen Spirit." I remember taking it with a pinch of salt back then and never explored the rest of her work. Today, I found out that the "Teen Spirit" cover is actually featured on the deluxe edition of this very album. I do think it's a great cover; the way she plays with that song is just something else. Anyway, "Crucify"... what a way to kick off a debut. The piano-and-vocal-driven arrangements throughout the record pull at the innermost strings. And when the drums kick in, and the guitars too, I'm in awe. So '90s, in the best way. What to say about the lyrics? "Winter" caught me with a tear in my eye. This is a 5 out of 5. Looking forward to #day336.
Really interesting album. Favourite track is Crucify 3/5
I didn’t hate this but I found it to be pretty boring. There was nothing here that was interesting enough for me to want to sit through an entire song.
Awesome debut album.. loved it
First five or six songs are incredible, on form for a 4 but it loses a bit of steam after that for me (at least on first listen). I am a fan of her sound though and can definitely see it growing on me!
This sounds like all of the other 90s female artists except she has a little bit more of an edge. It wasn’t but I won’t listen to it again.
I guess I forgot how fresh this sounded when it came out. I mean, what sounded like this? Kate Bush? It’s too much. I don’t like a lot of it. But that first track -what a way to introduce yourself to the world.
A favorite when it came out, and it was definitely her best. I hadn't listened to it in years...still loved it. Great voice, great writing, and no doubt influenced countless female singer songwriters.
This was a bit boring. I feel bad to review but i really dont have anything else to say.
Listened twice on accident. Pretty good but I’m not certain I’ll choose to listen again
Excellent material. Album structure and pacing is slightly off but the ending is perfect
It’s okay
Not with it. Contemporary generic adult alt with a mid singer.
sorry not for me
First real listen to Tori Amos. Nice. Bit Kate Bush-y here and there.
Thoughtful and intimate.
Disco arrastado, instrumentação sem graça e esquecível. Um pop vazio. Única faixa interessante é "Tear In Your Hand". Fraco!
I have to admit to being the kind of teenage boy in the 90s who avoided Tori Amos like the plague. But, you know what, this album isn't half bad. On the surface it seems kinda cheese ball, but in this case I think it's a byproduct of the era and not sincerely-held cheese, if that makes sense.
Solid album, couple of weaker tracks near the end.
This has always been a decent album for whenever I’m in the mood for something more chill and laid back. It’s perfect for those times when you want piano-driven music from a strong singer-songwriter aspect.
Hmm this aged ok
Really solid singer-songwriter album. But still not the cream of female songwriter music. 3/5
Very interesting album great lyrics also very melodic
I would have enjoyed this more if I’d not listened to the Kick Inside by Kate Bush recently. Good record but impossible to review on its own merits
What a weird album.
This one didn't really speak to me. Sorry, Tori. I checked the album credits to see if they credited the person rapidly panting like a dog during "Precious Things." Conclusion: probably a sample?
first song is dope, rest not so much
a million stars
Very precious
Hits just as hard now as it did in 1992
pleasantly surprised and reminded of kate bush
Perfection. Tori Amos' vocals, musicianship, lyricism, and power are unequaled. Me And A Gun is still relevant (sadly) and raw. Pure power. Favorites are Crucify, Silent All These Years, Precious Things, and Little Earthquakes.
Like you ordered Kate Bush from Temu... Ok , but not the real thing
Found this quite good. Some touches of Kate Bush about the vocals and songs.
I listened to this closely back in the days when it was fresh and was really intrigued by the it l intracacies of her competitions, but alas, time and overplay had diminished the freshness...
I haven't heard this album. After listening, I've heard Winter and Silent all these years. This sounds like a musical theater. I could never enjoy this. It's for someone else. The affect vocals, the strings. Me and my gun is quite powerful. Tori seems cool in interviews.
Beautiful music.
Remarkable voice and an album to listen to if you want to relax. It drags a little but it's listenable from time to time.
For whatever reason I haven't heard this album. I guess at that time I was listening to a lot of classic- and alt-rock. She's got a great voice, and beautiful piano. Just a great listen! I'd probably rate a 4 but Happy Album #500... to celebrate I'm going with a 5.
I didn't enjoy this one as much as I'd hoped. musical arrangements was nice and lyricism good, but I didn't really vibe with this.
own
Soft sounding music. Relaxing
Tori had a lot of comparisons to Kate Bush when she was first around, but if it's a crime to like Kate we would all be in prison, right? This is an album that reeks of Tori herself, dark, honest, melodic and absolutely stunning.
Definitely boring— actually bad instrumentation mixed with trite lyrics. The first couple of songs with lines like “crucify myself” are the hackneyed commentary of 90s alternative. The later songs on the record are, like Bryan said, Disney songs without the fun. The best song is White Horses and it sounds like a Joni Mitchell song (but I don’t even really like Joni Mitchell)
Thought it was pretty boring. A lot sounded like it could have been from a Disney soundtrack.
I like the piano work and the instrumentals but the vocals just don't work for me. Everything together feels maybe a little too dramatic for no reason. I would never choose to listen to this on my own.
This music is making me so depressed. And I just went mountain biking, so I shouldn’t be depressed.
While looking at the related artists it showed Alanis. This isn't alanis. Its good vocally but the backing band just is a boring wonder bread thing. Its just nothing most of the time. Boring as all get out. The best song on the whole record is the accapella track. She sounds great without the distractingly bland instrumentation. Not the worst thing ive ever heard but not worth playing again.
I can tell she was giving it her all and I respect her for that but it just didn’t really hit for me
Tori has a great voice and the songs are catchy and easy to listen to. I haven't heard her before but I will definitely listen again!
Enjoyed: Girl, Silent all these years (love her voice, great piano with a very interesting minor 7 arpeggio on chorus outro), Precious Things (Oh okay, there's range here!), Leather, Me and a Gun (whoah)
I love her piano work, and her songwriting is lovely
This was pleasant to the ears. Not really my jam, but I like it. I like the beautiful singing and piano. Little Earthquakes was DOPE! I'll give this a 3.
Listening to this was like visiting an old friend from high school. This was Tori’s solo debut album, but she had been playing since she was a child prodigy who earned a Peabody scholarship at age five, which she lost at age 11 for being too rebellious and wanting to rock out like her heroes Led Zepplin instead of focusing on classical styles. When she was a teenager, her church minister father took her to local gay bars where she was allowed to perform by singing and playing piano. Eventually she headed to L.A. and fronted an ill-fated hair-rock band. But this album was her finally finding and solidifying her voice as a performer, developing styles and themes that are her hallmarks: confessional lyrics, emotional intensity, and an unabashed (sometimes veering slightly into cringe) exploration of the female experience including girlhood, relationships, even her own sexual assault. As always, there’s a thread throughout that deals with the tension of her fiery personality and sexuality versus her religious upbringing. Compared to later albums of hers, this one is more raw and personal and also more conventionally structured and less abstract in themes. 4.5
This is intimate mood music to me. I envision a person sitting alone in a room in some deep thought while listening to this. I was never much of a Tori listener but I have a lot of respect for her and find her to be very talented, particularly for playing these piano parts and singing over them. It's a stripped down sound for the most part. A lady and a piano and the focus seems to be the lyrical content. There's a few different musical stylings throughout the album and Tori has a bit of an unconventional sound. She does a lot of different things with her voice and has a wide range. I can hear some influence.of Kate Bush and I feel like I can hear Beatles influence also on a.song or two.
Quite soft yet quite intense. She’s pretty good at mining darkness and negative emotions without overwhelming you or coming off as whiny. I’m impressed. Best song: Winter
Much like her eventual contemporaries like Fiona Apple, Alanis Morissette, Ani DiFranco, and PJ Harvey (all of whom I adore), Tori Amos came out the gate absolutely fully formed and has only gotten better with age. This album is absolute ass kicking, deeply personal, and thoroughly exquisite all at the same time.
One of those albums that I could see becoming 5 stars at another point in my life. It’s bombastic and beautiful. Winter is one of my favorite songs I’ve heard in this list. But it’s missing something to drag it over the top
se me hizo aburrido
I’ve spent my entire life thinking Tori Amos is Tori Spelling, and the thought of Tori Spelling having an album on here gave me an aneurysm so I skipped it for a while. Imagine my surprise when I started this and found the bridge between Kate Bush and Fiona Apple’s careers! Good stuff!!
Not much here. Nothing offensive but also nothing inspiring. Just blah.
liked her voice. reminded me of somewhere between Alanis Morissette + Kate Bush ?
Disney adult music
Given the way this project seems to glom onto specific singer/songwriters, I'm a little surprised that this is the only Tori Amos album in the collection, but also very appreciative for the restraint. And while it's definitely too long of an album by half, it's very impressive that there were four singles from this album, all of which I remember playing frequently on the radio (especially "Crucify" and the still-memorable "Silent all these years", not sure about "China" though). Aside from the singles, I also thought "Precious things", "Happy phantom" and the utterly depressing "Me and a gun" were interesting tracks, and I was overall impressed with how solid an album this is, especially as a debut. It seemed to me then and now that she's a bit of an acquired taste, as her voice and style are both distinctive and (to me) somewhat grating; there's more than a little urgent melodrama a la Kate Bush to her songs, but also strong elements of Alanis Morissette, neither of whom are favorites for me. I'm also stunned to read that in 2022 a graphic novel was issued on the album's 30th anniversary ("Tori Amos: Little Earthquakes") penned by luminaries like Neil Gaman and Margaret Atwood (and many other not-quite-as-luminous authors); I don't have the courage to check this out, I'll admit, but I'm intrigued what it could possibly read like?
I listened, hoping I would be more impressed than I was when I first heard Tori Amos. But I wasn't. I just don't like her sound or her songwriting, though I give her credit for doing what she likes, and at least she's coherent.
she sounds like a talented singer but its boring
Not that interesting to me. I could've gone without hearing this. 2/5
I loved this album as an angsty teen - 14-year-old me really thought she'd been silent all these years. I hadn't listened to Little Earthquakes in a long time, and while I found a couple of tracks a bit overwrought this time around, angsty 40something me really enjoyed revisiting it.
a whole journey
I have a lot of friends who love Little Earthquakes. And while "Crucify" kicks things off strong, I've never had quite enough patience to stay fully locked into a full Tori Amos album and this one is no different. Somewhere along the way I get a little bored, or maybe just distracted, though I appreciate her lyrical themes and her distinctive approach to songwriting and arrangement. I also think the album is well-produced in an early-90s kind of way (which is to say, influenced by the 1980s Peter Gabriel, Kate Bush, others, but not sounding exactly like them). Amos is clearly capable of writing classics, but this album isn't full of them. Even if it doesn't totally grip you, there are enough good songs — and a few classics — to keep you going.
Tori Amos, fantastisch natuurlijk...Winter heeft belangrijke geschiedenis. Maar live teveel praten en afleiding. 6/10
My wife described this album as a bridge between Kate Bush and Fiona Apple, I think that's a perfect description. The first half has the dramatic, stringy, Bushy stuff, while the latter half has the more rock out with your piano cock out like Fiona Apple. The lyrics throughout are sharp.
I remember when this album dropped and it was unlike anything. I bought it immediately, but it was a bit esoteric for my taste at the time and it hit the back burner. Reading more about how she sees music in color makes A LOT of sense. Her songs are not very straightforward, but are very rewarding with multiple listens--I think she will one day be up there with the Dylan's and Springsteen's of the world, but she'll need to be discovered over and over again. That said, I think Under The Pink and Boys For Pele are true 5's. This one is amazing, but it's like a blueprint ... probably a 4.5 for me, dropping to 4 out of respect for the next 2 albums. Also, I went down a rabbit hole and Y Kant Tori Read is an 80s timecapsule, but it's still some great Tori stuff!
a little bit poundshop kate bush but i really enjoyed it
Not bad but definitely not for me just kind of not my type of music!