 12-09-2009, 10:24 PM | #376 | | Can you imagine, when you come apart Join Date: Dec 2001 Posts: 12,151 |
Quote: Originally Posted by Churumbela  Yeah, not so sure about that one. I mean, I heard "Welcome to England" in the grocery store this evening. So her recent stuff must be somewhat radio-friendly. | I heard it in my Price Chopper too. I also heard it playing in the lobby/cafe in the hotel I was staying in when I saw Tori in Boston. __________________ All the little thorns Reaching from your heart?
|  |  | | 12-11-2009, 07:39 AM | #377 | | living it up Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 10,273 | 
Two new British reviews 3/5 by Andy Gill in The Independent Quote: Like Thea Gilmore, Tori Amos broadens her approach to Christmas here to include pre-Christian celebrations, though the mood remains comparatively more religious.
It starts well, with the traditional "What Child, Nowell" arranged for piano, harpsichord and strings, and Amos's vocal harmonies picking out the most moving aspects of the melody; and gets better with "Star of Wonder", in which the pointedly Middle-Eastern flavour of the strings and percussion sets one up perfectly for the warm, epiphanic glow of the familiar refrain. But things start to go awry with "Candle: Coventry Carol", which seems too studied and pedestrian, and an arrangement of "Harps of Gold" which appears to be aiming for the jaunty momentum of "Solsbury Hill", but over-punches in the drum department. And it's probably best to draw a discreet veil over the ghastly big-band blues ballad "Pink and Glitter". But overall, the pluses outweigh the minuses, with further highlights coming courtesy of Amos's own "Winter's Carol" and "A Silent Night with You" – the former blessed with stately, hypnotic grace, while the latter's undulating melody evokes the warmth of a reverie triggered by seasonal radio fare. Elsewhere, "Jeanette, Isabella" is accompanied by a delicate snowfall of piano notes, a lovely touch of aural imagery.
Download this What Child, Nowell; Star of Wonder; Jeanette, Isabella; Winter's Carol | 4/5 by Caroline Sullivan in The Guardian Quote: | A sticker on the CD case advises that this is Amos's first "seasonal" album – presumably, the piano-based gothic sprite doesn't make conventional old Christmas albums. Midwinter Graces is surprisingly straightforward, however: some new songs, some traditional carols (adapted by Amos, who has excised some of the Christianity from the lyrics and added words of her own, as on A Silent Night With You) and a minimum of eccentricity. Accordingly, it's her most touching album in years: centre stage is given to her voice and the simple arrangements, which feature harpsichord and flugelhorn (Pink and Glitter, a blaring big-band number with vamped-up vocals, comes as a bit of a shock, albeit a pleasant one). Amos sounds so tranquil she could almost be floating, but the stateliness of the orchestral backing keeps the songs grounded. You'd never know this was recorded last summer, so vividly does it evoke crunching snow and frosty nights. |
Last edited by menju56 : 12-11-2009 at 07:40 AM. | | | | | 12-11-2009, 07:47 AM | #378 | | living it up Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 10,273 |
Small paragraph from This Is London http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/music/...ot-brighter.do Quote: | Tori Amos has a similar idea on Midwinter Graces (Island), which the pianist fills with harpsichord and subdued strings as well as her crisp, icicle voice. There's an equally ancient sound to tracks such as Candle: Coventry Carol and Holly, Ivy and Rose and again, a deliberate avoidance of anything cheery enough to be played over the Asda tannoy. | | | | | | 12-13-2009, 03:31 PM | #379 | | living it up Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 10,273 |
Arizona Republic review by Larry Rodgers Quote: | "Midwinter Graces," Tori Amos - If you can get past the disconcerting cover art depicting the idiosyncratic singer-pianist levitating in the clouds like a vampire, this is pretty interesting listening. Amos throws curveballs from the start, combining "What Child Is This" with "The First Noel" for the album-opening "What Child, Nowell." She drops Middle Eastern strings into an engaging, rhythmic take on "Star of Wonder" and then turns around and goes big-band for the playful "Pink and Glitter." Not an album for traditionalists. (Universal Republic) | | | | | | 12-13-2009, 03:51 PM | #380 | | gimme gimme some truth Join Date: Jul 2001 Posts: 50,486 |
He made a nasty swipe at the cover and then said the album was good. Spot on!  __________________ The 00s gave us great music. Too bad about everything else.
-somebody at Rolling Stone | | | | | 12-14-2009, 07:21 AM | #381 | | A Carbon Kid Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 1,328 |
Quote: Originally Posted by Mordecai | Sting's winter album is pretty good. He also has Lo How A Rose E'er Blooming on his. But don't go listen unless... you're abnormally attracted to Stiiiiiiiiiing... | | | | | 12-14-2009, 10:37 AM | #382 | | living it up Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 10,273 |
Chronicle Herald review (Canada) Quote: | A bonus DVD with interviews and performance footage, plus a pair of bonus tracks, also comes with Midwinter Graces (Universal Republic) by ginger-haired songstress Tori Amos. Chopping and channelling familiar carols into her own brand of adult alternative piano pop, Amos transforms We Three Kings into her own Star of Wonder, with church bells and Bollywood strings, while Candle: Coventry Carol, a cautionary tale about protecting our children that references King Herod slaughtering infants in the wake of Christ’s birth. Well, it wouldn’t be Tori Amos if it wasn’t at least a little dark, but her ethereal voice somehow proves comforting. | | | | | | 12-15-2009, 05:15 PM | #383 | | living it up Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 10,273 |
Weekender.com Quote: Although Tori Amos may be one of the least likely candidates to release a seasonal album, “Midwinter Graces” contains enough of her trademark piano and dramatic vocals to please newcomers and longtime fans alike. By combining the stripped-down orchestral arrangements of a few classic carols with five original compositions, Amos avoids producing just another batch of saccharine holiday sentiments.
The CD opens with “What Child, Nowell,” a song that deftly borrows from the traditional “What Child Is This” and “The First Noel.” The well-worn melodies are intertwined with original music allowing the song to stand on its own. Fans will also welcome the return of the harpsichord to Amos’ arsenal of instruments.
“Winter’s Carol” is the most fully developed song on the CD, owning much to the lush string arrangements of John Philip Shenale. The lyrics deliver a unique but perfect winter picture as only Amos could paint them: “Fire and frosted marriage/ Through a midwinter clearing/ A forest greets the snowy evening/ Year after year the holly king passes the torch as it was intended.”
Through the Middle Eastern-tinged “Star of Wonder” and the whimsical “Snow Angel,” the compositions on “Midwinter Graces” are more solstice and seasonal than Christmas and commercial. (And would we expect anything less?). “Pink and Glitter” provides the only misstep, with its noisy big band approach and brash horn section. Talk about a mood breaker. Thankfully, the CD quickly rebounds with a melancholy take on “Emmanuel.”
As a tribute to her recently departed brother, “Our New Year” is a bittersweet tale of closing out the year with a heavy heart. In the final repeated refrain of “You’re not there,” the song completes the CD in Amos’ typically poignant and emotional fashion.
After selling close to 14 million albums in a career that stretches two decades, Amos has successfully melded her signature sound with the wintery melodies of December and she comes up with one of the strongest statements in her unique catalog. If you’re at all tired of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra-style headbashing inflicted on holiday themes, “Midwinter Graces” is like a quiet walk in fresh snow at dusk.
Rating: W W W W | | | | | | 12-15-2009, 05:21 PM | #384 | | Superst@r Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 1,492 |
Quote: | Originally Posted by weekender.com “Midwinter Graces” is like a quiet walk in fresh snow at dusk | That's one of the most perfect descriptions I've seen of this album - Pink and Glitter aside. | | | | | 12-15-2009, 05:42 PM | #385 | | @ddict Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 614 |
Quote: Originally Posted by menju56 Weekender.com | great great review! | | | | | 12-16-2009, 12:24 AM | #386 | | shower the world with pink if you plz Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 648 |
Quote: | Although Tori Amos may be one of the least likely candidates to release a seasonal album... | Why do so many of the reviews start like that? She's been including heavy religious themes in her music for nearly twenty years now. Other than that, though, great review. | | | | | 12-16-2009, 02:05 AM | #387 | | restore the springtime here Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 254 |
Quote: Originally Posted by melisande That's one of the most perfect descriptions I've seen of this album - Pink and Glitter aside. | If Midwinter Graces is a quiet walk in fresh snow in a forest at dusk, Pink And Glitter is the moment when a wolf jumps from behind the bushes and attacks you. __________________ She asked "Are you cursed?" he said "I think that I'm cured"
Then he kissed her and hoped that she'd forget that question | | | | | 12-16-2009, 02:32 AM | #388 | | shower the world with pink if you plz Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 648 |
Quote: Originally Posted by Cappuccino If Midwinter Graces is a quiet walk in fresh snow in a forest at dusk, Pink And Glitter is the moment when a wolf jumps from behind the bushes and attacks you. | No, that's Harps of Gold. And the wolf has rabies. | | | | | 12-16-2009, 03:11 AM | #389 | | @ctive member Join Date: Dec 2000 Posts: 414 |
Quote: Originally Posted by Cappuccino If Midwinter Graces is a quiet walk in fresh snow in a forest at dusk, Pink And Glitter is the moment when a wolf jumps from behind the bushes and attacks you. | thats so right lol | | | | | 12-16-2009, 03:39 AM | #390 | | Superst@r Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 1,492 |
Quote: Originally Posted by Cappuccino If Midwinter Graces is a quiet walk in fresh snow in a forest at dusk, Pink And Glitter is the moment when a wolf jumps from behind the bushes and attacks you. | I do adore this song, but I will forever wonder wtf was on her mind with the placing .... | | | | | Thread Tools | | | | Display Modes |  Linear Mode |  Posting Rules | You may not post new threads You may not post replies You may not post attachments You may not edit your posts
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