New album: Unrepentant Geraldines
Artist: Tori Amos
Label: Decca
Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5
Tori Amos returns with her first batch of new material since the 2011 release “Night Of The Hunter,” and her longtime fans should be pleased with the results.
Much like British Imp Queen Kate Bush, Tori Amos is known for quirky, confessional songs and a breathy delivery. After revisiting her back catalog for an orchestral project, “Unrepentant Geraldines” finds Amos’s songwriting chops in tact and her suggestive perch on that piano stool unwavering.
As usual Amos is in a deep confessional mood on most of these news songs, particularly on “Trouble’s Lament” and “Promise.” Most of the arrangements are stark, primarily piano-driven with an acoustic guitar or brushed drum thrown in for seasoning. “16 Shades Of Blue,” however, features a synthesizer patch straight out of Berlin’s “Take My Breath Away.” Even with the shift in sonics, Amos’ lush, crystalline voice remains the focal point throughout.
At one point Amos sings about her heart being ripped into little pieces, but it’s hard to tell if this is a character piece or a confessional. It may come down to Amos knowing her fans and knowing what they want. Most people are attracted to the work of Tori Amos because it facilitates a catharcis and not end-of-summer party anthems. If Amos is happy, she’s not letting it pour into her work.
“Unrepentant Geraldines” won’t like win over many new converts to the Tori Amos crusade, but her already gargantuan following should love it.
Classic album: Uncle Meat
Artist: Frank Zappa/Mothers Of Invention
Label: Bizzare/Ryko
Rating: 5 stars out of 5
Completed in 1968 and released as a double album in 1969, “Uncle Meat” was purported to be the soundtrack to a Frank Zappa sci-fi/rock groupie movie of the same name.
While film was shot of M.O.I. keyboardist Don Preston and other Zappa associates, the film was never finished, although a documentary about what was filmed was released in 1987. The proposed movie is probably not the kind of thing that would end up on an A.F.I. list, but the music associated with the film is stunning.
Being a largely instrumental album, “Uncle Meat” was the first true showcase for Frank Zappa the composer. The albums “Freak Out” and “We’re Only In It For The Money” had cemented Zappa’s reputation as the premier satirist of 1960s hippiedom, but the melodies were so embedded only those paying close attention noticed. Conversely, the “Uncle Meat” material focused heavily on music, with only sparse patches of mainly spoken vocals weaving in and out of the proceedings.
In 1968, no one in the world of rock music was making music as radical as Frank Zappa. The results are cerebral yet in tune with Zappa’s belief that humor is as valid an emotion as love or sadness. Even without the assistance of Zappa’s witty lyrics, it’s hard not to listen to the otherworldly “Uncle Meat (Main Title Theme)” without laughing.
Immediately after the opening theme comes a few seconds of dialog from Suzy Creamcheese, which is interrupted by an amplified burp, which leads into the guitar/percussion workout “Nine Types of Industrial Pollution” — all within the first seven minutes.
The rest of “Uncle Meat” is similarly musically adventurous. Between the Varese/Stravinsky-inspired classical music, jazz-rock powerhouse “King Kong” and a secret recording of M.O.I. drummer Jimmy Carl Black complaining about how little money the band was making, “Uncle Meat” actually paved the way for the spoken word/comedic bits that are now commonplace on many contemporary albums.
Paired with Zappa’s other 1960s avant-garde masterpiece “Lump Gravy,” “Uncle Meat” stands as a monument to that brief window of time when true artists were given the keys to the kingdom. Zappa would gain wider acclaim with later works “Apostorphe’” and “Overnight Sensation,” but when composers of the next century examine his work, “Uncle Meat” will be the one they put under the microscope.
Jon Dawson’s album reviews appear every Thursday in The Free Press. Contact Jon at 252-559-1092 or www.jondawson.com.