Tori Amos - Little Earthquakes (1992)

An honest, original voice that sends shivers down your spine.

Cathartic, confessional, and intentionally controversial—Tori Amos’ debut album served as a model for female singer-songwriters of the ’90s; a look in the mirror before she took the leaps and bounds of Lilith Fair.

If there are two things that can get a critic into trouble, it’s lumping female singer-songwriters together and “lazy” comparing one of the genre’s leading figures to Kate Bush. Yet there’s little doubt that Amos has influenced dozens of fans, and that this voice seemed very much an honest, original voice in 1992, who happened to love Bush’s first two piano-and-vocal albums.

Despite the keyboards being as shiny as Rick Wakeman on a 1970s record, Amos’ use of imagery and soul-baring vocals meant that Little Earthquakes became a ubiquitous bed-sitting song. Guys either took it seriously or were never allowed to speak to a woman again.

And he took himself seriously. A classically trained Amos, now a major international star, played tiny clubs at the time. He was brought to London from Maryland by a major label who were patient with his recordings but thought the British would be kinder to his eccentricities. His poetic, often anguished songs about religion, sex and identity were made oddly accessible by his soaring melodies and steely, sugary voice. Silent All These Years and Winter became unlikely hits, and Amos performed in a quietly subversive style on mainstream TV shows. His cult following grew and grew.

Crucify, Precious Things, Skin and Mother all touch on different aspects of her main themes: the big, Freudian ones. It was Me and a Gun that raised the most eyebrows, her voice alone telling the story of her own trauma as a rape victim. Sometimes she sounds like she’s trying to suppress her ordeal by exaggerating it; other times she’s unbearably honest. It’s drawn praise and disapproval alike, yet it’s confirmed that this is a genuine artist with loftier goals than fleeting popularity.

Musically, of course, the lyrics of early Cat Stevens, Laura Nyro and Joni Mitchell also shine through. Yet Amos has come in her own, commendably unique style. The album’s title resonates: it sent a huge shiver down your delicate toes. Source: bbc.co.uk.