Strange Little Girl

by

Tori Amos

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I'm still a little unsure exactly how I feel about the whole Strange Little Girls album concept of covering male songs, but the song Strange Little Girl is arguably the best song on the album. This CD contains the album version, not any kind of new mix. What makes this album worth the money are the two new tracks it includes. Not surprisingly, these are two more cover songs. After All is a David Bowie song, while Only Women Bleed is an Alice Cooper creation. After All is a good song, but it seems to lack the real Tori magic. Only Women Bleed, on the other hand, has the old Tori feel to it and easily serves as the highlight of this CD. I have not heard Alice Cooper's version, so I cannot compare it to that, but it is the kind of dark, moody, angst-ridden song that Tori excels at. Apparently, this CD was only released in Germany, which makes it a little pricey, but it is well worth the money. Not every Toriphile will own a copy, and that makes it a rather special item in my own Tori collection.

Tori Amos releases a record that is covers from male artists. Inspired by Eminem's statement that words are just words and cannot hurt anybody, Tori sets out to prove him wrong. There is much to be admired about this record, but it isn't a masterpiece. And, I'm not completely convinced that Tori really accomplishes her mission, which was to show that words can hurt. Some of the best tracks on the record are ones that Tori still performs today like Rattlesnakes and Heart of Gold. My favorite track on the record is the title track, but I don't think I have ever heard her perform it. I have seen Ms. Amos approximately 50 times in concert, so I think I get to classify myself as an EWF (her term for her fans). To Tori library is complete without this record, but if I were new to Tori, this isn't the record I would start with. I will say this: Hearing '97 Bonnie and Clyde in concert was one of the scariest moments in my life. And I loved every second of it. I also enjoyed the little 2-song EP that came out with it, but I think it is very rare and hard to find.