Boys For Peli

Tori Amos certainly believes in value for money. Boys For Peli, her fourth LP, contains no less than 18 tracks, adding up to over 70 minutes of music. What's more, she hasn't let herself down in the quality control department either, consistently reaching the high standards she sets for herself.

Tori tends to annoy a lot of people, who feel that she is too arrogant, self-indulgent and downright weird. For the initiated, however, her sheer talent overwhelms any, em, eccentricities, and it is her commitment to following her own vision that makes her so special.

Boys For Peli is no exception, and the self-penned, self-produced album was partly recorded in Ireland. On this offering, she has followed her muse even further into new territory, providing her critics with added rounds of ammunition.

The songs are far more sprawling than previous offerings, probably due to the fact that she has taken full control of the reins herself. Many of the tracks have more tempo changes and melody breaks than an average classical concerto. The manic 'Professional Widow' alternates between a Kate Bush-like falsetto and a harder, rockier edge, Tori hitting high notes other singers only dream about.

She still knows how to pen a good ballad, like 'Hey Jupiter', where Tori's breathy vocal makes it sound as if she's in the room with you, or the simple piano of Doughnut Song'. Or the stark, bare piano and vocals of 'Beauty Queen' where Tori seems to be treating the words with reverence as she whispers them gently.

From the bluesy rock of 'Little Amsterdam' to the swirling harpsichord of 'Talula' to the catchiness of the single, 'Caught A Lite Sneeze', the musicianship is impeccable as we have come to expect. Her lyrics, too, are excellent, like on the punchy 'In The Springtime Of His Voodoo', where she jokes, "Standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona/I'm not sure if I'm in the wrong song".

'Boys For Peli' is a fine album for both the open-minded and the converted. If, however, you have already decided that Tori Amos is another oddball that the world could do happily without, this isn't the album to change your mind.