Tori Amos/Abnormally Attracted to Sin/May 19, 2009/Universal Republic

by Aleister

If you've heard anything she recorded since 2000, Tori Amos' latest won't surprise you too much. Tori's last three albums have all been in the same vein, and she's likely whittled her fanbase down to only the most dedicated. In fact, her last two releases, 2005's The Beekeeper and 2007's American Doll Posse, likely alienated even those who were entranced by the elegant Scarlet's Walk (2000). As a result, it may be only the most dedicated who pay any attention to the insane sonic clusterfuck which is Abnormally Attracted to Sin.

I would, though, advise those fans to pay a little bit more attention this time around. Sin is, in the first place, enjoyable from beginning to end, which is very likely untrue for Tori's last two. The sickening sweetness of The Beekeeper is nowhere to be found, nor the mood swings or bitchiness of American Doll Posse; Sin also finds Tori sounding as natural and comfortable as she did on "Scarlet's Walk." Though this is her fourth consecutive album clocking in at more than 70 minutes, Tori has managed to cut herself down from 23 ("Posse") to 17 tracks. She's even stopped trying to convince us there's some fancy concept behind the music.

And the highlights are sometimes brilliant: “Not Dying Today” is catchy without being kitschy; “Mary Jane,” Tori's ode to marijuana, is her most successful foray into music-hall pop; “Give” and the title track both revive Tori's old drum machines, and use them perfectly; and “Lady in Blue,” a typical epic Tori closing track, features one of the more beautiful vocal performances in recent memory. The absolute highlight is “Maybe California,” likely one of the finest tracks of Tori's career.

Of course, at 70+ minutes, there's bound to be some bullshit. “Welcome to England” and “500 Miles” sound like (forgettable) 80s singles, and “That Guy” is, bluntly, poorly written. The overkill of synth-and-drum on “Police Me” sounds ridiculous in comparison to the artful uses on “Give” and the title track. Tori would be well advised to cut her albums down – this is the third in a row to have a few too many unnecessary tracks. It isn't as bad this time around, but its beginning to become annoying. If the quality of her next release is up to par with this, without the five weakest songs that she'll want to include, she may find herself faced with the comeback album she's been trying to craft for nearly a decade.