Amos Kicks It on Pele

Tori Amos' third major release, Boys for Pele, proves that she can resist the temptation to go merely for commercial success by retaining the same formula of Little Earthquakes and Under the Pink. Instead, Boys for Pele charts her efforts at redefining herself following her break up with her manager Eric Rosse after an eight-year relationship. At the same time, she explores on the CD's 18 tracks a variety of new techniques and forms.

In this cathartic work, the lyrics possess an intensity that only Amos' voice, sometimes husky, sometimes soaring, can express. Yet, as is usual for her, the lyrics remain somewhat impenetrable to one who knows little of her life. Her references to obscure people and incidents prevent the listener from figuring out precisely what she wants to say. Fortunately for her, she makes up for what is lost in cryptic allusions in the emotional strength of her voice. Her feelings are clear even if the meaning is not.

The other striking thing about her lyrics in Boys for Pele is perhaps the gay subtext that surfaces in a few of the tracks. In "Blood Roses," for example, she sings, "You think I'm a queer/ I think you're a queer/ I think you're a queer/ Said I think you're a queer." Or in "Hey Jupiter":

hey Jupiter

nothing's been the same

so are you gay?

are you blue?

thought we could both use a friend

to run to

On top of that, Atlantic, Amos' recording company, has organized listening parties for the album at gay and lesbian clubs in major cities all over the country. In Boston, one was held on January 27 at Quest. Amos used to play the piano in a gay bar as a teenager and as such has always been supportive of gay issues. Hopefully, it is not merely an attempt to seem politically correct or hip by jumping on the gay bandwagon, as a number of entertainers have done.

Like her previous work, the piano plays an integral role in Amos' arrangements. A difference is the increased use of the harpsichord, reflecting her classical training as a child. The harpsichord appears in the first single from the album, "Caught a Lite Sneeze," but is used to even greater effect in tracks like "Blood Roses," "Professional Widow," or "Talula," which apparently will be the next single to be released from Boys for Pele.

Amos also has begun experimenting with new drum arrangements with Alan Friedman. The quasigrunge/industrial sound of "Professional Widow" has already been compared to the likes of Courtney Love. Her work with percussionist Mino Cinelu and drummer Manu Katche on "Talula" and "In the Springtime of his Voodoo" impresses with its interesting touches.

A dark and gothic atmosphere pervades Boys for Pele. Surreal, almost disturbing at times, Amos continues in the vein of her previous albums. For example, "Marianne" is about a suicide, while "Little Amsterdam" depicts an interracial romance intertwined with murder.

Amos, as always, has her hang-ups with religion and it is no less clear on this newest offering. "How's your Jesus Christ been hanging?" she asks on "Father Lucifer," while on "Muhammad my Friend," she says,

And Moses I know

I know you've seen fire

but you've never seen fire

until you've seen Pele blow

Here, also, the significance of Pele in the title becomes clear. Referring to the Hawaiian volcano goddess, Amos emphasizes the cathartic quality of her music--full of energy and fire, erupting and spewing forth what had been buried for too long.

Amos has said how each song on the album is a part of her that she thought existed only in Rousse, her ex-beau. In confronting her loss, she brings to her music a strength and honesty that makes for a truly thoughtful and beautiful album.