News: Huffington Post AATS Review

Dan found this review of Abnormally Attracted to Sin by Mike Ragogna on The Huffington Post. While not exactly your regular, run-of-the-mill newspaper or magazine, it’s close enough for us! Thanks Dan!

Tori Amos — Abnormally Attracted To Sin

This ol’ pro had us at “Crucify,” “Silent All These Years,” and “Cornflake Girl.” Though Tori Amos’ career may have suffered from being overly prolific and recording some questionable cover songs, every new album is a bouquet of interesting, intelligent songs for her loyal fans. Abnormally Attracted To Sin delivers just what the title implies, sex and religion — make that sexy religion — in biblical proportions. The wordy “Mary Jane” alone needs its own gospel to interpret its strange rhymes and elongated verbiage. On the other hand, “Welcome To England” sutures a concise vocabulary to an artsy, Kate Bush-style melody. Speaking of Bush, check out “Fire To Your Plain” and “That Guy” for more of that vibe, try “Maybe California” for some beautifully orchestrated heartbreak, “500 Miles” for a semi-folky anthem, and the closing track for a sultry, after hours come-hithering: “Boys play well into the night, ‘Can I join you?’ said the lady in blue.” Tracks to forgive but respect for their ambitiousness are “Give” that trips over it own clunky, chunky synth, and the dissonant “Strong Black Vine” that musically wraps around itself like an Escher graphic. As a whole, the album will work best for those abnormally attracted to Amos, while others can cherry-pick its tempered decadence for a handful of guiltless pleasures.