Your Daily Midwinter Graces Update Redux

ToriAmos.com and Everything Tori have posted updates about the release situation for Midwinter Graces.

The executive summary:

• There will be one physical edition in the United States that will include the CD with two bonus tracks (“Comfort and Joy” and “Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht (Silent Night, Holy Night)”), a 20 page booklet and a DVD containing an interview with Tori about the creation and inspiration for the album.
• US iTunes will have a standard and deluxe edition. The deluxe edition will contain an additional bonus track: “Good King Wenceslas.”
• Outside of the US, both regular and deluxe editions will see physical and digital releases. They advise you to check local retailers for more details about these editions.

Your Daily Midwinter Graces Update

Travis reports hearing from a friend working in retail distribution that the regular edition of Midwinter Graces had been pulled — at least in the States. The fact that Amazon’s listing for the regular edition has disappeared seems to bear this news out, though the official sites still reference it and the European and Canadian Amazon stores are still listing a single-CD release of the album. We’ll have to see how that plays out…

Additionally, a little birdie tells us that the deluxe edition DVD will include a 30 minute interview. It’s not clear though at this point if that will be the only special feature of the deluxe edition or if there will be more extras included on either the DVD or in the package.

Amazon.fr Graces Us With Midwinter Graces Samples

Wondering what Tori’s take on seasonal music sounds like? Well, now you can find out by listening to sample clips on Amazon.fr in their MP3 Download store. Short samples of each song on Midwinter Graces are available.

Thanks to Amandine and Coral for letting us know!

Comic Book Tattoo Takes Home A Harvey!

Congratulations to Rantz Hoseley and the cast of creators who produced Comic Book Tattoo on winning a 2009 Harvey Award for Best Anthology!

The award was announced last night at the Harvey Banquet at Baltimore Comic-Con and live-blogged on CBR.

Unsurprisingly, Rantz was not in attendance to accept the award in person but he took the time to post an acceptance tweet on Twitter.

Flurries in October: A Midwinter Graces Sneak Peak

Along with promotional interviews for albums comes reviews copies of said albums and Midwinter Graces promos have started to flow and should start producing reviews of the album soon. And by “soon,” we mean today, though perhaps not in the usual sense of reviews in the press.

Robert Schrader had the chance to listen to a review copy of the album over the phone and has posted his impression and thoughts about it in his latest Examiner column.

He also included the photograph to the right. We’re not quite sure where it came from but it magically appeared in our mailbox over the weekend as well and this is an opportune time to put it out there….

This Is Your Midwinter Graces Bonus

We have a bit more news about Tori’s upcoming Midwinter Graces holiday album.

First, two additional photos (click to see larger versions).

And here’s the tracklist for the Deluxe edition CD, with two additional songs:

1. What Child, Nowell
2. Star of Wonder
3. A Silent Night With You
4. Candle: Conventry Carol
5. Holly, Ivy and Rose
6. Harps of Gold
7. Snow Angel
8. Jeanette, Isabella
9. Pink And Glitter
10. Emmanuel
11. Winter’s Carol
12. Our New Year
13. Comfort And Joy
14. Stille Nacht! Heilige Nacht! (Silent Night! Holy Night!)

Still no word on what the DVD will contain.

Amazon Lists Deluxe Midwinter Graces

Eliot Lear was the first of several folks to point out that Amazon is now listing a deluxe CD/DVD edition of Midwinter Graces that has the same November 10th release date as the album itself. While there is no confirmation of a deluxe release from any official channels or any details about what the DVD will contain, a deluxe package should come as no surprise as it is in keeping with the pattern of offering a DVD companion to an album’s release to sweeten the pot for those so-inclined to purchase it.

Thanks to Eliot and the many others who mentioned this.

Press Release For Midwinter Graces

The press release for Midwinter Graces came in while I was out on errands (but of course). Click on the thumbnail to see a larger version of the sleeve artwork.

Tori Amos Announces Midwinter Graces
(Universal Republic)

Tori’s First and Highly Anticipated Seasonal Album to be Released November 10th 2009

After nearly two decades writing and recording some of her generation’s most emotionally powerful music, Tori Amos will release her first seasonal album, Midwinter Graces, on November 10 via Universal Republic. A follow up to Tori’s critically acclaimed studio album, Abnormally Attracted to Sin, Midwinter Graces will find Tori reworking and expanding on classic carols as well as developing some of her very own seasonal tracks.

Midwinter Graces is an album that has been in the making for the past 40 years. Raised in the Baltimore area under the watchful eye of her Methodist minister father, Tori grew up playing holiday carols at Sunday services and Christmas Day celebrations in her father’s church. These were the songs that gave a young Tori her first taste of music, and now almost 40 years later Tori gets her own chance to reimagine classics like “What Child, Nowell” and “Star of Wonder.” Tori will also add her own bittersweet bliss to the season with originally tracks like “Pink and Glitter” and “Our New Year.”

For Midwinter Graces, Amos has again teamed up with long time collaborators Matt Chamberlain on drums, Jon Evans on bass, and Mac Aladdin on guitars. Tori has enlisted the help of a Big Band and an Orchestra with stunning John Philip Shenale arrangements to create Tori’s new seasonal classics.

Midwinter Graces Tracklist:
1. What Child, Nowell
2. Star of Wonder
3. A Silent Night with You
4. Candle: Coventry Carol
5. Holly, Ivy, and Rose
6. Harps of Gold
7. Snow Angel
8. Jeanette, Isabella
9. Pink and Glitter
10. Emmanuel
11. Winter’s Carol
12. Our New Year

For those so-inclined, Amazon.com is already taking pre-orders for the album

More Solstice Album News

According to MusicTap.net news for September 9th, 2009, the solstice album (which, so far as we know, was originally going to be called Christmas) is now titled Midwinter Graces and is scheduled for a November 10th release.

Thanks to the sharp eyes of Alex P. for spotting that.

(Note: Once MusicTap moves this news from the main entry page to their archives, it will probably be available here.)

Happy Birthday, Tori!

Tori turns 45 46 today. Woo-hoo! Everybody have a cupcake!