News: The Times Midwinter Graces Review

The Times’ short review of Midwinter Graces appeared in the December 20th edition of this venerable newspaper but reviewer Dan Cairns’ opinion is less than stellar — although he at least recognizes Tori’s tack with creating the album.

Tori Amos: Midwinter Graces

From The Sunday Times
December 20, 2009
Dan Cairns

2 stars out of 5

A Christmas album by an artist who spent much of her early career skewering institutionalised religion (and once, unforgettably, sang about pleasuring herself while her family sang hymns downstairs) was always going to be an interesting proposition; and interesting is probably the kindest thing to be said about it. Amos opts to tinker with, rather than upend, the classics — We Three Kings, Coventry Carol, The Holly and the Ivy and the like — of the canon (alongside five of her own songs), for the most part failing either to subvert them or to improve on their innate beauty. The sense, which has grown of late, that Amos lacks a self-edit button — or someone who will say to her, “Oi, Amos, no!” — is less insistent. For once, though, more recklessness might have been welcome on an album that is occasionally lovely, but turgid for all that.