Occasionally you run across an artist who simply takes your breath away. Sometimes it's a painting, a writer or an actor, but for me it's more often a musician. Tori Amos in the early 1990s left a rather large impression in my mind. Little Earthquakes, her first solo album, burned itself into the airwaves in 1992 and Amos' star burned brightly.

The CD for Tori Amos Live at Montreux 1991/1992 combines tracks from two different performances in Montreux, Switzerland. The first 10 tracks were from her first visit to Montreux, including "Silent All These Years," "Crucify", and "Winter." This was just months before her Little Earthquakes album was released.

The last 6 tracks were from her 1992 show, after her first solo album, and you can hear the difference in "Precious Things." The confidence rose and her voice was more stable, more sure of itself.

The album contains most of the songs from Little Earthquakes as well as a few notable covers ("Whole Lotta Love" and "Thank You" by Led Zeppelin as well as Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit").

Each song tells a story. Her voice, deep with emotion, would be enough. But when paired with her amazing piano skills, she pulls you further and further in. The stories tell of her life and you're there with her. This was the beginning of her career and you almost feel like you are playing the voyeur as the stories unfold. Her life was anything but perfect. But somehow she survived to tell the tales to her swelling fans.

This CD accompanies a DVD combining the two shows as well. The DVD is 90 minutes and includes 19 songs (including three not on the CD from the 1992 show - "Crucify," "Silent All These Years," and "Happy Phantom").

Article Author: Fitz

Brian Fitzpatrick (aka "Fitz") is a software engineer and writer living in Colorado Springs, Colorado, with his wife, two daughters, two dogs, and two cats -- trying desperately to survive the chaos!

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