Tori Amos, Native Invader
This was not the record that Tori Amos initially planned on making. Last summer, she took a trip with her family through the old Smoky Mountains and songs began to take shape. Then, two things happened that caused her to make some changes. The first: Donald Trump winning the 2016 presidential election. The second: Her beloved mother, Mary Ellen Amos, suffered a stroke in January, leaving her without the ability to speak. So, the album Tori had planned on making was pushed to the side and the muses brought her to her 15th studio album, "Native Invader," which, song-for-song, is one of the strongest in her impressive catalogue.
This is the first album that I have heard since Trump's election that addresses some of the issues that were brought to the forefront during that contentious cycle (sorry, Katy Perry). As the title suggests, a lot of the songs address climate and the effect that humans are having on the planet.
Whereas her last album, 2014's Unrepentant Geraldines, was very piano driven and reminiscent of her earlier albums, Native Invader finds Amos once again dabbling in electronica similar to From the Choirgirl Hotel and To Venus and Back. This leads to some of the most interesting songs on the album like promotional single "Up the Creek." Amos co-opts a favorite saying of her Cherokee grandfather, "Good Lord willing and the creek don't rise" as a refrain she shares with her daughter, Natashya Hawley. The up tempo number is filled with a sense of urgency that matches the songs lyrical content, trying to impress upon the listener that the time to help Mother Earth is now.
"Wings" is another electronica flecked song. When Amos sings about giving boys a safe space to let their emotions out and that "sometimes big boys they need to cry", it's difficult not to think about the Bernie Bros and toxic masculinity that has gripped the country recently. "Bang" tackles the immigration debate by reminding us all that no matter where we come from we are all made of the same stuff. The final elemental breakdown is pure Tori.
Amos doesn't neglect the piano. She turns in some of the best pure piano ballads of her career. "Breakaway" is a gorgeous, simple song about wanting to change the past and wishing we had said something important when we had the chance. "Climb" finds Amos reflecting on her youth in the church and how being a woman with a strong opinion and point of view can be seen as a defiant act.
The albums strongest moments come in the opener and closer (of the standard edition). They each deal with Amos mother and her new reality. Album opener, "Reindeer King" is a 7 minute opus that plays like a spiritual sequel to "The Beekeeper," another song about Amos pleading for more time with her mother. The chilly production reflects Amos' resolve to help her mother and the repeated refrain of "get you back to you" drives that home. The closer, "Mary's Eyes," deals the most directly with her mother's medical issues. Amos revels in the little victories like her mother recognizing hymns and attempting to verbalize while only wanting to bring her joy in this difficult time.
Native Invader is a strong work of art from an artist who has a distinct point of view. It rewards multiple listens and each new spin gives the listener a new perspective.
Grade: A
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