Tori Amos ABNORMALLY ATTRACTED - Vinyl

The 10th studio album from premiere piano-pop chanteuse Tori Amos offers a return to the singles-oriented approach of classic Amos albums like UNDER THE PINK. This isn't to say that ABNORMALLY ATTRACTED TO SIN is filled with radio-tailored pop--not by a long shot. The tunes still pack plenty of Amos's unique, off-kilter sensibility, which revels in eerie strangeness as much as accessible melody. Yet ABNORMALLY takes a step down from the elaborate conceptual conceits of predecessors like 2007's AMERICAN DOLL POSSE, putting the emphasis back on the individual songs.
The songs weave Amos's signature lyrical finesse (which often delves into intimate or uncomfortable themes) with equally spellbinding melodies and arrangements (which emphasize subtle electronics and pulsing rhythms). The lead-off single, "Welcome to England," rolls gently toward an indelible melodic hook, while album opener "Give" creeps along a minor scale to a head-nodding rhythm. Amos experiments with country, cabaret, ambient music, and trip-hop, while exploring lyrical themes that include religion, death, and, of course, love, imbuing each song with a peculiar intensity. One of her stronger efforts of the 2000s, ABNORMALLY ATTRACTED TO SIN should feel, especially for longtime fans, as though Amos is returning to form. Each track on the album comes with an accompanying video-style "visualette."

• Format: Vinyl
• Genre: Pop