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Tori Amos
American Doll Posse
(Epic)

Tori Amos has got the blues. I'm not talking about her frequently personal and heavy lyrical ruminations; I'm talking about her latest album. Amos has reportedly said that she wanted to bring out her warrior woman this time, and the bluesy, classic-rock vibe here gives her emotional music the extra kick that's missing from her albums Scarlet's Walk and The Beekeeper. While Amos has focused more on a group format for her recent albums, American Doll Posse serves up raunchier electric guitar and snarling electric slide work in places. That's her Led Zeppelin side coming out, and it imbues tunes like "You Can Bring Your Dog" and "Body and Soul" with an edge that echoes the Little Earthquakes and Under the Pink days without revisiting them. On the flip side, the album also features signature Amos balladry ("Roosterspur Bridge" and the short and sweet "Devils and Gods"), orchestrated pop ("Girl Disappearing" and "Programmable Soda"), and even an Italian-flavored acoustic number ("Velvet Revolution"). American Doll Posse tells stories from the lives of five different female characters but without as many cryptic lyrical references as have permeated many of her albums. Even though Amos has always been an artist with something to say, her last couple of albums seemingly fell into a stylistic rut, something that the 20 tracks encompassing American Doll Posse escape from, allowing the enigmatic singer-songwriter more room to roam. She's working from a wider palette of sounds and styles here, and the music swings and rocks more. If this is Amos's inner warrior at work, she's unleashing a hearty battle cry. - Bryan Reesman