#233 Tori Amos, 'Little Earthquakes' (1992)

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‘Little Earthquakes’ is the debut album by the incredibly unique, Tori Amos. Two things are immediately evident on this record; her superb voice and her phenomenal piano playing. Amos had initially presented ‘Little Earthquakes’ to Atlantic Records who outright rejected it. Amos felt that it was perhaps because she never presented it properly. She worked on a second version of the album with Eric Rosse, who was her boyfriend at the time. Driven to change the mind of the label, Amos presented an album who’s brilliant songwriting is matched by the solid production. In fact, other than the above two things that I mentioned, the production was something that really stood out for me. This album sounds massive in headphones.

‘Precious Things,’ is one example of the massive production and her brilliant piano playing. ‘Me and a Gun’ was an unusual choice for first single. A song that is full a cappella, it reminds me of Alanis Morissette. Tori Amos would have been an influence on Morissette. It’s immediately evident. Amos really blazed the trail for female singer-songwriters in the ‘90s and beyond. ‘Silent All These Years’ isn’t your typical radio song with its deep, philosophical lyrics. ‘China’ is another beautifully heartbreaking song about a couple growing apart (I love when the song takes off); “Sometimes I think you want me to touch you/How can I when you build a great wall around you/In your eyes I saw a future together/You just look away in the distance.” Other themes on the record cover religion, sexuality, identity crisis and sexual assault. This record is as unique as Amos herself.

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