This strange little girl is back with yet another outstandingly interesting concept album. Strange Little Girls, Tori’s sixth album release, is a compilation of various cover songs. Within this album, and complimenting the sleeve, Tori transforms herself into different representations and ideals of women.
Being a longtime fan of Tori’s ability to make a piano sound like a guitar, I was quite disappointed with her last album, To Venus And Back. I wasn’t sure if she lost spark or was simply just throwing out random mixes to make some cash. Either way, Strange Little Girls proves Tori has not lost her inceptive nature.
The idea of this album being full of cover tracks irked me at first. I thought, “She’s got more to give than that.” However, these cover songs are completely regenerated to fit into Tori’s particular groove and give great dimension and originality to each.
Lennon’s “Happiness Is A Warm Gun” is cut with heavy layering techniques of vocals, drumming, and Tori’s electrifying Bosendorfer. On the opposite side of the spectrum, Depeche Mode’s “Enjoy The Silence” is stripped of its techo beats and replaced with light strings, simple piano, and Tori’s groaning vocals. Also covered is Eminem’s ” ’97 Bonnie & Clyde”. This deeply disturbing track is Tori expressing her poetic nature. Most impressive of all has to be her rendition of the popular ’80’s song, Graham Gouldman’s “I Am Not In Love.”
The album has a sort of deep, dark sadness to it. Definitely not an album that will pump you up for a night on the town, but it does have its many moments. It’s enlightening, soothing, and quite conceptual for a cover album.
r. bellanca
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