sweet of spring" -- function as its mission statement: Autobiographical as ever, Amos aims to simultaneously uncover her inner history and cloak it in the wildest symbols she can find.
Venus' music is equally ornate, flush with technology: mystery-ridden keyboardscapes and sample-and-loop witchery. Amos' stock in trade, her voice and piano, are often mere bit players on
Venus. But just when it seems Amos has given herself over to the seductions of electronics, she pulls out a heart stopper: "Josephine," a stunning, regret-strewn Cowboy Junkies-sounding quickie that's just Amos, a drum, a bass and her ivories.
Perhaps for balance, or simply for the sake of completeness, Venus Live, Still Orbiting spotlights Amos' more acoustic material, most of it performed with her crackerjack touring band. It's Amos' first live recording, long overdue, and it works equally well as a greatest-hits collection. Crowd faves like "Cornflake Girl," "Waitress" and "Cooling" -- which has never before surfaced on an album -- make showstopping appearances. With To Venus and Back, Amos pays herself the ultimate compliment: She's good and complicated. (RS 823)
NATASCA STOVALL
