The Beekeeper

Infobox Album
Name = The Beekeeper
Type = studio
Artist = Tori Amos


Released = February 20 2005
Recorded = June – November 2004
Genre = Alternative rock, piano rock, baroque pop, soul music
Length = 79:31
Label = Epic/Sony
Producer = Tori Amos
Reviews =
*Allmusic Rating|3.5|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:47jyeai74xk7 link]
*"Entertainment.ie" Rating|3|5 [http://www.entertainment.ie/reviews/review.asp?ID=3748&subcat=CD link]
*"EW" (B) [http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/amostori/beekeeper 25 February 2005 (p.99)]
*"Mojo" Rating|4|5 [http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/amostori/beekeeper March 2005 (p.92)]
*PopMatters (6/10) [http://www.popmatters.com/music/reviews/a/amostori-beekeeper.shtml link]
*"Rolling Stone" Rating|3|5 [http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/6962456/the_beekeeper 2/08/2005]
*"Slant" Rating|2.5|5 [http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/music_review.asp?ID=554 link]
*"Spin" (5/10) [http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/amostori/beekeeper April 2005 (p.10)]
*"Stylus Magazine" (D-) [http://www.stylusmagazine.com/review.php?ID=2759 link]
*"Uncut" Rating|4|5 [http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/amostori/beekeeper March 2005 (p.102)]
*"Village Voice" (unfavorable) [http://www.villagevoice.com/music/0514,barthel,62667,22.html link]
Last album = "Scarlet's Walk"
(2002)
This album = "The Beekeeper"
(2005)
Next album = "American Doll Posse"
(2007)
Misc = Singles
Name = The Beekeeper
Type = studio
single 1 = Sleeps with Butterflies
single 2 = Sweet the Sting
single 3 = Cars and Guitars
single 1 date = 2005
single 2 date = 2005
single 3 date = 2005

"The Beekeeper" is the eighth studio album by singer-songwriter Tori Amos. It incorporates Celtic choirs and African drums, and gnostic themes from the Apocryphon of John. Early reviews described the album as Amos' most lyrically accessible, noting that its lyrical content is more straightforward than the singer's previous work, which is laden in metaphors (even though "The Beekeeper" does contain its fair share of them).

Following its US release on February 22, 2005, "The Beekeeper" debuted at US # 5,cite web | last = | first = | title = 'O' Puts Omarion On Top | publisher = | url =http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/search/google/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000825038 | accessdate =2007-05-26] making it Amos' fifth US Top 10 album debut and placing her in an elite group of women to have secured five or more US Top 10 album debuts.

The album deals with topics like death, adultery and romantic conflict, and makes brief reference to ancient Gnostic mysticism (although Amos' frequent reference to the Gnostic texts in interviews exaggerate its importance within the context of the album). Following the death of her brother in November 2004, Amos wrote the closing track, "Toast", for last minute inclusion on the album, also adding the line "take this message to Michael" to the backing vocals on the title track. The music is perhaps her most melodic, and saw a move towards a more groove-based sound, evidenced by the appearance of the London Community Gospel Choir on four songs and Amos' whirring B-3 Hammond organ which Amos says was a gift from her husband. The album was praised in some quarters for being varied and musically adventurous, with Amos incorporating elements of funk and R&B, but for some, however, the album garnered some of her worst reviews.

Track listing

tracklist
all_writing = Amos

title1 = Parasol
length1 = 3:54

title2 = Sweet the Sting
length2 = 4:16

title3 = The Power of Orange Knickers
note3 = featuring Damien Rice
length3 = 3:36

title4 = Jamaica Inn
length4 = 4:03

title5 = Barons of Suburbia
length5 = 5:21

title6 = Sleeps with Butterflies
length6 = 3:35

title7 = General Joy
length7 = 4:13

title8 = Mother Revolution
length8 = 3:58

title9 = Ribbons Undone
length9 = 4:30

title10 = Cars and Guitars
length10 = 3:45

title11 = Witness
length11 = 6:06

title12 = Original Sinsuality
length12 = 2:02

title13 = Ireland
length13 = 3:49

title14 = The Beekeeper
length14 = 6:50

title15 = Martha's Foolish Ginger
length15 = 4:22

title16 = Hoochie Woman
length16 = 2:34

title17 = Goodbye Pisces
length17 = 3:36

title18 = Marys of the Sea
length18 = 5:11

title19 = Toast
length19 = 3:42

ingles and B-sides

Three singles were lifted from the album for radio release, the first of which, "Sleeps with Butterflies", was shipped to radio in early January 2005, and became an adult alternative radio staple in the US for the first half of 2005. "Sleeps with Butterflies" reached # 2 on the US Triple A Radio chart. The follow-up singles, "Sweet the Sting" and "Cars and Guitars," were less successful but sustained steady sales for the album. All three singles released from "The Beekeeper" were promo-only singles, no commercial singles were produced.

ee also

* "The Original Bootlegs"

References

External links

* [http://www.hereinmyhead.com/collect/beekeeper/lyrics.html Album lyrics]