Woot! Amazing news on the Tori Amos front this week … her official website has been updated with a new press release that announces that she has partnered with Universal Republic Records in a new deal to release her 10th studio album. The as-yet-untitled disc is scheduled for a Spring/Summer ’09 release and will be accompanied with a song-by-song “visual component” (which sound like individual music videos for each song on the album). This is *VERY* exciting news :) Here is a pic of Tori with her new record label partners and portions of the press release:

NEW ALBUM ACCOMPANIED BY GROUNDBREAKING NEW VISUAL COMPONENT DUE IN SPRING/SUMMER OF ‘09

(New York, NY) Innovative; influential; poetic; bombastic – indefinable multiple Grammy nominee, Tori Amos, has teamed up with Universal Republic Records, it was announced today by Monte Lipman, Co-President and COO of Universal Republic Records. “We’re honored to welcome Tori Amos into the Universal Republic family,” stated Mr. Lipman. “It was Doug Morris (Chairman & CEO, Universal Music) who originally signed Ms. Amos to her first recording deal, and we’re excited that they will be able to continue their association via Universal Republic. Tori has always exemplified the truest spirit of the independent artist, blazing a path for nearly two decades with a legacy of incomparable conceptual breakthroughs; as singer/songwriter; as social commentator; and as one of our most thought provoking visual performers. We’re thrilled to be in a position to help facilitate the next chapter of her amazing career.” In a unique venture in keeping with Ms. Amos’ and Universal Republic’s unconventional approach to the artist/record company relationship, the two powerhouses have joined forces to jointly navigate Ms. Amos next release, as well as correlate other ventures in tandem with Ms. Amos’ prolific creative output. Her upcoming Universal Republic debut (her tenth studio album), is currently scheduled for a late spring/early summer 2009 unveiling. Every track on the album will be accompanied by a corresponding ‘visualette,’ featuring footage that has been captured over the past year. Shot in HD and Super 8, the visualettes will incorporate a documentary style. “Tori is very much looking forward to a fulfilling creative relationship with Monte Lipman and the great team he has assembled at Universal Republic,” stated John Witherspoon, Amos’ manager, “The intricate development of this unique Audio Visual component to Tori’s musical presentation, which she has been crafting through her own Galactic Media company, is indicative of the outlier creative and strategic opportunities both Tori and Universal Republic hope to build upon in this extraordinary relationship” … Nominated for multiple awards, including ten Grammy’s, Ms. Amos has been working on a musical for London’s British National Theatre called The Light Princess tentatively scheduled to debut in 2010.

It feels like ages since we got some new music from Tori Amos … this is really amazing news for fans. American Doll Posse came out in Spring of 2007 (around the time that Nine Inch Nails released Year Zero … and they have since released Ghosts I-IV and The Slip) so it’s high time for some new tunes. I am intrigued by this talk of a “visual component” that will accompany the album … but I was really hoping we’d get word that Tori would be releasing new music online all by herself (like NIN is doing). Don’t get me wrong, I am very happy that a new album is on the way but I would really love a scenario where Tori would be able to just release songs whenever she likes rather than on the usual record release schedule (ie. every two years or so). In any event, I will now be counting down the days until we get to hear this new Tori Amos material (I also love the blurb about Tori‘s work on The Light Princess musical — something else to look forward to) … as I said, it’s been far too long already.

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