Tori Amos, goddess extraordinaire, has announced on her official website that she will be releasing a holiday album titled Midwinter Graces in November. At meet + greets with fans during this Summer’s Sinful Attraction Tour, Tori let slip the news that she would be releasing an Xmas or Winter Solstice album this year, so I’ve been expecting this announcement. Here is the full text of Tori‘s announcement complete with album tracklist:
After nearly two decades writing and recording some of her generation’s most emotionally powerful music, Tori Amos will release her first seasonal album, Midwinter Graces, on November 10 via Universal Republic. A follow up to Tori’s critically acclaimed studio album, Abnormally Attracted to Sin, Midwinter Graces will find Tori reworking and expanding on classic carols as well as developing some of her very own seasonal tracks. Midwinter Graces is an album that has been in the making for the past 40 years. Raised in the Baltimore area under the watchful eye of her Methodist minister father, Tori grew up playing holiday carols at Sunday services and Christmas Day celebrations in her father’s church. These were the songs that gave a young Tori her first taste of music, and now almost 40 years later Tori gets her own chance to reimagine the classics. For Midwinter Graces, Amos has again teamed up with long time collaborators Matt Chamberlain on drums, Jon Evans on bass, and Mac Aladdin on guitars. Tori has enlisted the help of a Big Band and an Orchestra with stunning John Philip Shenale arrangements to create Tori’s new seasonal classics.
After the jump, check out our first look at the album artwork for Tori Amos‘s Midwinter Graces and see the album’s full tracklist …
Midwinter Graces Tracklist:
What Child, Nowell
Star of Wonder
A Silent Night with You
Candle: Coventry Carol
Holly, Ivy, and Rose
Harps of Gold
Snow Angel
Jeanette, Isabella
Pink and Glitter
Emmanuel
Winter’s Carol
Our New Year
Oh man, this is such exciting news. I am not a big Xmas music fan but I am terribly anxious to hear Tori‘s take on holiday songs. Previously, Tori recorded her own versions of the Xmas classic songs Have Yourself a Merry Little Xmas and Little Drummer Boy but this collection appears to be an almost completely original undertaking. While there are many artists who are capable of recording inventive and unique holiday songs, I can’t think of one artist who has been able to release an entire collection of holiday music that suits my liking. I have every confidence that Midwinter Graces will be not only a most excellent holiday album but a must own album of amazing new Tori Amos music. Ho ho ho!!!
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well fa la la! something to look forward to this holiday season!
“Happy Birthday baby Jesus! Here a buncha screaming on a piano” ;)
@DJ Vegas — Jesus of Nazareth was born in the Spring, I’m not sure which baby Jesus you’re talking about.
@It’s Trent, Bitch. Very true Trent. Jesus of Nazareth was not born on December 25th. The Christians decided they liked the festival of Saturanalia so much they decided to make it Jesus birthday. Thus, most of the world now celebrats a fictitious. I always find it amusing when I see those “Keep Christ in Christmas” signs
@Meghan — Yep :) I bet the majority of Christians are unaware that their “holiest” holidays are actually pagan celebrations.
Well well well, doesn’t this news just make the Yuletide gay…
I’m always in a ‘yay’ state of mind when it comes to new Tori music, but I just basically can’t stand fucking Christmas music in general so I’m not exactly thrilled that her newest stuff will be Christmas crap.
BUT, Tori is an original so I will hold off passing a complete judgment until I hear the goods. THEN I’ll judge ;-)
I really didn’t like her take on Little Drummer Boy back in the early 90′s and always hoped she would never again don her gay apparel in the recording studio. Clearly, she didn’t receive the brainwaves I sent her regarding that.
(and I’m probably extra bitter about this because I’m still extra bitter that Tori for some inexplicable fucking reason skipped Vancouver on her last tour!!!)
Trent, I <3 you! You always report and Tori and Trent Reznor, two of my favorite musicians. And now you show off your knowledge of pagan celebrations. Just when I thought you couldn't get any cooler. :-)
Ooo, I’m excited. I actually started to listen to Tori because you talk about her so often and fell in love with her music. I also have an odd obsession with Christmas related things so this is just awesome.
@Trent
I guess you ment some “Other” holiday when you said “a holiday album” . My mistake. I guess all the Christmasesque referenced titles you listed refering to angels and winter and such threw me off. But the end result would still be the same no matter what the season. Tori screamin at a piano about SOME holiday stuff. :) That what I’m talking bout. ;D
i don’t wanna be the one to be like this and im not going to be mean because i love tori and i think the world of your blog because your nice, but im not big on the artwork…but just the idea is amazing! ive always thought it would be cool if she did an xmas album
love Tori, HATE the artwork! i’m sure the songs will sound amazing and i will buy it since i buy pretty much everything she releases, but the angel? seriously?
Goddess extroidenaire, agreed, lol, I luv u Trent:) Deck the halls Mrs. Tori, hopefully retail stores will play her album in favor of the traditional songs, oh, in a perfect world.
@ Trent Bitch…Many Faith and Non faith holidays and events take place on a day other than their original date. Soooo what? Many holidays have fun elements adapted from pagan celebrations. So what? Those pagen elements are there to enhance the holiday—-what the actual event is about. For instance Christmas is about “the Mass of Christ” it’s in the word “Christmas” Christ Mass, that’s why people get pissy when you write it “Xmas” because it’s not the Mass of “X”— and it’s insulting. And they have had that “don’t call it xmas” slogan since the 1920′s. The trees and lights are pagan–they add to the fun. Santa Claus is based on gift giving Saint Nicholas. A Saint whom along with Christ, Tori I’m sure is familiar with SINCE SHE IS DOING AN ALBUM BASED ON THE RELIGIOUS THEMES AND MUSIC SHE WAS RAISED ON and clearly has some fondness for. And her loyal fans are too busy picking apart to see. So here’s a quick history lesson of other holidays you can get on your high horse about… New Year’s Eve celebrates the begining of the new calendar year which is based on the yearly timeline of Before Christ (BC) and After Christ’s Death (AD)—-we’re in 2009AD by the the way—the fireworks and ball dropping in NYC were added years later. Valentine’s Day is based on Saint Valentine, a Catholic priest who married people even though it was against the law to do so because he believed in love for all—the flowers and candy were added later. Saint Patrick’s Day–well “Saint” is in the name so it should be a clue that it’s based on the Catholic Saint–the green beer and leprechauns were added for fun later. Mardi Gras is the adapted pagan based celebration that takes place right before the Catholic period of fasting known as Lent—everybody getting their boobs out came later. Easter is the celebrated death and rebirth of Christ, and it’s Holy Easter Mass in church—the bunnies and eggs are symbols of rebirth, and more fun added to enhance the Easter day. Halloween is a pagan adapted celebration which was adapted to celebrate the day before Nov 1st—the 1st being the Catholic “All Saints Day”–a day to honor the sacrifices and torture that many Saints endured (which is why you dress as a ghoul mimicking the torture/pain the Saints faced) in helping people and for their religious beliefs. The candy came later to offset the torture and make it more fun for the kids. And while were at it let’s not forget that Jesus was Jewish and celebrated all the Jewish holidays, which also have elements in pagan festivals. And the Jewish religion also has elements that are a part of our society. And lastly many words we use daily have religious meaning. The word “hello” is derived from the word “hallelujah” which means joy and praise—as in “praise the Lord.” The word “goodbye” comes from “God be with ye” so whether you realize it or not you say joyous praise and wish people religious happiness with God everyday. The laws of most countries of the world are based in religious laws such as the ten commandments, etc. And there are many many more examples of positive elements of religion incorporated in the customs, manners, traditions, common courtesies we give one another each and everyday. But by all means ignore all those good positive elements and insult and trash a religious philosophy while at the same time shilling for Tori’s new album about the good and positive things that can come from a religious philosophy—during that “wintertime graces”—an album full of “golden harps” and “angels’, “winter carols,” “a silent night,” with “a star of wonder” and a “child” whom some called “Emmanual.”—hmm, if that’s not a Christmas album she’s done–then I don’t know what is. I do get her angst, as a gay fallen Catholic myself. But I also get that the philosophy itself has many good points—-it’s the men currently in charge of the church turning people away that are the problem—–not the religion, which is open to everybody. And perhaps that fact isn’t lost on Tori either as she felt the need to “expand” on these “classics” of her faith based youth. There now….you just got schooled, bitch.
@Tyler Perry — Clearly, you know nothing about Tori Amos or her perspectives on her Christian upbringing. If you feel better expounding so lengthily on an argument you feel you need to win then good for you. It’s just your need to go on and on makes it seem like you’re trying to convince yourself rather than anyone else. I still know what’s what, irregardless of your thesis ;) I’ll also refrain from name-calling cuz, well, that wouldn’t be a very Christian thing to do. Blessed Be!!
What are Tori’s perspectives, cause it does seem to be some kind of spiritual Christmas album she’s releasing? Just because she doesn’t say Jesus anywhere, or have the album trimmed in reds and greens, doesn’t really change when you add up all the Christian religious symbolism of the song titles. But the cover and vagueness does seem like she’s trying hard to not be connected to it. The paragraph from the website say “Seasonal” album…are there any other seasonal albums artists release? I’ve never seen Snoop Dogg put out a Spring seasonal album full of raps about flowers and rain. Just sayin. :) I’m confused by who this album is for—other than her fans.
@Say what — Google is your friend.
Jeez, who put sand in Tyler Perry’s vagina?
I wish, we could just for once pull our selves out of christian ass for once and see a more broader view.
A very large part of “christism’ was derived from previous memes!
I would wager that there is a large dose of this in this Xmas/Solstice album.
I am anxiously waiting for this release. It could be a fantastic album of gorgeous music (I believe Tori Amos still has that in her) or it could be a flop. I most certainly will buy it just to see which one it is.