It was a Sunday afternoon; I was cleaning my apartment and had the TV on. There was some show on VH1 which was just background noise to me until the quiet strains of a piano started to play. I watched this young woman go through the paces of her song. She was ‘cupie doll’ cute with a high but strong voice. 
I appreciated that she played piano versus all the guitar rock that was available at the time. That’s how I was introduced to Tori Amos. The song was “Silent All These Years” from the album “Little Earthquakes”. I read in an interview later that ‘Little Earthquakes’ was the phrase she used to describe her orgasms. It should also be noted that within a year I saw Tori Amos live in concert. It was an interesting affair because she talked about her songs throughout, explained them, and tried to make the audience understand her point of view. They didn’t always understand but they listened politely and appreciated what she was trying to do. When I listened to the album all the way through it was hit or miss for me. “China” hit me strong as well as “Happy Phantom”. How could you forget “Leather” with its opening line ‘Look I’m standing naked before you, don’t you want more than my sex…’ Songs like “Me and a Gun” and “Mother” just didn’t do a whole lot for me.
It was some time after that I was watching VH1 again that I saw and heard another artist that captured my attention. The first song was “Ladykiller” by Nicky Holland. First of all – great name.
I don’t remember being overly enthralled by the video itself but the music was very nice. She also favored the piano and her vocals were clear and bright with just a touch of a British accent. When I bought the CD weeks later, I was pleasantly surprised to find a prelude to the song. I was also surprised to hear the very listenable tunes that she had recorded. I’m not a huge fan of the Grateful Dead but she does a cover of “Box of Rain” that could make you forget the original. I was not disappointed in the least with the album. I was disappointed that she left the spotlight much too soon.
And then there’s Brandi Carlile. I had been out of work for 10 months out of the past couple of years. Along with the lack of work came a lack of a sleeping schedule and I acquired a case of insomnia. While I was up at 3am I ended up watching the videos they were rolling on VH1.
While my ‘out of work’ time was about 7 months apart, it seems like the second time they were still playing the same videos from when I was first out of work. One of those videos was “The Story” which appeared to be filmed in an empty movie theater. Upon first hearing the song I dismissed it as a country crossover wannabe due to the way she handled the vocals. But when I gave it an earnest listen I heard its heart and felt its honesty. I tracked down more of her work and found it just as good but it wasn’t until almost a year later that she would be cemented in my memory. I turned on this British cable show called “Later… with Jools Holland” (the former keyboard player for Squeeze). One of the acts was Brandi Carlile (one of the other acts was Eartha Kitt – what a weird mix) who played a song called “Turpentine”. I rewound my DVR a couple times to listen to the song again and again.
I appreciated that she played piano versus all the guitar rock that was available at the time. That’s how I was introduced to Tori Amos. The song was “Silent All These Years” from the album “Little Earthquakes”. I read in an interview later that ‘Little Earthquakes’ was the phrase she used to describe her orgasms. It should also be noted that within a year I saw Tori Amos live in concert. It was an interesting affair because she talked about her songs throughout, explained them, and tried to make the audience understand her point of view. They didn’t always understand but they listened politely and appreciated what she was trying to do. When I listened to the album all the way through it was hit or miss for me. “China” hit me strong as well as “Happy Phantom”. How could you forget “Leather” with its opening line ‘Look I’m standing naked before you, don’t you want more than my sex…’ Songs like “Me and a Gun” and “Mother” just didn’t do a whole lot for me.It was some time after that I was watching VH1 again that I saw and heard another artist that captured my attention. The first song was “Ladykiller” by Nicky Holland. First of all – great name.
I don’t remember being overly enthralled by the video itself but the music was very nice. She also favored the piano and her vocals were clear and bright with just a touch of a British accent. When I bought the CD weeks later, I was pleasantly surprised to find a prelude to the song. I was also surprised to hear the very listenable tunes that she had recorded. I’m not a huge fan of the Grateful Dead but she does a cover of “Box of Rain” that could make you forget the original. I was not disappointed in the least with the album. I was disappointed that she left the spotlight much too soon.And then there’s Brandi Carlile. I had been out of work for 10 months out of the past couple of years. Along with the lack of work came a lack of a sleeping schedule and I acquired a case of insomnia. While I was up at 3am I ended up watching the videos they were rolling on VH1.
While my ‘out of work’ time was about 7 months apart, it seems like the second time they were still playing the same videos from when I was first out of work. One of those videos was “The Story” which appeared to be filmed in an empty movie theater. Upon first hearing the song I dismissed it as a country crossover wannabe due to the way she handled the vocals. But when I gave it an earnest listen I heard its heart and felt its honesty. I tracked down more of her work and found it just as good but it wasn’t until almost a year later that she would be cemented in my memory. I turned on this British cable show called “Later… with Jools Holland” (the former keyboard player for Squeeze). One of the acts was Brandi Carlile (one of the other acts was Eartha Kitt – what a weird mix) who played a song called “Turpentine”. I rewound my DVR a couple times to listen to the song again and again. I don’t know why it happens but I plan on discovering a few more gems on VH1.