It is necessary to listen several times to find the true sense: the song "Marianne" (which for me went unseen in the album "Boys for Pele"), has an outstanding interpretation also thank the impulse that gives the orchestra. The same goes for "Flying Dutchman", "Maybe California" and "Cloud on my tongue". The songs that fewer caught my attention are "Snow cherries from France" and "Gold dust", the would replace by the "Caught a lite sneeze" and "Spring haze" for saying some of the tori-pieces.… Expand

Surprising decisions made here. Some songs are very interesting in their new incarnation, others less so. Overall, the orchestration is beautiful, and her incessant vocal layering, which she's known for doing on every studio record, is distracting and unnecessary (most of the time). That the same formula applies even on her "classical" recordings is rather frustrating. Still, some gems here.

While these are all great songs, I don't really get the point of the project. Why did Tori chose songs that were almost all already piano and strings based? They don't feel fresh or reimagined, just rehashed. If only she had chosen some of her rockier tracks and given them the Metropoloe treatment (for example, the amazing version of Spark performed live in 2011? Not terrible, but far from essential.… Expand

I'm sorry, but you've got to be kidding me. When I first listened to this album, I thought there was some mistake. The songs sound exactly like the original versions. After putting on headphones and trying again, I can hear that they are new recordings, but barely. Sure, there's orchestration and it's pretty, but I would absolutely not call these "re-workings." If you played these for random people and had them listen to the old versions, they would be hard pressed to tell you what is different. I'm a huge Tori Amos fan, but there has just been something terrible happening with her music with everything after American Doll Posse. I'm sure plenty of people will think this album is great, but I really thought I was going to get "new" versions of the songs with completely different feelings. It just feels lazy to me. If you want to buy it, I highly suggest you listen to some samples first to make sure you know what you're getting.… Expand

I really do not see the point of this album. Had she made it a live orchestral album, it would be fine. Had she chosen some more instrumentally diverse songs, songs that didn't already feature piano and strings, from her vast catalogue, it would be fine. But this? Other than Flavor, Yes Anastasia and Precious Things, you can barely tell the difference from the originals. Actually, the only difference noticeable is her weaker, aging voice, which wouldn't be noticed if there were bigger changes to the songs themselves, and which ultimately ruins the songs for me. The idea behind this album is great, but the song choice is definetly wrong. Moreover, the only song she really improved was Flavor, while the other aforementioned two still pale in comparison to their majestic original versions. Flavor is the only reason this album gets a 3 instead of a 0. Also, Tori decided not to include any material from The Beekeeper and To Venus and Back, the two albums that have songs that would benefit the most from the orchestral changes, and she chooses songs like Girl Disappearing and Jackie's Strength (both with strings and piano), while the albums these songs are featured on have a large number of more experimental songs. All in all, a very unnecessary and forgettable release.… Expand