Night of Hunters
by Tori Amos
Metascore
70

Generally favorable reviews - based on 21 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 21
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 21
  3. Negative: 0 out of 21
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  1. Mojo
    Dec 22, 2011
    60
    It's not an ideal entry point into Amos;s unique world. [Nov 2011, p.98]
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  2. Q Magazine
    Nov 8, 2011
    60
    Recalling Kate Bush and the enigmatic chamber music of Penguin Cafe and North Sea Radio Orchestras, the way is full of mystic visions, and the deathly conclusion is bittersweet. [Nov. 2011, p. 127]
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  3. BBC Music
    Sep 20, 2011
    60
    Either way, if you're no fan of the fey and fantastical, you're best off fleeing. Still interested? Well, hard work it may be, but it's not without its rewards.
  5. PopMatters
    Sep 20, 2011
    60
    This predominantly slow, somber album ultimately overstays its welcome.
  6. Blurt Magazine
    Sep 20, 2011
    60
    If concept albums aren't your thing, so be it. But if a rare musical vision is, you'd be foolish to pass up Night of Hunters.
  7. The Observer (UK)
    Sep 19, 2011
    60
    Devotees will no doubt swoon (and sceptics scoff) at its florid excesses, but Amos's voice possesses enough conviction and personality to breathe life into what could have been an orchestral folly.
  8. Slant Magazine
    Sep 19, 2011
    60
    Night of Hunters is a beautiful, smart record, but it's also, by design, an obtuse and insular album by an artist who already skews pretty far in those directions.
  9. The Guardian
    Sep 16, 2011
    60
    Amos herself performs with an insistently flat calmness: when her 11-year-old daughter Natashya pops up on a few tracks, in character as a shape-shifting fox, she actually proves an odder, witchier, more compelling voice than her mother, who could be mistaken for her piano teacher.
  10. Rolling Stone
    Oct 18, 2011
    50
    It doesn't rock, but it waltzes, spinning a tale involving animated trees, demons and what may be peyote cactus tea.
  11. Boston Globe
    Sep 20, 2011
    50
    The bulk of the album's melodies and arrangements are too busily discursive to hum after the fact, making it tough for Night of Hunters to do what Amos set out to do: haunt the listener.

Awards & Rankings

100
#100 Most Discussed Album of 2011
65
#65 Most Shared Album of 2011

User Reviews

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User Score
8.7

Universal acclaim- based on 123 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 113 out of 123
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 123
  3. Negative: 4 out of 123
  1. paultoes
    Sep 20, 2011
    10
    Tori's voice has never sounded so gorgeous and her piano playing is amazing. If you are not a Tori fan already, I don't know what you mightTori's voice has never sounded so gorgeous and her piano playing is amazing. If you are not a Tori fan already, I don't know what you might think of this album. But this is definitely her strongest album in a long time.… Full Review »
  2. kings7
    Sep 23, 2011
    10
    Everyone (both critics and consumers alike) have been extraordinarily harsh on this album all around the internet.

    This is not an album that    Everyone (both critics and consumers alike) have been extraordinarily harsh on this album all around the internet.

    This is not an album that deserves mediocre reviews. You know, I can always tell who the people that like real music are because they all realize that this is Tori's best album since Scarlet's Walk. All those neanderthals comparing her to Kate Bush need more things to fill our their day. I'm glad that everyone can have his or her own opinion in today's world, but it's too bad that most of them are extremely uninformed.

    If you're a Tori fan, this album will satisfy you. If you're not, start with Little Earthquakes and go through all of her albums before getting to this one. Maybe then your opinion will make sense. 10 for content, 10 for lyrics, 10 for concept, 9 for production.    … Full Review »
  3. LionInFLL
    Sep 21, 2011
    8
    If you are a fan of Tori's early work, then you will most likely enjoy this album. The piano and string arrangements as interpretations orIf you are a fan of Tori's early work, then you will most likely enjoy this album. The piano and string arrangements as interpretations or varations of classical works are extremely well done (particularly with the instrumental Seven Sisters), and the recording quality is excellent. Tori's voice is in fine form, as always, and her intonation is sharp. For an eleven-year-old girl, the maturity, timbre, and flexibility of Tash's voice is also stunning. Consider this album to be sonically equivalent to portions of Under the Pink and Boys for Pele.

    Where the album disappoints is in two areas. Tori's best lyrical work has always been obtuse but simultaneously mindbendingly intelligent; frankly the lyrics are here, in spots, simply flat and banal. The poetry is not her best work. Secondly, the album drags on (particularly the title track) in melachnoly drama and really expects a commitment from the listener to trudge through it in a single sitting.

    Toriphiles, buy the album but also know what you are getting. A beautiful work with amazing piano and string virtuosity, but you will be left longing for a few edgier moments.

    Highlights: Shattering Sea, Fearlessness, Edge of the Moon, Seven Sisters, Carry    … Full Review »
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