Ocean to Ocean
by Tori Amos
  • Record Label: Decca
  • Release Date: Oct 29, 2021
User Score
8.7

Universal acclaim- based on 37 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 32 out of 37
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 37
  3. Negative: 3 out of 37
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  1. justthom
    Feb 27, 2023
    6
    I like how hushed her vocals are on the songs about loss--she sounds as comforting as she's ever sounded--but I found myself wishing she'd crank up the volume and intensity on Devil's Bane and a few others. The studio players are featured more heavily than any other of her albums I can think of, which is sometimes fun. The bassline on Spies is great. The guitar on Speaking with TreesI like how hushed her vocals are on the songs about loss--she sounds as comforting as she's ever sounded--but I found myself wishing she'd crank up the volume and intensity on Devil's Bane and a few others. The studio players are featured more heavily than any other of her albums I can think of, which is sometimes fun. The bassline on Spies is great. The guitar on Speaking with Trees sounds like Doll Posse era but lifted higher in the mix. The song about her mom is beautiful and touching.

    More often than not, though, I found myself wishing for more stripped back/raw arrangements to go with the intimacy of the themes. Also, frankly, I just wanted less band, more piano. She's the star musician and I love her for her playing as much as anything else.

    I'm definitely adding the highlights like Trees and Spies to my playlists. Glad for the new music regardless. Beekeeper is still my favorite album of Tori being comforting and soothing--love Native Invader for that, too. Beekeeper has aged really well, very sex-positive. Excited for the new tour, definitely gonna get tickets.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

63
#63 Most Discussed Album of 2021

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
81

Universal acclaim - based on 9 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 9
  3. Negative: 0 out of 9
  1. Pitchfork
    Dec 3, 2021
    73
    Still in search of “a most elusive truth,” but using all of her talents to bring herself and her listeners ever closer to it.
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  2. The Quietus
    Nov 2, 2021
    80
    This is a gauzy and sometimes deceptively accessible album about falling all the way to the bottom and wondering if there’s any way back.
    Read full review
  3. Glide Magazine
    Nov 1, 2021
    80
    At eleven songs, Ocean to Ocean is Amos’ lithest, most condensed album of original songs since 1999’s To Venus to Back. The album benefits from the tracklist’s economy, and for the first time in over a decade, there are no songs that stick out as filler or potential b-sides; rather, all eleven songs on Ocean to Ocean are vital parts of the album’s whole. Even on some of the less immediately engaging ones, like “Flowers Burn to Gold,” the lyrics offer some of Amos’ most striking imagery.
    Read full review
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