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Native Invader

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Native Invader
Studio album by
Tori Amos
ReleasedSeptember 8, 2017 (2017-09-08)
Recorded2016–2017
StudioMartian Engineering Studios, Cornwall, UK
Length61:57
LabelDecca
ProducerTori Amos[1]
Tori Amos chronology
Unrepentant Geraldines
(2014) 		Native Invader
(2017) 		Christmastide
(2020)
Singles from Native Invader
  1. "Cloud Riders"
    Released: July 28, 2017[2]
  2. "Up the Creek"
    Released: August 11, 2017
  3. "Reindeer King"
    Released: August 25, 2017
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic76/100[3]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]
Pitchfork7.5/10[5]

Native Invader is the fifteenth studio album (twelfth of entirely original material) by American singer-songwriter Tori Amos. It was released on September 8, 2017, through Decca Records.[6] Its lead single "Cloud Riders", was released on July 27, 2017.

Background

[edit]

Amos contributed the song "Flicker" for Netflix documentary film Audrie & Daisy's ending credits. In a Billboard interview, Amos was asked about future plans, revealing there will be "another album next year. We're in beginning stages and it might be a very different record beginning Nov. 9, but let's see where we're going."[7]

On April 18, Amos began a five-day countdown with a series of Instagram posts depicting a studio and a "sacred fire". On the fifth day, the news was revealed to be a brand new album and world tour.

Inspiration

[edit]

In her fan newsletter, it states in Summer 2016, Amos took a road trip through North Carolina's Smoky Mountains with intention to reconnect with the stories of her mother's family. That winter, her mother suffered a stroke. With that and the 2016 United States election, the album took a different direction.[8] Amos states, "It wasn't going to be a record of pain, blood and bone when I began. It wasn't going to be a record of division ... I listened and watched the conflicts that were traumatizing the nation and [wrote] about those raw emotions."[8]

Regarding writing the songs, Amos has said that "[T]here's an intake and an outtake period. That's when I'm finding works. So there was a deluge for Native Invader after quite a while of waiting for the muses to come. And then once things aligned and there was enough pressure [from] what was going on in the world and what happened to Mary, then all of a sudden, it's kismet and it all lined up. Now, it doesn't always work like that where it comes as a rush where I'm working on 7 songs at a time but that's what started to happen and you start filing really quickly and go 'Oh, you're not a part of this structure are you. Oh, no you are! You’re a "Reindeer King"! You're three different songs at once!'"[9]

A major source of inspiration for the album was Amos' belief that her white Appalachian ancestors from North Carolina and Tennessee were of Cherokee descent. During her trip to the Great Smoky Mountains, Amos acknowledged that she had Confederate ancestors. Both Tori Amos and her sister Dr. Marie Amos Dobyns have claimed Eastern Cherokee heritage and her sister has created ties with Native American organizations, such as by joining the Association of American Indian Physicians, an organization that allows people to join based on self-identification as Native Americans. While the album incorporates Native American themes, Tori Amos stated that she is an "observer" of Native American culture who is "not in a position to speak for First Nations people– that’s a sacred task."[10]

Critical reception

[edit]

Native Invader was well-received from music critics upon release. The album received a score of 76 out of 100 on the review aggregator website Metacritic, based on 14 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[3]

Reviewing the album for AllMusic, Neil Z. Yeung wrote, "Native Invader stands tall with its own vital voice and energy, alluding to beloved touchstones from throughout Amos' oeuvre while remaining fully of its time."[4]

Pitchfork rated the album positively, claiming that "[Amos'] intricately arranged songs are passionate and despairingly poetic."[5]

Native Invader Tour

[edit]

To promote the album, Amos embarked on the Native Invader Tour across Europe and North America.[11][12] The tour began on September 6, 2017, in Cork, Ireland and concluded on December 3 in Los Angeles, California.

Regarding Amos duetting live with her daughter Tash, "I don't think on this tour but [...] in the not so long future. [...] It is one of those things again that kind of has to be something we work up and rehearse."[13]

Track listing

[edit]
Native Invader[14]
No.TitleLength
1."Reindeer King"7:06
2."Wings"4:09
3."Broken Arrow"5:20
4."Cloud Riders"5:23
5."Up the Creek" (feat. Tash)3:22
6."Breakaway"4:36
7."Wildwood"4:41
8."Chocolate Song"4:41
9."Bang"6:11
10."Climb"4:02
11."Bats"4:18
12."Benjamin"2:43
13."Mary's Eyes"5:16
Total length:61:57
Deluxe edition bonus tracks[15]
No.TitleLength
14."Upside Down 2"3:23
15."Russia"2:44
Total length:68:07

Personnel

[edit]
  • Tori Amos – Bösendorfer piano, Hammond organ, keyboards, vocals, programming, additional instrumentation
  • Mac Aladdin – guitar
  • John Philip Shenale – synth programming, additional keyboards (tracks 1 and 13)
  • Mark Hawley – programming, additional instrumentation
  • Tash – vocals (track 5)

Charts

[edit]
Chart (2017) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[16] 113
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[17] 21
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[18] 19
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[19] 46
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[20] 20
French Albums (SNEP)[21] 128
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[22] 18
Irish Albums (IRMA)[23] 20
Italian Albums (FIMI)[24] 50
New Zealand Heatseekers Albums (RMNZ)[25] 5
Polish Albums (ZPAV)[26] 19
Scottish Albums (OCC)[27] 15
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[28] 87
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[29] 23
UK Albums (OCC)[30] 16
US Billboard 200[31] 39
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[32] 3
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[33] 6

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Back cover photo". Archived from the original on July 26, 2017. Retrieved July 26, 2017.
  2. ^ "Listen to Tori Amos' New Song "Cloud Riders"". pitchfork.com. July 27, 2017. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  3. ^ a b "Tori Amos – Native Invader". CBS Interactive. September 8, 2017. Retrieved September 8, 2017.
  4. ^ a b Yeung, Neil Z. "Native Invader – Tori Amos". All Media Network. Retrieved September 8, 2017.
  5. ^ a b Johnston, Maura. "Native Invader – Tori Amos". Pitchfork. Retrieved September 13, 2017.
  6. ^ Cook-Wilson, Winston (April 24, 2017). "Tori Amos Announces Her 15th Album Native Invader, Reveals Fall Tour Dates". SPIN. Retrieved July 18, 2017.
  7. ^ Newman, Melinda (October 6, 2016). "Tori Amos on Writing 'Flicker' for Netflix Doc 'Audrie & Daisy' & 20th Anniversary of 'Boys for Pele'". Billboard. Retrieved July 19, 2017.
  8. ^ a b "We are delighted to announce that Native Invader is available to pre order now". zaphod.uk.vvhp.net. Archived from the original on July 28, 2017. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
  9. ^ "Tori Amos is LIVE with friend and HuffPost Editorial Director Noah Michelson! #NativeInvader". Facebook. December 20, 2017. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
  10. ^ Andrews, Charlotte Richardson (September 7, 2017). "Tori Amos: 'Menopause is the hardest teacher I've met. Harder than fame'". The Guardian. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
  11. ^ "Native Invader Tori Amos Tour". Tori Amos. Archived from the original on July 19, 2017. Retrieved July 18, 2017.
  12. ^ Geslani, Michelle (July 10, 2017). "Tori Amos announces North American tour in support of new album Native Invader". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved July 18, 2017.
  13. ^ "Tori Amos Facebook Live Q&A 9 August 2017". YouTube. August 9, 2017. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
  14. ^ "Native Invader by Tori Amos on Apple Music". iTunes Store. United States. September 8, 2017.
  15. ^ "Native Invader (Deluxe) by Tori Amos on Apple Music". iTunes Store. United States. September 8, 2017.
  16. ^ "Response from ARIA re: Tori Amos chart history, received September 20, 2017". Imgur.com. Retrieved September 20, 2017. N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column represents the album's peak on the national chart.
  17. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Tori Amos – Native Invader" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
  18. ^ "Ultratop.be – Tori Amos – Native Invader" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 15, 2017.
  19. ^ "Ultratop.be – Tori Amos – Native Invader" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 15, 2017.
  20. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Tori Amos – Native Invader" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 15, 2017.
  21. ^ "Lescharts.com – Tori Amos – Native Invader". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 19, 2017.
  22. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Tori Amos – Native Invader" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved September 15, 2017.
  23. ^ "Irish Albums Chart: 15 September 2017". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved September 16, 2017.
  24. ^ "Album – Classifica settimanale WK 37 (dal 2017-09-08 al 2017-09-14)" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved September 16, 2017.
  25. ^ "NZ Heatseekers Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. September 18, 2017. Retrieved September 15, 2017.
  26. ^ "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
  27. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 16, 2017.
  28. ^ "Top 100 Álbumes — Semana 37: del 08.09.2017 al 14.09.2017" (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
  29. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Tori Amos – Native Invader". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
  30. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 16, 2017.
  31. ^ "Tori Amos Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 19, 2017.
  32. ^ "Tori Amos Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 19, 2017.
  33. ^ "Tori Amos Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 19, 2017.
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