NEW YORK: The Botticelli-esque piano chanteuse is back, this timewith a bevy of fashion-forward alter egos. They're known as theAmerican Doll Posse Santa, Clyde, Isabel, Pip and, of course, Tori and they're a force to be reckoned with.
On the double album American Doll Posse, released on May 1, ToriAmos channels these four personas, dubbing them the "dismemberedfeminine remembered". In other words, they individually embodydifferent female archetypes but together are a balanced femaleessence that may or may not be the total Tori.
"My role as the main composer is to try and articulate theirperceptions," explains Amos. "It's been really important to step backand allow other voices and style tastes to take over my one-womanshow."
Each persona sings about five tracks of the 23, all tellingstories focusing on different themes. Santa explores sexuality withsacredness; Clyde is introspective, focusing on the individual'sinternal war; Isabel, with her camera in hand, is the observerinterested in what's happening historically in the United States; Pipdissects the understanding of power via mind control andmanipulation.
To dig deeper into the lives of these four, join the hunt fortheir daily blogs posted throughout the Internet where interestingtidbits can be found, such as the fact that Pip's father was a senioranalyst for the CIA.
"I'd say the album is representing the American woman as I studiedher on tour last time. The work deals with questions I found womenhad about those in power," says Amos, referring to her Summer of Sintour that supported 2005's The Beekeeper, her fifth album to make itsdebut in the top 10.
Along with dreaming up back-stories for "the girls" (she's alsoreferred to her songs as "the girls"), Amos spent almost a year withher longtime stylist and visual collaborator Karen Binns inventingtheir individual styles.
"We did something like this before (2001's Strange Little Girls)that was so successful, because it reaches so many different types ofpersonalities and women," explains Binns. "Tori's always had a slightCindy Sherman backdrop. She reflects a girl who changes all the time.Inside, she's Tori, but she likes to promote women to constantlyreinvent themselves."
For the album cover, Amos and Binns chose an Antonio Berardi dressfor Santa, a Vivienne Westwood dress for Clyde, a Julia Clancy topand knickerbockers for Isabel, an Unconditional dress paired withrubber tights for Pip and a Basso & Brooke dress for Tori. "I saw itas kind of a David Lynch version of a rock band," Binns says.
The American Doll Posse Tour, which kicks off May 28 in Rome, willdisplay each member's favorite designer, although Amos expects tohave only two wardrobe changes per show.
"My goal isn't how many girls I can channel onstage in a two-hourtime frame; my goal is that you get a narrative every night and thatyou experience one of the other women fully as well as a Tori show."
Amos prefers to support up-and-coming designers, so when planningthis tour, she and Binns showcased emerging London designers in avariety of ways for the five dissimilar members.
"When I think of Tori, I think of Freddy Mercury from Queen orDavid Bowie's Ziggy Stardust. When they were on stage, they gave youa bloody show," says Binns. Santa will slip on dresses by La PetiteSalope. "I was jealous, frankly, looking at those dresses. I thought,'Why can't I have that,' but that's not really what I push," Amosadds.
Clyde will wear custom-made pieces by designer Avsh Alom Gur thatcomplement her coloring. Isabel will mix vintage Amelia Earhart-meets-Lee Miller with customized pieces from Fishman, designed byAnna Fishman, a 24-year-old recent grad of the University of EastLondon. Pip will continue with a variety of Unconditional dressesflaunting her rock edge. As for Amos herself, "I'm not flashinganybody on stage this year. I'm leaving that to the younger artists,"says the singer, opting for tailor-made beaded jumpsuits from Ashish,by Ashish Gupta.
Gupta, a fan since first hearing "Crucify" from Amos' 1992 debutalbum, Little Earthquakes, notes, "Tori is strong, darkly beautifuland glittering. She is like a glam rock goddess."
"These designers understand my body movement when I'm performingand they're all building in movement that's required for each girl,"explains Amos.
The New York Times Syndicate
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