Tori Amos

Every decade has a handful of female artists who drop-kick the low expectations generated by digitally-enhanced vocals and chests: in the 1990s, Tori Amos was one of those rarified few. The liberal, musically gifted, multi-talented artist whose songwriting skills compete in close range with her piano playing was dubbed the Carole King of the over-grunged era. The daughter of a preacher, Tori born Myra Ellen Amos attended the prestigious Baltimore Peabody Institute at the tender age of five and soon ferried her classical training from classrooms to bars and eventually to Billboard charts. Drawing from deeply personal experiences like rape and miscarriage, Amos' lyrics have poetic complexity, and her soulful voice conveys every inch of emotion. From extreme vulnerability to erotic expression, her music showcases her many abilities, and she taps a musically appreciative, large audience with her intelligence, sincerity, and endless talent.