The feminism in Tori Amos’ albums is more different than the sugary, stereotypic forms we usually expect in such a case. The lyrics are biting, the singing passes through all possible ways and the piano is often used as percussion. At least it was like this in the 90’s. Then Tori’s music became calmer and a bit sedated, except for the experiment “Strange Little Girls” where she refracted through the female point of view typical male songs, a.o. even cover versions by Eminem and Slayer. Now Tori turns to the Greek pantheon to pull out five different personalities who - combined - form the complex character of the modern woman. Each of these American dolls leads her own Internet blog to complete the image revealed in the 23 compositions on the album. Each of them is the author of some of the lyrics and together they form the band of Tori Amos. Let us introduce them: Santa. She is the sensitive Aphrodite. Her character is a lyrical sanaTORIum. Clyde is a confused and ever-searching her true self Persephone. A complex cliTORIdes. Isabel is a photographer. She has a strong political statement that she pursues to stand for. She is Artemis, the hisTORIcal person in the band. Pip is expiraTORIal. She is martial and rebellious. She is Athena. Tori. She combines the known and the unknown. A joint image of the masculine and feminine basis. Of Dionysius and Demeter. Hers are all the terriTORIes. In “American Doll Posse” all these characters run together in the frames of one album, yet separates and with own individualities in the songs and websites, in blogs and photographs. But enough with the foreword, let’s get to the record itself. The well-known Bösendorfer says, “Welcome”, and Isabel salutes a commander: “Yo, George!” That’s right - Tori Amos joins the other public persons who blame the government of the president of the USA and the people who stand behind him. A big part of the songs on the album bare strong social engagement and thus this becomes Tori’s most political record. But her expressive confessions are not forgotten, too. After the brief introduction, we are welcomed by the perky rhythm of “Big Wheel”. This track had to be the first single off “American Doll Posse”, until it came along that behind the playful joy of the music flow the revelations of a milf. Yes, the redhead has decided to shock and surprise again. Tori stakes again on the piano, her voice and the strong lyrics as a manner of expression and creative catalyst. The songs on her new album pass through all the moods she’s been serving to us for 15 years - calm and lyrical compositions (“Digital Dog”; “Girl Disappearing”), explosive outbursts (“Teenage Hustling”; “You Can Bring Your Dog”), short yet sticking in the mind tracks (“Fat Slut”; “Programmable Soda”), bumptious and groovy admissions (“Body and Soul”; “Bouncing Off Clouds”), cuts we seem to know long ago (like the reminding of a Russian romance “Velvet Revolution”, dedicated to the fall of the communist regimen in Eastern Europe in the end of 1989). Thus the songs are different, yet united as the different women whose talented incarnation is the singer. And the combining thread (besides the voice and the piano, of course) is the lyrical sincerity. For the recordings of this album Tori Amos used her own studio in Cornwall, UK, where her family is settled. For another consecutive album in a row, the closest to her are the musicians who’ve been supporting her for years - John Evans is on the bass, behind the drums is Matt Chamberlain, and on guitar is Mac Aladdin. And, naturally, Tori in the role of the dolls from the posse. Whether because of the personifications or by boredom of the softness of her previous couple of albums, here she shows her aggressive creative side again. After a long absence we hear her strong, bordering to scream singing, her almost angry hissing and her almost sleepy purring. The songs are like regards from the wonderful “Little Earthquakes”, “Under the Pink”, “Boys for Pele” and “From the Choirgirl Hotel”, only that they’re sent by Tori today, in her strongest and most varied album since 1999. And when you hear “American Doll Posse” for the first time, you already know that Santa, Clyde, Isabel, Pip and Tori will visit you very often from your hi-fi speakers.