Feature articles:
Covered Girls: Tori and the Art of Reinterpretation. Part 2. By Alex Ramon
While Tori's earlier covers had generally met with acclaim, the
response to SLG was much more mixed. Reviews of the album ranged
from the enthusiastic through the ambivalent to the openly hostile.
Arguably these latter responses--expressed in offensively personal
terms which labeled Tori a desecrator of the work of male song-writing
"geniuses"--reflected some of the prejudices that the album itself was
seeking to expose, revealing the sexism of some rock journalists and
their antagonism to any project which might be described by today's
real taboo "F" word: feminist.
Parental Advisory: Bonding Over "Bonnie" (and Clyde). By Lynne Stahl
"Though the lyrics ostensibly portray an angry, hypermasculine man
whose place has been usurped by a new husband, it is interesting to
note that Eminem's speaker (too many critics have committed the
literary faux pas of automatically assuming that because the song is
written in the first person the "I" necessarily corresponds to the
author) is actually feminizing himself by taking on the mother's role.
He will be the primary caregiver--presumably he will make the meals,
change the sheets, and even, as he puts it, "change [her] dai-dee." No
one can accuse him of being a deadbeat dad, certainly - just deadly."
Independence Day: Recording Artists Find Solace In Creativity and
Control Over Distribution of Their Music. By Renee Roberson
"For Tori, making music has never been about the money, really. All
you have to do is listen to any of the melodies and lyrics on Little
Earthquakes to realize she wasn't intent on making music for the
masses, even back then. The same goes for several other artists who
have claimed their own independence from record labels over the years.
Here's a look at just a few of the musicians who have reclaimed their
artistry -- and in many cases, their self-worth -- one note at a
time."
Bite the Hand: Trent and Tori warn listeners to Fight the Power. By Aimee Lortskell
"Last year we got albums from Trent and Tori within a few weeks of
each other-- Year Zero and American Doll Posse respectively--the
first time either put out a political work on this scale. Trent's
overt political commentary has in the past been somewhat minimal, but
Tori has made political statements many times, and we saw on tour how
her political alter ego Isabel appropriated songs like "Sweet Dreams"
and "Sweet Sangria" for her own. But their 2007 releases represented
new territory, as they each focused more sharply on the current
political climate in America and where it might eventually lead us."
The Power of Song: the Music of Leonard Cohen. By Angela Reid
Cohen was, in a sense, a rock-star among writers, well known for his
extreme lifestyle. Like Tori, he had an early penchant for
experimentation with sacred drugs. But it wasn't until folk-singer
Judy Collins released a version of his song "Suzanne" that he chose to
mainstream his musical side. He made his stage debut at the Newport
Folk Festival in the summer of 1967 and even before the release of his
first album was selling out concerts. Cohen's music is, like his
poetry and prose, dark and brooding, leading Spin's Mikal Gilmore to
dub him "the godfather of Depressive Rock."
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