Midwinter Graces
by Tori Amos
Metascore
68

Generally favorable reviews - based on 10 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 10
  3. Negative: 0 out of 10
  1. PopMatters
    80
    Midwinter Graces is 12 tracks long, a perfect length, and most of the production is spot-on.
  2. The Guardian
    80
    Amos sounds so tranquil she could almost be floating, but the stateliness of the orchestral backing keeps the songs grounded.
  3. Billboard.com
    78
    Her latest release, Midwinter Graces, is a typically provocative-in the best possible way-entry in the yuletide canon.
  5. Under The Radar
    70
    Midwinter Graces succeeds where so many other holiday classics fail miserably. I never thought I'd say this, but with Midwinter Graces, Amos has made a holiday album that deserves to sit alongside those classics that you'll actualy listen to this winter.

Awards & Rankings

82
#82 Most Shared Album of 2009

User Reviews

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User Score
8.6

Universal acclaim- based on 86 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 78 out of 86
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 86
  3. Negative: 3 out of 86
  1. datura
    Dec 27, 2011
    9
    Most Tori Amos music is for a particular ear. You're not likely to hear many of her singles on your local top 40-based radio station. ButMost Tori Amos music is for a particular ear. You're not likely to hear many of her singles on your local top 40-based radio station. But MIDWINTER GRACES, Tori's eleventh studio recording, is an album for everyone. Tori's take on the seasonal theme is a huge and surprising winner. There's little controversy here. Unlike some of her earlier releases, she doesn't mention drugs (FROM THE CHOIRGIRL HOTEL) or Satan (BOYS FOR PELE) or masturbation (UNDER THE PINK), but for once, that's a good thing in an Amos recording.

    Aside from the simple and beautiful "Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht (Silent Night, Holy Night)" -- available on the deluxe version -- there are no traditional songs on this record. A handful are Amos-penned originals, while most are creative medleys or re-imagined versions of classic carols.

    The album opens with the majestic "What Child, Nowell," featuring the return of the harpsichord, which was so expertly used on Tori's third album, BOYS FOR PELE. It's followed by one of the album's best tracks, "Star of Wonder" -- a fantastic reworking of "We Three Kings." Both tracks will please Tori-first-timers and Tori-fanatics alike. As will the climactic Amos original "Winter's Carol (from THE LIGHT PRINCESS)", which celebrates the winter solstice.

    One can hardly imagine that the woman who sang the story of her own violent rape in "Me and a Gun" on LITTLE EARTHQUAKES and raged against secular religion in songs like "God" and "Crucify" could treat Christmas classics with such care and reverence without seeming like she's double-dealing. However, Tori shines on her reworkings of Christian standards "Candle: Coventry Carol" and "Emmanuel."

    The most remarkable thing about this record is that Tori succeeds in delivering a truly seasonal record yet you would not feel out of place listening to Amos-written originals like the romantic "A Silent Night with You" or the big band number "Pink and Glitter" or the radio-friendly "Snow Angel" at any time of the year.

    MIDWINTER GRACES carries itself with a dignity that many holiday albums don't manage. "Our New Year" is an emotional tribute to loss, while "Comfort and Joy" -- available on the deluxe version -- is classic, introspective Tori.

    No one should be without a copy of MIDWINTER GRACES this holiday season.    … Full Review »
  2. KrissyG
    Nov 26, 2009
    2
    With "Midwinter Graces", Tori Amos has finally put her ability to crank out the product on full force in a year that also saw the release of With "Midwinter Graces", Tori Amos has finally put her ability to crank out the product on full force in a year that also saw the release of her fourth consecutive double-album, Abnormally Attracted to Sin. Amos's ability to craft a good melody is best put to work on tracks like "Winter's Carol", an Amos original from an upcoming musical, or "Holly, Ivy, and Rose", a duet with her daughter that incorporates Amos' writing into the traditional carol, "The Holly and the Ivy". If only years ago she had joined forces with a screenwriter to create an inspired Disney musical, Amos could have produced a work fitting of her unique compositional ability. Instead, Amos falls prey to the fashion of her pop persona and drowns her songs in fastidiously cliched MOR production in a pitch for perfection ("Harps of Gold"), resulting in an album that will remain unnoticed and unbought for many Christmases to come.… Full Review »
  3. elly
    Nov 26, 2009
    10
    The only christmas-themed album which I would listen to all year long. It's always nice to hear Tori sing some pretty songs I love her voice.
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