Ocean to Ocean
by Tori Amos
  • Record Label: Decca
  • Release Date: Oct 29, 2021
User Score
8.7

Universal acclaim- based on 37 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 32 out of 37
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 37
  3. Negative: 3 out of 37
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  1. Extrasauce
    Oct 30, 2021
    10
    Beautiful. Stand outs are:
    Addition of light divided
    Speaking with trees
    Devil's Bane
    Swim to new york state
    Spies
    Ocean to ocean
    Flowers burn to gold
    Metal water wood
    29 years

    Do not listen to Segundoleo26 - they have just copy and pasted their response from some bland nothing review from Slant, some wanna be critic company, who don't know what they're talking about.
  2. Holyspirits
    Oct 30, 2021
    10
    Wow! What a ride!! This is her best work yet, and I'm including little earthquakes!!! Honestly, this is breath of fresh air and you need to do yourself a favour and listen to this amazing album
  3. DanJ91
    Oct 30, 2021
    10
    This is Toris best work in years. You'll want to hear this one. She seems to evolve every album, and sometimes it doesn't work (for my ears at least), but here she gives us some of her best work, a true continuation of the work we all loved and an album that will bring you back to the 90's and into the future. Pure bliss.
  4. Emeraldheels
    Oct 30, 2021
    10
    Beautiful and innovative! She has completely transformed, but in a way that is respectful to her fans. This is what new tori amos should sound like, and it's brilliant.
  5. Xtraordinarymac
    Oct 30, 2021
    10
    Just amazing.. best work in 20 years. Absolutely astonishing how she still can do it at almost 60 years of age. She’s just like a fine wine.
  6. ravenvenom
    Oct 29, 2021
    9
    Tori Amos has been a bit hit or miss over the past decade and a half, I am the first to admit. The albums were overly and unnecessarily long with the amazing and very good songs being mixed up with meh and songs that would have been her bsides if were still in the 90s, so I was excited for this release but expecting the same.
    To my (pleasant) surprise, Ocean To Ocean is a return to form.    Tori Amos has been a bit hit or miss over the past decade and a half, I am the first to admit. The albums were overly and unnecessarily long with the amazing and very good songs being mixed up with meh and songs that would have been her bsides if were still in the 90s, so I was excited for this release but expecting the same.
    To my (pleasant) surprise, Ocean To Ocean is a return to form. I realise that phrase is thrown around a lot but this is definitely Tori's most consistent album since To Venus and Back and Scarlet's Walk.
    The two singles 'Speaking With Trees' and 'Spies' and upbeat, catchy songs that will be stuck in your head after a few listens. 'Metal, Water, Wood' is the masterpiece on this album and a worthy single, if the industry and streaming teenagers of the world didn't ignore artists that were older than 30.
    On the whole, the album is filled with upbeat and catchy songs, which draws you in. Flowers Burn To Gold and the title track are probably the slowest songs on the album. These are also the weakest songs in this concise but excellent set.
    Absolute highlights are:
    Metal Water Wood
    Speaking With Trees
    Spies
    Addition of Light Divided
    Devil's Bane
    How Glass Is Made
    29 Years    … Expand
  7. PunishingLight
    Oct 30, 2021
    10
    In my top 10 albums of the year for sure. Such a personal album, and her vocals and the production are top notch. “Flowers Burn to Gold” is stunningly beautiful, in particular, and a love letter to her mother, I am assuming. A new Tori album is like Christmas morning for me and this one didn’t disappoint. I’m also becoming more fond of it as I listen.
  8. HernandoNeto
    Oct 30, 2021
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Gorgeous and, surprisingly, expansive album, given the fact that grief is the main theme here. Tori is back with Jon Evans, Matt Chamberlain and John Philip Shenale, and she relies on their partnership to make almost every song very rhythmic and cinematic. Her songwriting skills are on point, and my personal standouts are “Addition of Light Divided”, “Devil’s Bane”, “Swim to New York State”, “Metal Water Wood” & “Birthday Baby”.… Expand
  9. mighty_mindful
    Oct 30, 2021
    9
    She really benefits here from keeping the songs tight and focused. Some of her albums tend to indulge in meandering. Here, she has cut the fluff and presented us with an edited collection of 11 really well produced tracks, a few are standard fare for superfans, and a few are unexpected new sonic shapes.
  10. lakeham4
    Oct 30, 2021
    10
    Ocean to Ocean is a great album and continues the journey she has been on since the release of 'Unrepentant Geraldines' when Tori returned to her music after a foray with the musical 'The Light Princess'. The album is full of great songs, my favorites are; Metal Water Wood, Speaking With Trees, Spies, Addition of Light Divided, Devil's Bane, How Glass Is Made, 29 Years.
  11. Gerart
    Oct 30, 2021
    9
    Fantastic album! Her best in years and years. Beautiful layered production. Listen with good headphones or speakers.
  12. HighnDry
    Oct 30, 2021
    10
    An intense ride of beauty and creativity. This album isn't some experiment in delving into unknown territory, its an aggressive leap into a world that tori is able to dominate. Each song has its own uniqueness to it, and each song will leave you wanting more. This album is the tori her fans deserve.
  13. Segundoleo26
    Oct 30, 2021
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Tori Amos has all but given up on pushing the limits of her instrument básic ugh… Expand
  14. LionInFLL
    Nov 7, 2021
    9
    Not to diminish some top-quality tracks that Tori has released since 2002's Scarlet's Walk, but her compilations over the last 19 years have been at times mediocre and bloated. Thankfully it feels as if Tori has been harnessing her creative powers beginning with Geraldines and tightening her focus. Upon first listen, Ocean seems as if it brings us more of the same Tori to which we becameNot to diminish some top-quality tracks that Tori has released since 2002's Scarlet's Walk, but her compilations over the last 19 years have been at times mediocre and bloated. Thankfully it feels as if Tori has been harnessing her creative powers beginning with Geraldines and tightening her focus. Upon first listen, Ocean seems as if it brings us more of the same Tori to which we became accustomed to in the 2000s; it very much felt like Tori-by-the-numbers on the first couple of spins. However, after repeated listens, it is very clear that this is a very welcome return to form. This is a high-volume or earbud album, as the production is spot on and seldom falters (such as when her husband's screeching guitar drowns out one of the most important lines of the album on "How Glass Is Made"). The best of Tori's albums are the ones which are slow to reveal themselves, like peeling back the layers of an onion, and Ocean stands right along side her earlier works as a triumph. What is interesting here, though, is that Tori relies less lyrically on oblique imagery and more on relatable terms of emotion. The songs also deeply depend upon perspective; for example, the title track may seem like an overdone manifesto on climate change, until you realize to hair-raising effect that the song could be sung by the ocean itself or by a distraught whale caught in a fisherman's net, begging for nature's sons to free her. Every single track on this album is essential to telling the story of the whole. It also hearkens back to her entire career, often in very tangible and delicate ways, such as the sampled electronic pulse following the word "Venus" on Devil's Bane (from To Venus and Back) or the tango references of Birthday Baby to "Blood Roses" of Boys for Pele. Tori also offers up some of the most devastating lyrics of her career, as evidenced by a simple read of "Flowers" or "Glass." All in all, this is a masterwork in album creation, and it is a joy to have Matt and Jon back into the fold. We are all blessed to still have this amazingly talented person sharing her work with the world.… Expand
  15. Venusman
    Nov 3, 2021
    10
    Love this album. My favorite 'complete' album from her since Scarlet's Walk. I'm a fan since 1994 and on every album I find gems, but the cohesiveness of this one and the magic in the production, sound and mixing totally supports some of her most gorgeous melodies and lyrics. Also, love that it's just 11 songs - it really shines and I want to keep playing it.
  16. Jballard
    Nov 1, 2021
    10
    Tori rarely disappoints, and this is no exception. A stunning, beautiful quiet record that feels like a warm hug. Every Tori album is great in its own way, and this one is a standout to me.
  17. Doomgirl
    Nov 4, 2021
    3
    This reminds me of Y Kant Tori Read. I was really bummed out by the auto tune and super studio produced sound. Tori doesn’t need all that…with that being said far be it for me to dog on something that was cathartic for her in regard to the passing of her mother. Y Kant Tori Read was followed by the birth of Little Earthquakes. One can only hope Ocean to Ocean will bring the coming of anThis reminds me of Y Kant Tori Read. I was really bummed out by the auto tune and super studio produced sound. Tori doesn’t need all that…with that being said far be it for me to dog on something that was cathartic for her in regard to the passing of her mother. Y Kant Tori Read was followed by the birth of Little Earthquakes. One can only hope Ocean to Ocean will bring the coming of an album of that caliber.… Expand
  18. justthom
    Feb 27, 2023
    6
    I like how hushed her vocals are on the songs about loss--she sounds as comforting as she's ever sounded--but I found myself wishing she'd crank up the volume and intensity on Devil's Bane and a few others. The studio players are featured more heavily than any other of her albums I can think of, which is sometimes fun. The bassline on Spies is great. The guitar on Speaking with TreesI like how hushed her vocals are on the songs about loss--she sounds as comforting as she's ever sounded--but I found myself wishing she'd crank up the volume and intensity on Devil's Bane and a few others. The studio players are featured more heavily than any other of her albums I can think of, which is sometimes fun. The bassline on Spies is great. The guitar on Speaking with Trees sounds like Doll Posse era but lifted higher in the mix. The song about her mom is beautiful and touching.

    More often than not, though, I found myself wishing for more stripped back/raw arrangements to go with the intimacy of the themes. Also, frankly, I just wanted less band, more piano. She's the star musician and I love her for her playing as much as anything else.

    I'm definitely adding the highlights like Trees and Spies to my playlists. Glad for the new music regardless. Beekeeper is still my favorite album of Tori being comforting and soothing--love Native Invader for that, too. Beekeeper has aged really well, very sex-positive. Excited for the new tour, definitely gonna get tickets.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

63
#63 Most Discussed Album of 2021

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
81

Universal acclaim - based on 9 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 9
  3. Negative: 0 out of 9
  1. Pitchfork
    Dec 3, 2021
    73
    Still in search of “a most elusive truth,” but using all of her talents to bring herself and her listeners ever closer to it.
    Read full review
  2. The Quietus
    Nov 2, 2021
    80
    This is a gauzy and sometimes deceptively accessible album about falling all the way to the bottom and wondering if there’s any way back.
    Read full review
  3. Glide Magazine
    Nov 1, 2021
    80
    At eleven songs, Ocean to Ocean is Amos’ lithest, most condensed album of original songs since 1999’s To Venus to Back. The album benefits from the tracklist’s economy, and for the first time in over a decade, there are no songs that stick out as filler or potential b-sides; rather, all eleven songs on Ocean to Ocean are vital parts of the album’s whole. Even on some of the less immediately engaging ones, like “Flowers Burn to Gold,” the lyrics offer some of Amos’ most striking imagery.
    Read full review
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