Ocean To Ocean

''Ocean to Ocean'' (stylised in all lowercase) is the sixteenth studio album by American musician Tori Amos. It was released on October 29, 2021 through Decca Records. The album was written during lockdown from the COVID-19 pandemic in Cornwall, England and featured the musicians collaborating remotely, with recording occurring in England, California, and Massachusetts. It is Amos's first studio album since ''Midwinter Graces'' (2009) to feature her typical backing band of Matt Chamberlain on drums, Jon Evans on bass, and Mac Aladdin on guitar.

Amos described the album as "a record about your losses, and how you cope with them." The pandemic, lockdown, and death of Amos' mother all heavily influenced the lyrical content throughout the album. Musically, the album retains her signature piano-centric sound; her daughter Natashya Hawley contributes backing vocals on three tracks.

Despite stalling at number 104 on the ''Billboard'' 200, ''Ocean to Ocean'' received highly positive reviews from critics. The album reached the top 40 in six countries, including the UK where it peaked at number 25. Amos promoted the album through the release of the singles " Speaking with Trees" and "Spies" alongside the ''Ocean to Ocean'' Tour, which started in 2022 and has gone on through 2023.

Background

''Ocean to Ocean'' is the second release of new material by Amos during the COVID-19 pandemic, after the ''Christmastide'' EP in 2020. Through the beginning of 2021, she had already prepared an album's worth of songs; however, she felt the songs did not express sentiments she wanted to express at the time, stating that "these songs, when I would play them back, I would just think 'this is not taking me where I need to go out of this tonality that is toxic'".

Instead, Amos wrote and recorded a new batch of songs inspired by "the county ornwalls landscapes and ancient myths". Additionally, some of the lyrics on the album were said to be a reaction to the 2021 United States Capitol attack.

Recording

Due to Cornwall being under lockdown during the pandemic, all instruments aside from the piano were recorded outside of Martian Engineering Studios without Amos's presence. Tracks were first sent to Chamberlain and then to Evans, with string arrangements by John Philip Shenale or backing vocals by Tash being the last additions. The musicians were not aware of how the others' contributions would affect the song until later in recording; Amos cited the recording of "29 Years" as an example of this dynamic: "atthad no idea, once it left him, anything was going to happen. So I think it probably shocked the hell out of him that Jon Evans took '29 Years' to that Police kind of groove."

During mastering, the sequencing of the album was being discussed. It was considered to open the album with "Metal Water Wood" but ultimately was deemed to be "too literal". The placement of it and of "Devil's Bane" was a point of contention, with a faction of those involved wanted the latter placed farther down the album whereas another faction wanted it earlier.

Music and lyrics

"Addition of Light Divided" was inspired by a visit to a cave in Nanjizal Beach (which can be seen on the album artwork). Amos referenced the detrimental effect of lockdown on personal relationships as an inspiration on the song's lyrics, citing her separation from her niece as a result of the pandemic. Lead single "Speaking with Trees" directly confronts the death of Amos' mother and contains themes of connection to nature.

Other songs

Speaking about a track named "Ballerina":

Recording for a 9-minute song named "Chiron" was not completed due to time constraints in order to complete "Addition of Light Divided".

Critical reception

"Ocean to Ocean" received universal acclaim from music critics upon release. The album received a score of 81 out of 100 on the review aggregator website Metacritic, based on nine reviews, making it Amos' most well-received album since Metacritic began tracking reviews in 2001.

Track listing

Personnel

Musicians
* Tori Amos – vocals, Bösendorfer piano (all tracks); Hammond B3, Yamaha CP 88, Rhodes, Wurlitzer electric piano (1–6, 8–11)
* John Philip Shenale – Marxophone, Optigan, sampling, synthesizer (all tracks); additional keyboards (1, 3–5, 11), Hammond organ (4, 5, 11)
* Tash – additional vocals (1–3)
* Jon Evans – bass (1–6, 8–11)
* Matt Chamberlain – drums, percussion (1–6, 8–11)
* Mark Hawley – guitar (1–6, 8–11), dobro (2, 3)

Technical
* Ann Walker - piano technician
* Mark Hawley – recording, mixing
* Jon Evans – recording (1–6, 8–11)
* John Philip Shenale – recording (1, 3–5, 11)
* Matt Chamberlain – recording (1–6, 8–11)
* Adam Spry – recording assistance
* Adrian Hall – mixing
* Jon Astley – mastering
* Miles Showell – vinyl mastering

Artwork and design
* Matt Read – package design
* Desmond Murray – photography, hair stylist
* Kavita Kaul – make-up

Charts

References

{{Tori Amos

2021 albums
Albums impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic
Cornwall in fiction
Decca Records albums
Tori Amos albums