CaptainHowdy

@Ole: if I had to recommend my favorite, I would say "Boys for Pele," but all of her first four albums (the aforementioned, which is the third; the reviewed, which is the first; "Under the Pink," the second; and "From the Choirgirl Hotel," the fourth) are so unique and special (and especially different from each other) that each deserves a listen. Therefore, I would go in chronological order and start with "Little Earthquakes."

The others...

Zion my old friend ;-), I experienced those years firsthand, it's hard for me to be off by three years :-D, "Central Reservation" is indeed a great album (among other things, it contains its best song, the beautiful "Stolen Car") but this and "Daybreaker" are in my opinion superior, @Trell: I don't know if the question is ironic (because of my inability to use accented characters) but yes, I started recently. Thanks to everyone else for the comments!

Artistically, I don't like them; when it comes to the political discourse, there's not much to say and to make sophisms about (as many of you have done, as usual). This group exalt objectively wrong ideals; hatred is a deplorable thing, no matter what ideological side it comes from. There aren't many things in life that are clear, and this is one of them. If you want to play the game of who is more cultured and politically more prepared, go ahead, but you're only harming yourselves. Without controversy and with my heart in hand. Moreno.

But what do you think someone with that nickname could like?

This is a beautiful album and will be truly understood only after a few years.

@Mike76, I can only tell you that you are wrong in this idea of yours, and for once I can say that this is definitely objective, both on the repertoire (she is among the singer-songwriters who have most changed their sound over the course of their careers; listen to the reviewed album and the other four from the '90s and you'll understand) and on the Modena discussion—I was there too... No controversy, bye.

I think there’s a reason why the audience of Amos praises "Boys for Pele," don’t you? Maybe because those who have a soft spot for this artist have spent a little more time trying to understand it, to explore it, to experience it. When it comes to being underrated or the opposite, one has to remain either in the criticism or among the general public. You know better than I do that among fans, dynamics often unfold that are very different from those of other listeners. As for the pretentious and self-satisfied discourse, I completely disagree; it’s an album so sparse in arrangements and with themes so painful that it becomes a masterpiece of minimalist singer-songwriter music from those years—and perhaps of all time. Sure, there are more intricate pieces, but in an album over 70 minutes long, that was inevitable. I don't see self-indulgence but rather an artist once again exposing themselves, while at the same time managing to weave their own sound, and I don’t think there's any need to say it loudly.

@Joe, it wasn't a criticism, we were talking about initiations and I shared mine ;-)

Beautiful review, beautiful album but not my favorite from her production; "Under the Pink" and "Boys for Pele" are definitely better, and perhaps also "From the Choirgirl Hotel," especially the second one. I recommend you deactivate anonymous comments next time.
@Mike76: the charm of Amos lies precisely in her compositional strength, both instrumentally (with that mix of classical inventiveness and melodic acrobatics that characterized her at least until '99) and in the lyrics (mystical, dreamy, crazy), and your judgment seems hasty to me; the world is full of interpreters, but not of authors like Amos.
@Flood: "Boys for Pele" is the opposite, definitely underrated, at least by critics (which can be expected given the blindness that usually characterizes them), but it seems also by the public (and that's a shame).