Native Invader
| Native Invader | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 8, 2017 | |||
| Recorded | 2016–2017 | |||
| Studio | Martian Engineering Studios, Cornwall, UK | |||
| Length | 61:57 | |||
| Label | Decca | |||
| Producer | Tori Amos | |||
| Tori Amos chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Native Invader | ||||
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| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 76/100 |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |
 
|
| Pitchfork | 7.5/10 |
Native Invader is the fifteenth studio album (twelfth of entirely original material) by American singer-songwriter Tori Amos. It was released on September 8, 2017, through Decca Records. Its lead single "Cloud Riders", was released on July 27, 2017.
Background
Amos contributed the song "Flicker" for Netflix documentary film Audrie & Daisy's ending credits. In a Billboard interview, Amos was asked about future plans, revealing there will be "another album next year. We're in beginning stages and it might be a very different record beginning Nov. 9, but let's see where we're going."
On April 18, Amos began a five-day countdown with a series of Instagram posts depicting a studio and a "sacred fire". On the fifth day, the news was revealed to be a brand new album and world tour.
Inspiration
In her fan newsletter, it states in Summer 2016, Amos took a road trip through North Carolina's Smoky Mountains with intention to reconnect with the stories of her mother's family. That winter, her mother suffered a stroke. With that and the 2016 United States election, the album took a different direction. Amos states, "It wasn't going to be a record of pain, blood and bone when I began. It wasn't going to be a record of division ... I listened and watched the conflicts that were traumatizing the nation and [wrote] about those raw emotions."
Regarding writing the songs, Amos has said that "[T]here's an intake and an outtake period. That's when I'm finding works. So there was a deluge for Native Invader after quite a while of waiting for the muses to come. And then once things aligned and there was enough pressure [from] what was going on in the world and what happened to Mary, then all of a sudden, it's kismet and it all lined up. Now, it doesn't always work like that where it comes as a rush where I'm working on 7 songs at a time but that's what started to happen and you start filing really quickly and go 'Oh, you're not a part of this structure are you. Oh, no you are! You’re a "Reindeer King"! You're three different songs at once!'"
A major source of inspiration for the album was Amos' belief that her white Appalachian ancestors from North Carolina and Tennessee were of Cherokee descent. During her trip to the Great Smoky Mountains, Amos acknowledged that she had Confederate ancestors. Both Tori Amos and her sister Dr. Marie Amos Dobyns have claimed Eastern Cherokee heritage and her sister has created ties with Native American organizations, such as by joining the Association of American Indian Physicians, an organization that allows people to join based on self-identification as Native Americans. While the album incorporates Native American themes, Tori Amos stated that she is an "observer" of Native American culture who is "not in a position to speak for First Nations people– that’s a sacred task."
Critical reception
Native Invader was well-received from music critics upon release. The album received a score of 76 out of 100 on the review aggregator website Metacritic, based on 14 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
Reviewing the album for AllMusic, Neil Z. Yeung wrote, "Native Invader stands tall with its own vital voice and energy, alluding to beloved touchstones from throughout Amos' oeuvre while remaining fully of its time."
Pitchfork rated the album positively, claiming that "[Amos'] intricately arranged songs are passionate and despairingly poetic."
Native Invader Tour
To promote the album, Amos embarked on the Native Invader Tour across Europe and North America. The tour began on September 6, 2017, in Cork, Ireland and concluded on December 3 in Los Angeles, California.
Regarding Amos duetting live with her daughter Tash, "I don't think on this tour but [...] in the not so long future. [...] It is one of those things again that kind of has to be something we work up and rehearse."
Track listing
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Reindeer King" | 7:06 |
| 2. | "Wings" | 4:09 |
| 3. | "Broken Arrow" | 5:20 |
| 4. | "Cloud Riders" | 5:23 |
| 5. | "Up the Creek" (feat. Tash) | 3:22 |
| 6. | "Breakaway" | 4:36 |
| 7. | "Wildwood" | 4:41 |
| 8. | "Chocolate Song" | 4:41 |
| 9. | "Bang" | 6:11 |
| 10. | "Climb" | 4:02 |
| 11. | "Bats" | 4:18 |
| 12. | "Benjamin" | 2:43 |
| 13. | "Mary's Eyes" | 5:16 |
| Total length: | 61:57 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 14. | "Upside Down 2" | 3:23 |
| 15. | "Russia" | 2:44 |
| Total length: | 68:07 | |
Personnel
- Tori Amos – Bösendorfer piano, Hammond organ, keyboards, vocals, programming, additional instrumentation
- Mac Aladdin – guitar
- John Philip Shenale – synth programming, additional keyboards (tracks 1 and 13)
- Mark Hawley – programming, additional instrumentation
- Tash – vocals (track 5)
Charts
| Chart (2017) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA) | 113 |
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) | 21 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) | 19 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) | 46 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) | 20 |
| French Albums (SNEP) | 128 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) | 18 |
| Irish Albums (IRMA) | 20 |
| Italian Albums (FIMI) | 50 |
| New Zealand Heatseekers Albums (RMNZ) | 5 |
| Polish Albums (ZPAV) | 19 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC) | 15 |
| Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE) | 87 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) | 23 |
| UK Albums (OCC) | 16 |
| US Billboard 200 | 39 |
| US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard) | 3 |
| US Top Rock Albums (Billboard) | 6 |