The Beekeeper product reviews

19 songs. Almost 80 minutes. That's plenty of time, believe me. This album is almost totally back to front, and seems out of order even! The songs are apparently arrnaged into 'gardens' of common theme, a grouping that fails to translate over into the actualt track order... which can get quite disturbing as the album overall has no real flow or 'story' for the listener to follow or be guided by.

After her stunning success in the past, it is a great disappointment to see such a talented artist fall short of her achievable goals, as this album clearly shows. Surrounded by the musical equivalent of 'yes men', Tori's self-produced album rambles off into the upper reaches of a self-deluded soundscape without any semblance of control or restraint keeping the album in the range of her fan base.

The stunning trademark piano work that Tori rode to fame is almost shamefully hidden behind drums and synth, removing the signature of her artistry... for me, this was almost a crime against musical art, as it ruined a few tracks that would otherwise have had some merit.

Overall, this album does rally in the second half, with tunes that carry memories of her past glories... however in it's current format it just doesn't cut the mustard at all. With a flat and uninspiring first half, and a somewhat slightly-above-average second half, this averages out to a chronic case of ho-hum, despite the duet with Irish folk singer, Damien Rice, which had so much potential but ended up flat and sterile, lacking anything the avid listener could latch onto. This album could have been another brilliant album, 9th in a row, if only she hadn't taken the reigns and wandered off into the aether instead of hacking it into shape and mixing it properly.