{{for|the Pitbull song|Aquaman (soundtrack)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=September 2021}} {{Infobox album | name = Ocean to Ocean | type = studio | artist = [[Tori Amos]] | cover = Tori Amos - Ocean to Ocean.png | alt = A photo of the artist wearing a black cloak and stood toward the edge of a cliff overlooking the ocean. | released = {{Start date|2021|10|29}} | recorded = 2021 | studio = Martian Engineering Studios ([[Cornwall]], UK) <br> Cyclops Sound Studio ([[Los Angeles]], California) <br> Studio Mezzanotte (Los Angeles, California) <br> Brickhill Studios (Orleans, Massachusetts) | genre = * [[Alternative rock]] * [[chamber pop]] * [[pop rock]]<ref name="PM">{{cite web|url=https://www.popmatters.com/tori-amos-ocean-to-ocean|title=Tori Amos: Ocean to Ocean (Album Review)|work=[[PopMatters]]|last=Vallese|first=Joe|date=October 29, 2021|access-date=December 6, 2021}}</ref> | length = 47:38 | label = [[Decca Records|Decca]] | producer = [[Tori Amos]] | prev_title = [[Christmastide (EP)|Christmastide]] | prev_year = 2020 | next_title = [[Little Earthquakes – The B-Sides]] | next_year = 2023 | misc = {{Singles | name = Ocean to Ocean | type = studio | single1 = [[Speaking with Trees]] | single1date = September 29, 2021 | single2 = Spies | single2date = October 14, 2021 }}}} '''''Ocean to Ocean''''' is the sixteenth studio album by American singer-songwriter and pianist [[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."<ref name="Pitchfork">{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/tori-amos-announces-new-album-ocean-to-ocean/|title=Tori Amos Announces New Album ''Ocean to Ocean''|website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|last1=Hussey|first1=Allison|last2=Monroe|first2=Jazz|date=September 20, 2021|access-date=September 20, 2021}}</ref> 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|''Billboard'' 200]],<ref name="Billboard">{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/tori-amos/ |magazine=Billboard |title=Tori Amos Chart History |access-date=1 April 2023}}</ref> ''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 in [[London]], [[England]] and ended in 2023 in [[Seattle]], [[Washington (state)|Washington]].
==Background==
''Ocean to Ocean'' is the second release of new material by Amos during the COVID-19 pandemic, after the ''[[Christmastide (EP)|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'".<ref name="Fireside">{{Citation |title=Tori Amos Fireside Chat with Noah Michaelson |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qJH7Ko9kK0 |language=en |access-date=2022-03-20}}</ref>
Instead, Amos wrote and recorded a new batch of songs inspired by "the county [Cornwall]'s landscapes and ancient myths".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://inews.co.uk/news/tori-amos-cornwall-lockdown-album-ocean-to-ocean-bats-bude-farm-1204681|title=Tori Amos records Cornwall lockdown album Ocean to Ocean: 'Bats are welcome visitors at my farm'|work=[[i (newspaper)|i]]|last=Sherwin|first=Adam|date=September 20, 2021|access-date=September 21, 2021}}</ref> Additionally, some of the lyrics on the album were said to be a reaction to the [[January 6 United States Capitol attack|2021 United States Capitol attack]].<ref name="Pitchfork"/>
== 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.<ref name="Fireside" />{{verify source|date=April 2023}} 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: "[Matt] had 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 [[The Police|Police]] kind of groove."<ref name="Fireside"/>{{verify source|date=April 2023}}
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.<ref name="Fireside" />
==Music and lyrics== "Addition of Light Divided" was inspired by a visit to a cave in [[Nanjizal|Nanjizal Beach]] (which can be seen on the album artwork).<ref name="Australia">{{cite web |url= https://au.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/tori-amos-the-mermaids-song-33449/ |website=Rolling Stone Australia |title=Tori Amos: The Mermaid's Song |date=11 November 2021 |access-date=1 April 2023}}</ref> 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.<ref name="Scene">{{cite web |url= https://www.clevescene.com/music/tori-amos-who-performs-at-the-state-theatre-on-may-22-talks-about-her-highly-personal-new-album-38779009?media=AMP+HTML |website=Scene |title= Tori Amos, Who Performs at the State Theatre on May 22, Talks About Her Highly Personal New Album |last=Niesel |first=Jeff |date=5 May 2022 |access-date=1 April 2023}}</ref> Lead single "Speaking with Trees" directly confronts the death of Amos' mother and contains themes of connection to nature.<ref name="Australia"/> {{quote box |quote= For 'Addition of Light...', we really wanted to create this [...] vocal… not 'coven' that surrounded (my niece) but kind of [...] and we really wanted to, through voice, almost create this circle of light around her that would find her in New York at this particular time when we did it.<ref name="Fireside"/>{{verify source|date=April 2023}}|source=–Tori Amos on the vocal arrangements for "Addition of Light Divided"|align=right|width=30%|style=padding:8px;}}
== Other songs == Speaking about a track named "Ballerina":
{{cquote|There was a song on the (shelved) record ...called 'Ballerina' and I'm not sure how that got conjured. I can't remember what drove me to write it but I think [...] I began writing it in Florida, and when I'm on my own in Florida, conjuring starts to happen, imagination starts to happen, maybe fears start to happen. [...] An archetypal worst fear for some women is when the love of their life falls in love with a younger woman...so I wanted to I think explore it as a myth, as an idea, and I knew people who were going through this. [...] I didn't feel that those details [of those people] were going to 'magic' the story, so I did something. [...] There we are in Cornwall in the pantry this year and I'm thinking 'Ballerina, maybe she can make the record' and (my daughter's boyfriend) goes 'Ballerina -- is that about you and Mark?' and I said 'no, n-n-no.' He said 'but it is--' and I said 'n-n-n-n-n-no!' and then later on it became clear: 'Oh my god, what have I done?' [...] We're shooting the album cover and we're talking about the archetype of the witch and what the witch was doing, and the malevolent witch versus the benevolent witch, and that my malevolent witch was getting me to maybe lose my marriage and put a bomb in my marriage bed. [...] I have a good marriage, so it's like 'Where is the saboteur? What is this?' [...] 'Ballerina' gets thrown off the stage. [...] I really had to surrender and say 'No, I'm not going to do that.' And then all of a sudden just out of nowhere comes the line with the chords with the melody with (the first line of 'Swim to New York State').<ref name="Fireside" />}}
Recording for a 9-minute song named "Chiron" was not completed due to time constraints in order to complete "Addition of Light Divided".<ref name="Fireside" />
== Critical reception == {{Music ratings | MC = 81/100<ref name="MC"/> | rev1 = ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]'' | rev1score = 7.3/10<ref>{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/tori-amos-ocean-to-ocean/|title=Tori Amos: Ocean to Ocean Album Review|website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|last=Johnston|first=Maura|author-link=Maura Johnston |date=December 3, 2021|access-date=December 6, 2021}}</ref> | rev2 = ''[[PopMatters]]'' | rev2score = 8/10<ref name="PM"/> }} ''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.<ref name="MC">{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/ocean-to-ocean/tori-amos|title=Tori Amos - Ocean to Ocean|publisher=[[Metacritic]]|access-date=December 6, 2021}}</ref>
==Track listing== {{Track listing | headline = ''Ocean to Ocean'' track listing | all_writing = [[Tori Amos]]
| title1 = Addition of Light Divided | length1 = 4:05 | title2 = [[Speaking with Trees]] | length2 = 3:55 | title3 = Devil's Bane | length3 = 4:32 | title4 = Swim to New York State | length4 = 4:20 | title5 = Spies | length5 = 5:59 | title6 = Ocean to Ocean | length6 = 3:30 | title7 = Flowers Burn to Gold | length7 = 3:41 | title8 = Metal Water Wood | length8 = 4:00 | title9 = 29 Years | length9 = 4:47 | title10 = How Glass Is Made | length10 = 3:56 | title11 = Birthday Baby | length11 = 4:44
| total_length = 47:38 }}
==Personnel== '''Musicians''' * [[Tori Amos]] – vocals, [[Bösendorfer]] piano (all tracks); [[Hammond organ|Hammond B3]], [[Yamaha CP88-73|Yamaha CP 88]], [[Rhodes electric piano|Rhodes]], [[Wurlitzer electronic piano|Wurlitzer electric piano]] (1–6, 8–11) * [[John Philip Shenale]] – [[Marxophone]], [[Optigan]], [[Sampling (music)|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 – [[Sound recording and reproduction|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 – [[Audio mixing (recorded music)|mixing]] * [[Jon Astley]] – [[Mastering (audio)|mastering]] * Miles Showell – vinyl mastering
'''Artwork and design''' * Matt Read – package design * Desmond Murray – photography, hair stylist * Kavita Kaul – make-up
==Charts== {| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |+ Chart performance for ''Ocean to Ocean'' ! scope="col"| Chart (2021–2022) ! scope="col"| Peak<br />position |- ! scope="row"| Australian Albums ([[ARIA Charts|ARIA]])<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.aria.com.au/charts/albums-chart/2021-11-08|title=ARIA Top 50 Albums Chart|publisher=[[Australian Recording Industry Association]]|date=November 8, 2021|access-date=November 5, 2021}}</ref> | 46 |- {{album chart|Austria|23|artist=Tori Amos|album=Ocean to Ocean|rowheader=true|access-date=November 10, 2021}} |- {{album chart|Flanders|54|artist=Tori Amos|album=Ocean to Ocean|rowheader=true|access-date=November 7, 2021}} |- {{album chart|Wallonia|57|artist=Tori Amos|album=Ocean to Ocean|rowheader=true|access-date=November 7, 2021}} |- {{album chart|Netherlands|58|artist=Tori Amos|album=Ocean to Ocean|rowheader=true|access-date=November 6, 2021}} |- {{album chart|France|200|M|url=http://snepmusique.com/les-tops/le-top-de-la-semaine/top-albums/?semaine=44?&annee=2021&categorie=Top%20Albums|title=Top Albums (Week 44, 2021)|publisher=Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique|artist=Tori Amos|album=Ocean to Ocean|rowheader=true|access-date=November 8, 2021}} |- {{album chart|Germany|26|id=487147|artist=Tori Amos|album=Ocean to Ocean|rowheader=true|access-date=February 4, 2022}} |- {{album chart|Ireland|96|M|url=http://www.irma.ie/index.cfm?page=irish-charts&chart=Albums|title=Irish Albums Chart: 5 November 2021|publisher=[[Irish Recorded Music Association]]|rowheader=true|access-date=November 6, 2021}} |- {{album chart|Poland|34|id=1401|rowheader=true|access-date=November 11, 2021}} |- {{album chart|Scotland|19|date=20211105|rowheader=true|access-date=November 6, 2021}} |- {{album chart|Switzerland|15|artist=Tori Amos|album=Ocean to Ocean|rowheader=true|access-date=November 7, 2021}} |- {{album chart|UK2|25|date=20211105|rowheader=true|access-date=November 5, 2021}} |- {{album chart|Billboard200|104|artist=Tori Amos|rowheader=true|access-date=November 9, 2021}} |- {{album chart|BillboardAlternative|9|artist=Tori Amos|rowheader=true|access-date=November 9, 2021}} |- {{album chart|BillboardRock|16|artist=Tori Amos|rowheader=true|access-date=November 9, 2021}} |- {{album chart|BillboardAlbumSales|6|artist=Tori Amos|rowheader=true|access-date=November 9, 2021}} |}
==References== {{reflist}}
{{Tori Amos}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:2021 albums]] [[Category:Albums impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic]] [[Category:Chamber pop albums]] [[Category:Cornwall in fiction]] [[Category:Decca Records albums]] [[Category:Tori Amos albums]]