Album of the Day

“I've always found it fascinating how men say things and women hear them,” noted Tori Amos and STRANGE LITTLE GIRLS is an exploration of that dichotomy. Featuring photos of Amos made up as different characters and accompanying text by author Neil Gaiman, the Atlantic collection is a concept album comprised of covers of songs written by men and reinterpreted from a woman's perspective. Recorded at the singer-songwriter's Cornwall studios, the self-produced set features stripped-down arrangements to maximize the stark power of these dozen tracks. Among the highlights are “97 Bonnie & Clyde” (originally by Eminem), an anti-violence themed “Happiness Is a Warm Gun” and the Best Female Rock Vocal Grammy-nominated title track. The album as a whole earned an Alternative Music Performance Grammy nomination and was a commercial success as well; released on this day in 2001, STRANGE LITTLE GIRLS debuted in the Billboard Top 10.