Tori Amos to release first “seasonal” album

With a nearly two-decade-long career of grinding out soulful, tortured songs about life, love, and the pursuit of sex under her belt, singer/songwriter Tori Amos has already written a foot-stomping anthem declaring herself a MILF. Now for her next milestone: a Christmas album. (And, hey, if it’s good enough for Dylan ... ) Amos is set to release Midwinter Graces (Universal Republic) on November 10. With this record, it would seem that Amos, the daughter of a Methodist minister, is embracing her churchy roots with an arsenal of Yuletide-targeted hits, including “Star of Wonder” and the composite “What Child, Nowell.” Toriamos.com announced the news last week, with Amos two weeks into the European leg of her tour for Abnormally Attracted to Sin, which dropped to a fair amount of critical acclaim this past May. Midwinter Graces will also feature a couple of original tracks by Amos, including “Pink and Glitter” -- a tune that, from the name alone, we can only imagine is destined for Christmas-ditty canonization alongside the likes of “Silver Bells.” While at the moment this strikes us as an Onion-esque work of self-parody, it’s possible that this album could be great ... or a slight against God and Kris Kringle. We'll find out soon enough.

--Alexandra Cavallo