SCARLET'S WALK (2002)

From the confusion and chaos that marked one of the most harrowing episodes in American history comes Tori Amos's masterwork. Scarlet's Walk, the follow-up to her critically acclaimed covers LP, Strange Little Girls, was written on a cross-country road trip shortly after the terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C. Over the course of 3,000 miles and 18 tracks, the crimson-haired singer encounters rogue lovers ("A Sorta Fairytale"), reformed porn stars ("Amber Waves"), and an entire cast of characters who embody the spirit of a country suddenly searching for an identity. The album serves as both an ambitious travelogue and as a graceful rejoinder to the bitterness and frustration that inspired it, with Amos wading through swells of sadness ("I Can't See New York"), anger ("Don't Make Me Come to Vegas"), and insecurity ("Your Cloud") with velvety grace. -- Aidin Vaziri  (Amazon.com)