The Beekeeper

The Beekeeper is the eighth studio album by American singer-songwriter and pianist Tori Amos. It was released on February 20, 2005, through Epic Records and is her second release for the label. As with many of Amos's releases throughout the 2000s, The Beekeeper is a concept album, heavily inspired by the practice of beekeeping and its connection to femininity and female empowerment. The album's nineteen tracks are separated into six different "gardens" (denoted in the booklet of the limited edition of the album), and are inspired by topics such as her experiences with motherhood ("Ribbons Undone"), betrayal ("Witness"), and Christian mythology ("Marys of the Sea").

The Beekeeper continues the stripped-back approach of Amos's previous album Scarlet's Walk (2002), now with strong elements of soul music, augmented by guest vocals from the London Community Gospel Choir and Amos's use of the Hammond B-3 organ. Supporting musicians on the album include frequent collaborators Matt Chamberlain on drums, Jon Evans on bass, and Mac Aladdin on guitar. Live performance was emphasized during the recording sessions, rather than having musicians record their parts separately using overdubs.

The album was a success upon its release, reaching the top five in the US and receiving generally positive reviews from critics, although some criticism was directed at its length and production. "Sleeps with Butterflies" and "Sweet the Sting" were released as singles to promote the album, with the former reaching number four on the Billboard Adult Alternative Airplay chart (her second-highest position on the chart to date). The album was supported by the Original Sinsuality and Summer of Sin tours, which ran from May through July and August through September of that year, respectively. Similar to Scarlet's Walk, a double-disc limited edition of The Beekeeper was released, containing a bonus DVD with the extra track "Garlands" and a mini-documentary about the album's songs and a "Beekeeper Mix" packet of wildflower seeds.