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The Beekeeper is the eighth studio album by Tori Amos. It was released on February 20, 2005 on Epic Records. As with many of her releases throughout the 2000s, The Beekeeper is a concept album, with a main theme throughout the album being the art of beekeeping and its relation to femininity and female empowerment. The album's ninteen songs are separated into six different "gardens", denoted in the booklet. Topics explored include the birth of her daughter ("Ribbons Undone"), betrayal ("Witness"), and Christian mythology ("Marys of the Sea").

Like many of Amos' albums, The Beekeeper was self-produced and recorded at Martian Engineering Studios in Cornwall, England with mixing done by her husband Mark Hawley and Marcel van Limbeek. Amos is backed by frequent collaborators Mac Aladdin on guitar, Jon Evans on bass, and Matt Chamberlain on drums. Additionally, Irish singer Damien Rice and the London Community Gospel Choir provide guest vocals. The Beekeeper continues the stripped-down approach of Amos' previous album Scarlet's Walk, yet the album also exhibits much more influence from soul music on tracks such as "Sweet the Sting" and "Witness" and features extensive use of the Hammond B-3 organ.

The Beekeeper was critically and commercially successful, with sales of over 295,000 in her home country. The album peaked at number 5 in the US becoming Amos' fifth US top ten album. Most reviews were positive, although some criticism was directed at the album's length. Additionally, some critics expressed confusion at the album's concept and felt much of the album did not explicitly fit into its themes. "Sleeps with Butterflies" and "Sweet the Sting" were released as singles to promote the album, with the former peaking at number four on the Billboard Adult Alternative Airplay chart (her second-highest position on the chart).

Background
After the release of the covers album Strange Little Girls in 2001, Amos left Atlantic Records for Epic to release Scarlet's Walk. A primary motivation for the label switch was the company's president Polly Anthony. Amos felt Anthony would commit to properly promoting her work, something she felt Atlantic had not done with her recent releases. However, with Anthony's resignation in 2003 and Epic's merger with BMG Entertainment, she ended up in a similarly frustrating position. In response, Amos formed the Bridge Entertainment Group, a company focused on assisting musicians in various ways at a time when the landscape of the music industry was rapidly changing.

Track listing
Note: An additional track, "Garlands", appears on a DVD included in the limited edition of the album.

Personnel

 * Tori Amos – Bösendorfer piano, Hammond B-3 organ (1, 2, 5, 7, 11, 14) vocals, handclaps (16)
 * Mac Aladdin – acoustic and electric guitars, mandolin (4), twelve-string guitar (17)
 * Jon Evans – bass guitar, upright bass (4, 10), Hammond bass pedals (14), handclaps (16)
 * Matt Chamberlain – drums, handclaps (16)
 * Damien Rice – additional vocals (3)
 * London Community Gospel Choir – backing vocals (2, 8, 11, 16)
 * Kelsey Dobyns – additional backing vocals (9)
 * Alison Evans – handclaps (16)
 * Chelsea Laird – handclaps (16)