Kate Bush - 50 Words For Snow (11/21/11)

[Yahoo Sirius]

http://www.musicomh.com/albums/albums_images/kate-bush-3.jpg

Wow, Kate Bush's first album of brand new material in six years and no one created a thread for it? Shame, shame, shame. :)

Anyway, been listening to the stream via NPR and really liking it. In fact, I think I prefer this record quite a bit more than Aerial, which had its share of high points, but ultimately seemed kind of unfocused and lethargic.

I do agree with some critics that Elton John's vocals on Snowed In At Wheeler Street are a letdown, but Stephen Fry was a great choice for the excellent title track.

This album probably won't make any new converts to the Bush cult and it definitely needs more time to really grow on me, but overall I think this is a great comeback record for KB after the mildly disappointing The Red Shoes, Aerial and Director's Cut and one that I will eagerly snap up the CD of on its release date.

http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2011/11/10/kate-bush-1-by-trevor-leighton_wide.jpg?t=1321026433&s=4

First Listen: Kate Bush, '50 Words For Snow' (http://www.npr.org/2011/11/13/142133269/first-listen-kate-bush-50-words-for-snow?ps=cprs)

"Here are 50 words for Kate Bush's new album, 50 Words for Snow:

Powdery fantasia. Contemplative. Winter matins. Playful. Opium reverie. Grounded. Ghost story. Sensual. Artistic recalibration. Unhurried. Drummer's holiday. Quiet. Ode to the white keys. Imaginative. Exploration of the lower register. Floating. Mother-son duet. Solitary. Snowed-in erotica. Collaborative. Joni Mitchell answer record. Inimitable. Supernatural space odyssey. What we'd expect from Kate Bush."

[Mr. Flix]

Different strokes for different folks, I guess. I've been a big fan for almost 20 years, but after streaming this album several times via NPR, I'm not overly impressed. There are definitely some interesting sounds captured here, and it's nice that Kate still stretches herself as a musician, songwriter, and producer. But none of the songs on this album grab me. If anything is lethargic, it's this album, not Aerial. The only two songs that almost give this 7-song album a pulse are the title track and "Wild Man."

I actually rather like Elton John's vocals, but I find Kate's son Bertie's vocals on the first track cringe-worthy in parts.

Still, it's always good to get new Kate music, and I do find this to be worlds better than Director's Cut (an unnecessary exercise, IMO) and The Red Shoes, but it doesn't hold a candle to her best work -- Hounds of Love, The Dreaming, and Aerial.

[Supermallet]

The Director's Cut was, outside of a few interesting reimaginings, almost completely useless. Aerial on the other hand was brilliant. I'll have to take a listen to this one on NPR.

[Jippy]

I actually quite liked it. I think some of the tracks could be edited a bit for time, but it's Kate Bush, so I'm not going to complain all that much. The more time I can spend with her, the better.