Kate Bush: Aerial


A 2 disc beauty: A Sea of Honey and A Sky of Honey

We Kate Bush fans are a loyal and patient bunch. Imagine this...she hasn't toured and done live shows since 1979. That's way before most of her current fans were even aware of her, before seminal albums The Dreaming, Hounds of Love or The Sensual World. Not only that, but despite some early prolific releasing of new works, Bush has gotten stingy in the last couple decades. It has been 12 years since her last album release, The Red Shoes, which some people seem to have forgotten has some brilliant songs on it, but also had more misses than perhaps we're used to from Bush.

So, you can imagine the breathless anticipation with which I and her legion of fans have been awaiting the release of Aerial, in the style of Hounds of love, with one disc of stand-alone songs and one disc of a "concept" piece.

And I, for one, am not disappointed. Every song evokes her best work without sounding repetitive or tired.

Side 1 is a collection of excellent stand-alone songs. The obsessive romaticism is there in Pi and Mrs. Bartolozzi. King of the Mountain and Joanni are sweeping, yet ethereal. How to be Invisible is moody and dark. Bertie is almost a sweet madrigal, and A Coral Room is poignant (reminds me of Moments of Pleasure, one of my favorite songs off her last album...over the top, yet really moving.)

Side 2 is satisfying as well, featuring Kate's piano work extensively. Her piano tracks are integral throughout, notably in A Coral Room but especially to Side 2, and whatever instrument she uses is a beaut. It has a rich, dark tone...more like you'd hear in classical or smoky jazz work than in today's pop rock piano men. She also works in her trademark celtic sound, in the way only Kate Bush does. My favorite song on the side is Sunset, which I am going to be so kind as to include here:

2-05 Sunset.m4a

Most people will ask (as my Safeway.com delivery guy did today) "Is her voice still the same?"

Truth is that I do hear an older singer.There are times when her voice sounds a little tighter than on other albums. And in general she's not doing that really high wailing that some of her earliest albums featured. I don't miss it though.

Call this a must-have, a no-brainer, worth-the-wait, a-plus album.

Buy Aerial on Amazon.com

The Kate Bush section on iTunes Music Store

Posted: Fri - December 2, 2005 at 07:00 PM       EmailFeedback

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