Kate Bush - 50 Words For Snow (2011) LP

50 Words For Snow is Kate Bush’s first album since ‘Aerial’ 7 years ago. Very much an album in it’s own vein, long, drawn out tunes that lead the listener into quiet backwaters of sound whilst gently disturbing your thoughts. Pretty much exactly what all Kate Bush fans have been waiting for. This rip presented from very well made 180 gram pressings.

For Bush fans the 1980′s wouldn’t have been bearable without her, I subscribe to that way of thinking. Love her stuff and really dig her attitude towards music. Undoubtedly the long sabbatical she took to spend more time with her family has made her less familiar to a new generation of listeners so this album really goes out to her long-time fans, and it’s a very nice album too. Clocking in at just over an hour for 7 songs you get the idea that she’s not banging out top 20 singles here, and that’s very much the case. This is a ‘concept’ album in much the same way that her ‘Hounds of Love’ and ‘The Dreaming’ were, but this time you get gently swept away with the concept rather than being made to think too hard about it. There’s nothing overtly cryptic here, though her predelictions for the strange do pop up here and there, and the guest artiste roster is mildly diverting at times. So how is Kate on this album? Well, her piano playing is quite superb, mellow, progressive and absolutely spot on. Her singing? well, heh, the first few times I listened to the track ‘Snowflake’ I thought it was just Kate’s older voice wavering a little but when the ‘I am Skyyyyyy’ lyric hit, I thought, how in the hell can a woman that age sing like that? So it came as a pleasant surprise to realize this was in fact Kate’s son Albert! Man, has he inherited or what? Anyway, Kate’s on fine singing form too and it’s a quiet, contemplative feeling that you’re left with. Good job, Kate. Good job Albert, Steve, Elton etc. Nice. Very nice indeed.