This is my first ever review, so I chose a subject close to my heart - Kate Bush's music.
Having spent my melancholy teen years accompanied by a Kate Bush soundtrack, I had been disappointed with "The Red Shoes", and longed for the glory days of "Never Forever", "Lionheart" and "The Kick Inside" - those are listed in my order of preference !
From the haunting first track on "Aerial", the upbeat "King of the Mountain", the "King" being Elvis, the album takes on a more mature tone than her earlier works, and my favourite track on CD1, "Mrs. Bartolozzi", is the quirky Kate which people find amazingly innovative or totally bonkers! It is a song seemingly about housework, yet magically soulful when you hear the lilting voice, the music and the underlying sadness in relationships.
Her multi-octave range is evident throughout the album, but it is CD2 which uses this to capture the passing of a Summer's day as a wistful echo of nature.The first CD is the weaker of the two, but the whole concept of the album as two almost separate compositions woven together by her haunting voice presents us with a beautiful addition to any CD collection.It is documented that Kate Bush is a perfectionist, which could be the reason for the 12 year absence! But was it worth waiting for ? I think so.
"Aerial" is a collection which emphasises the artist's growth, and I suppose it is different enough from her earlier work to be interesting to new listeners - but you just cannot get away from those wails and noises, which make my teenager daughters shriek with laughter. I tell them to read the LYRICS, understand the MESSAGE !! And of course listen to the music, from jazz influences ( harking back to The Kick Inside) to birdsong. I would recommend buying this album.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
It's often said that a musician's debut represents the culmination of a lifetime's worth ... more
of experiences, but their sophomore effort is usually derived from just the intervening year. By waiting 12 years betweenThe Red Shoesand her new double CD,Aerial,...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
It's often said that a musician's debut represents the culmination of a lifetime's worth ... more
of experiences, but their sophomore effort is usually derived from just the intervening year. By waiting 12 years between The Red Shoes and her new double CD, Aeri...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Advantages: More settled, mature but still with the interesting quirks in music and words. Disadvantages: 'Mrs Bartolozzi'; 'Nocturn'. Nothing like 'Hounds' or 'Dreaming'; light jazz elements, for some.
![Aerial [Digipak] - Kate Bush](http://imagesa.ciao.com/iuk/images/products/normal/304/product-6375304.jpg)
![Overall user rating: Aerial [Digipak] - Kate Bush](http://images.ciao.com/ide/images/stars/2003/stars45.gif)
Feb 22nd, 2006
helpful by (100%):
![River Is Wide, The [Remastered] - Forum (The)](http://imagesb.ciao.com/iuk/images/products/small/251/prod_small-6006251.jpg)
