Kate Bush is the only female artist to have had an album in the top five UK album charts during each of the last five decades. This impressive feat is testimony to the success of her eclectic musical style; however her tenth studio album 50 Words For Snow limits perhaps her greatest asset – her idiosyncratic voice.
The album consists of seven tracks, all of which range from seven to 15 minutes in length. Relying mostly on piano accompaniment and silvery string lines, Bush delivers poetic lyrics with limited vocal range. The long length of the tracks could have allowed for greater development of musical structure, however without much variation through instrumentation and rhythm, they tend to sound the same, rolling into one. The highlight track is Misty. Slow and alluring initially, Bush works in a powerful string crescendo, along with greater exercise of her quirky vocal ranges this song elegantly encompasses the organic vibe of this album.
BY TAMARA VOGL
Best Track: Misty
If You Like These, You’ll Like This: TORI AMOS, SINÉAD O’CONNOR
In A Word: Mysterious
