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: : Kate Bush – Aerial : : |
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Band/Artist
Kate Bush
Title:
Aerial
Released
2005
Label
Columbia - USA |
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DISC 1:
1. King Of The Mountain
2. Pi
3. Bertie
4. Mrs. Bartolozzi
5. How To Be Invisible
6. Joanni
7. Coral Room, A
DISC 2:
1. Prelude
2. Prologue
3. An Architect's Dream
4. Painter's Link, The
5. Sunset
6. Aerial Tal
7. Somewhere In Between
8. Nocturn
9. Aerial
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: : The Players : :
Kate
Bush: Vocals, Piano, Keyboards | Peter Erskine, Stuart Elliott, Steve
Sanger: Drums | Eberhard Weber, John Giblin, Del Palmer: Bass | Bosco
D’Oliveria: Percussion | Dan McIntosh: Guitars | Gary Brooker: Hammond
Organ | Rolf Harris: Didgeridoo | Lol Crème, Gary Brooker, Paddy Bush:
Backing Vocals | Michael Wood: Vocal on A Coral Room |
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: : Aerial : :
It is hard to believe that twelve years have passed since we last heard
from England’s musical muse. It has been a long wait filled with
anticipation held somewhat at bay by the emergence of singer songwriters
like Tori Amos and Fiona Apple, but lets face it, there is nothing quite
like the original. In the world of progressive music we do not find many
women who fit the genre. Amos and Apple really do not qualify but they
remind us of Bush. Some may not even consider Kate as progressive, but I
use this simple illustration to quite critics. If Kate Bush were a male
she would be Peter Gabriel, if Peter Gabriel where a female he would be
Kate Bush. Enough said on that.
Since rocketing to prominence in the late 1970’s with The Kick Inside
and then producing, in my opinion, the most sonically and mentally
hallucinogenic recording of all time, The Dreaming, and then treating us
to the beautiful Hounds Of Love, I have always had a well deserved soft
spot in my heart and mind for her music. Last time we heard from Kate
was 1993 with The Red Shoes where she dazzled us with an array of guests
such as Eric Clapton, Prince, Jeff Beck and Nigel Kennedy. Twelve years
later and after raising a son, Kate has produced a warm, yet
characteristically challenging record to listen to. I once played The
Dreaming to a friend of mine who owns an audiophile stereo shop and he
asked me if I had slipped something into his drink.
Aerial is divided into two cd’s the first subtitled A Sea of Honey and
the second, A Sky of Honey. It opens with the beautiful King of the
Mountain where her vocals glide above a mix of keyboards and bass, which
are joined by wonderfully sparse drums and guitar. The production is top
notch throughout the recording, providing excellent sonic sound and
reproduction on high-end audio systems. The inspiration for her songs
have obviously been influenced somewhat by motherhood and raising her
child, especially on disc one. The next song entitled with the sign for
Infinity tells of the strange fascination of math numbers that many a
child and adult have been mesmerized by. In Bertie she sings of the
wonderment and joy of being a mom, soaking up and sharing the joy of her
son. Mrs. Bartolozzi is a song that grounds us that being a mother is
not always fun and games, but a lot of hard work, and that endless
washing machine. It opens with and continues with fabulous piano
throughout. It is good to hear that she is still making music and using
lyrics on her terms to help us feel things in a way that only Kate can
do. How to be Invisible opens with bass, drums and guitar and features
some really slick production and vocal effects that bring me back to
times gone by while sounding remarkably contemporary, indicating that
she has stayed in touch with today’s musical influences. Joanni provides
a lush soundscape as Kate sings a beautiful version of a song based on
the military exploits of Joan of Arc. The closing song on the first disc
is A Coral Room features a stark piano and vocal with a deep sound
stage. The brief male vocal of Michael Wood provides a nice counterpoint
to Kate’s.
Prelude opens the
second disc and begins with keyboards and bird samples that reappear
throughout the disc. A child’s voice is heard as the song moves into
Prologue that contains a sprinkling of percussion. An Architect’s Dream
provides a nice mix of percussion and keyboards. Kate’s dreamy vocals
tell the tale of a painter, love and life in a brief few minutes. The
Painter’s Link opens with strings and piano and a male voice and is a
short intro to Sunset, which has a jazzy feel to it with bass, guitar
and piano that slant it that way, and then ends with a Latin flavor.
Aerial Tal is an indulgent one-minute mix of piano, bird samples and
Kate’s voice that brings us to the lush Somewhere in Between that
features male background vocals and Hammond organ. Nocturn is an
interesting song that opens up with a warm rushing sound that morphs
into a song that is filled with mainstream pop sensibility that than
turns into a jazzy sound. Kate’s vocals sound like they have had a dash
of Sade added to them before she closes it as only Kate can. The closing
song, the title song Aerial, opens with a progressive dance club beat
and a Fifth Element sort of vocal. She becomes indulgent with samples of
her own laughing and bird whistles that move into a heavy mix of
percussion, guitar and bass. Kate’s voice than joins the fray and you
feel like you are inside of some futuristic dance club.
Kate’s music is a challenge to listen to and Aerial is no exception. If
you are a Kate Bush fan you will need three to five listens before you
really feel it. If you are not a fan, it may take ten or more listens,
if ever, to get the sense of it. Her vocals are fabulous, no one has a
voice like her. She is excellent on piano and keyboards and she has
assembled a familiar group of backing musicians that adds exactly what
she wants to the recording. I enjoyed the sparingly used percussion and
guitar that added a nice sense of depth. If you never listened to Kate
before, Aerial is worth the time and effort. Obtaining the three
recordings mentioned at the onset is highly recommended if you fall into
this category.
Reviewer: John Bianco
The Dreaming and Hounds of Love are classics. Aerial earns 9 out of 10
stars for disc one and 7.9 out of 10 for disc two.
: : Visit the Artist’s Website : :
: : Discography : :
The Kick Inside
- 1978
The Dreaming - 1982
Hounds of Love - 1985
Aerial - 2005 |
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