Category: 50 Words for Snow Page 8 of 12

Music Spiel blog is very happy, and does like Sir Elton:

“Whatever preconceived perceptions you have of Kate Bush, be prepared to toss them out the window. … Bush has always kept her listeners on her toes and doing whatever the fuck she wanted whenever she wanted … It’s a very piano-driven record with minimal percussion, provided by noted session man Steve Gadd, classical-influenced themes setting the tone for every one of the 7 tracks, otherworldly vocals and endless does of ambience … The silent intensity of the album continues with each track, the focal point being a duet with Elton John of all people called “Snowed in at Wheeler Street,” … I’m not a fan of Sir Elton, but he delivers on this track. I can’t find the right words on how this album makes me feel. I’m just fucking glad that Kate Bush has managed to wow me with an album, and she still has the spirit to make riveting music after all this time. I didn’t think she was capable of another masterwork. I was wrong. And never more glad to be wrong.”

Gavin Cullen reviews 50 Words for MTV.co.uk:

“As ever, Bush’s voice is a marvellously unique and sensual instrument. She plays the part of many of the characters who inhabit 50 Words’ worlds, channelling their words as if performing a seance, yet manages to keep the process gimmick free and entirely natural. As well as once again confirming Bush’s voice and melodic talents, 50 Words reinforces her highly imaginative powers of storytelling … 50 Words For Snow is an astounding piece of work unlike anything else. Initially baffling and at times so sparse and slight it appears to melt away as soon as the notes are struck, over time it reveals itself to be an incredibly fulfilling and enchanting collection, twinkling with magic and frozen beauty.”

Mikael Wood at EW rates 50 Words A- and gives us another very nice short:

“Bush ­follows up May’s Director’s Cut with a boldly stripped-down set that distills her off-kilter ­aesthetic to its purest essence: Think tolling piano chords, swooping vocals, and loads of dreamy poetry about horses and porcelain dolls. It’s all ­gorgeous — even the 13-minute ”Misty” — but 50 Words for Snow peaks with a stunning Elton John duet…”

The Quotodians are entranced by the Winter beauty of 50 Words:

“50 Words for Snow is very much a winter album and is the perfect accompaniment for cocooning with in the chill of these dark, desolate months with its simultaneously warm, glacial and spatial atmospheric sonic soundscapes and imaginative lyrical subject matter. After spending several days acquainting myself with the album each listen rewards me with some new experience and discovery and that is the beauty of Bush’s best work as it holds an endless supply of experiences and relies less on initial impact than longevity. It almost makes me long for snow and after the extended and inconvenient big chills of the last two winters I never thought I would wish for that ever again.”

Marin Nelson at Vivoscene does not have the patience for long tracks:

“sometimes thirteen-minute marathon songs detailing emotional distance and intemperate affairs are too much. By the time Stephen Fry literally recites 50 words for, about, or conjuring snow in the title track, you’ll probably have frostbite. Or want it, just for an excuse to go inside for some respite. Kate Bush is one of the artists you hate to critique. Her long and iconic career has seen ingenuity and brilliance … She’s set an unprecedented standard, especially for an artist that’s been releasing genre-pushing albums since 1978 … Kate Bush’s strengths are ever-present: starkness is captured. When she wants to achieve that deafening silence of drifting snow, she does. Emotional veracity is represented, and lyrically she’s unmatched. It’s likely that Kate Bush meant to time this album as a harbinger for Christmas. But if you’re single and prone to contemplative wine-binges on a cold night, keep 50 Words For Snow far, far away. Or use it as a coaster.”