Short capsule review from Jeff Spevak at the Democrat:
“an uncompromising, influential artist. This haunting, jazz-based, Gregorian chamber poetry … lends breathtaking depth to provocative ideas ...”
Novelist and poet Collin Kelley describes 50 Words For Snow as “perfection” in his review at Soldout Blog:
“Among Angels” is an absolutely stunning piece of work and features Kate’s best vocal performance on the album. The new, husky-voiced Kate we heard on Director’s Cut and throughout most of this album seems to melt away as her voice soars over the heart-rending lyrics: “There’s someone who’s loved you forever, but you don’t know it.” The song begins with a false start and you hear Kate very quietly say “sorry” before she returns to the piano. It’s odd that she left it in, but also charming in an unexplainable way.”
Tom Sutcliffe at The Independent wonders if the music critics have been abdicating their duty and giving 50 Words a bye, merely because Kate is perceived to be a national treasure …
“since I’d spent several days listening to the album something didn’t quite fit for me. It had its virtues, certainly, and I don’t think anyone would deny the quality of the thing – in terms of performance and recording. But it seemed odd that a record so quirky – and so hazardously earnest – would generate such unanimity across the board. Rock critics aren’t famously forgiving creatures, after all, and yet there were moments here that struck me as virtually impossible to listen to without laughing …”
According to the blurb, The London Awards for Art and Performance are “the country’s most expansive awards and recognises artists and performers across many art-forms. Each is presented to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to their art form.” The nominees themselves will be asked to select their top 3 in their category (excluding themselves) and from that the organisers will arrive at a shortlist to be announced in Spring 2012.
Kate has now been nominated for her new album 50 Words for Snow.
This brilliant interview with Kate on sparkling form, can be heard on the BBC iPlayer at Lauren’s page here.
Keiron at HeavyVinyl is very wary of all the good reviews of 50 Words … but guess what:
“I may have read more reviews of this than any musical opus released this year. It’s partly my own fault as I too am one of “those people” whose rabid love for all things Kate can bore the shit out of people at parties … Every article I read makes the situation worse as there is a huge consensus that this is her best work… and this, predictably, grates with my sensibilities…. as I am one of those people who, when told what to think by critics and zeitgeist alike, tends to reject this perceived opinion with every fabric of my DNA. I. Just. Can’t. Help. It … Kate has stripped back the orchestration of “The Red Shoes” and “Ariel” to make a record that is both brave and beautiful. But despite the simplicity it is never sparse.. in fact it’s positively dense with ideas, lyrics, trembling pianos, choirs and stories that swirl round the listener like a blizzard. You can lose yourself in the melody and language and warm yourself with that incredible quivering voice. I know, I’m gushing, but it really is that good. Kate Bush really is an artist without peer and this is a perfect album for any season …”
50 Words was comprehensively trashed on Steve Lamacq’s Roundtable on BBC Radio 6 this evening. Miranda Sawyer (as we already know) thought it was “awful”, Jamie Hince thought it “ludicrous”, and Elizabeth Morris confessed to being confused and compared it to Meatloaf. Should you want to listen it’s just short of 48 minutes into the stream.
Mike Ragogna’s interview with Kate, transcripts of which has turned up on a number of blogs, was transmitted today on Community Radio Station KRUU Fairfield and can be heard here (Thanks Louise).
Barney Hoskyns, the co-founder and editorial director of Rock’s Backpages:
“As a staunch and loyal fan of Dame Katherine, I have to confess to some surprise at the plethora of 5-star reviews elicited by 50 TYPES OF SNOW. I’ve spent a week with the album and cannot discern what is so great about it. Even if you don’t miss the wild pop genius of the ’80s and love the mature piano melancholia of middle-aged Bush, she did the latter a lot better on AERIAL … Only on “Wild Man” does she pull off the kind of haunting pop classic we remember …. Or am I missing something?“
B- from Eli Kleman at Muzik Discovery:
“an album that sees the British pop royalty at the top of her game, years and years into her career. What is more impressive, however, is not that Bush has managed to remain relevant in a scene that isn’t exactly conducive to late career releases, but it is that the artist has once again challenged the definition of what a pop album can and should be. 50 Words For Snow is unlike a lot of the drivel the genre pumps out, in that is a beautiful, haunting, and introspective release that shows that although artists may age, their craft can remain just as incredible. 50 Words For Snow is a notable release for sure; a collection of seven mysterious entities that have received utmost care from Bush. They ebb and flow with a serene beauty, and move like the entrancing falling snow. Never once does the album ever get worked up … Although much of it is truly exemplary, 50 Words for Snow never actually goes anywhere. Yes, the luscious chords and inherently gorgeous singing goes a long way in making a great experience, but it all feels somewhat flat … It’s a beefy work for sure, which typically wouldn’t give cause for criticism, but it just stays at one level and never goes any further. Bush does an absolutely stunning job at creating a wonderful atmosphere, but it really is hampered by the painfully dull pace. Aside from that admittedly egregious stumble, Kate Bush still manages to craft one heck of an immersive album…”
3/4 from Rob Thomas at 77 Square:
“Largely minimizing the lush orchestrations she’s known for, Bush has delivered a spare, gorgeous album … Could any other songwriter get away with this other than Bush? Somehow, she takes potentially pretentious, even preposterous premises and makes them deeply felt through the elegant arrangements, evocative lyrics and, above all, the quavering conviction of that powerful voice. The result is the perfect soundtrack for a winter’s night, not so much as a brace against the cold, but an embrace.”
As compiled by Spin:
“Antwan “Big Boi” Patton’s deep feeling for Bush’s music shouldn’t come as a surprise. As Rolling Stone notes, the rapper has been a fan of the idiosyncratic British singer-songwriter since his uncle turned him on to her records when Big Boi was only in middle school. In fact, Daddy Sax’s ongoing admiration for the singer behind such classic songs as “Hounds of Love” and “Running Up That Hill” is well documented ….”
Five “N”s from Kevin Ritchie at Now Toronto:
“a solitary tone pervades these seven shivery compositions, many of which unfurl slowly and deliberately from Bush’s trembling piano. There’s a grace and simplicity to the arrangements. Jazzy syncopations give way to almost a cappella interludes, twittering guitar riffs and choral harmonies. The production has a lighter touch than her previous two efforts, but is no less considered … Best are Bush’s vocals, distinctly lower now but as brilliant and playful as ever. She grumbles, coos, burrs and wails, drawing out syllables with such devastating intensity …”
Mayer Nissim at Digital Spy digs into the archives: “When Kate Bush released her tenth studio album 50 Words For Snow this week, we put aside our contrary tendencies and gladly fell in line with the avalanche of critical opinion in our praise. Bush has flitted in and out of public life in recent years, so to celebrate her return in 2011, we’ve taken a look back at her career to give you ten fast facts about one of pop’s most enigmatic stars…”