A new album release by Kate Bush is something of a world event, that she releases two albums in the same year is almost unique (it happened in 1978, too). Earlier this year she released Director's Cut, which contained a number of re-recordings of earlier songs. 50 Words For Snow is the first album since Aerial (2005) with new material from Kate, a release rate that we have become accustomed to in the past 20 years from our lady. A new album is therefore a special moment for a Kate fan.
I had pre-ordered the album and received it a few weeks ago. You've got to admit that Amazon packages their vinyl albums well, the size of the box was a number of sizes larger than the album itself, to say the least. It's a special feeling to hold a new vinyl record in your hands, something that perhaps is most comparable to holding a newborn baby in your arms for the first time. You are compassionate careful, afraid to drop the precious cargo to the floor. Your eyes may fill with tears and pride fills the body. One can hardly believe how beautiful the item is laying in your hands. The moment has a magic about it and you understand that this is a moment you will remember as an old man.
The cover of 50 Words ... glimmered so beautiful, untouched as it was. That special scent of "new" reached the nose and the brain, I opened the gate-fold cover, and thought that this must be among the most beautiful albums in my collection. Just as we usually think about our newborn children, how ugly as they may be.
The album is released on Kate's own label Fish People. It is her second album on this label and her tenth studio album overall. When it got a fifth place in England's charts, she became the first female artist ever to have had an album at a top five position in each of the last five decades (1970s to 2010s). This could make you believe that Kate is a very old woman, but she is actually only 53.
On vinyl, the record is a double album. It's around 65 minutes long and consists of seven songs. As the title suggests the theme for most of the music is snow, in some way. When I first heard the opening song Snowflake I spontaneously thought Kate's voice sounded strange. Had she become ill? But when I quickly looked in the album information, I realized that it was not Kate singing. That surprised me as I have no memory of any other Kate song where someone else than herself does the singing. It also made me surprised that the woman who was singing was called Albert, but I thought perhaps this could happen in England. Then the truth came to me, this was Kate's son Albert who still has a relatively high voice. It's easier to accept that Kate lets her son sing a song than if she would have invited a singer from outside. Kate sings the chorus in this song which is about a snowflake's descend through the air to finally land on a human.
The three songs on the first record (side A and B) is all very calm with a quiet atmosphere, here and there small notions of jazz can be heard. Kate's piano is the instrument responsible for most of the background. Steve Gadd on drums also makes a fine job and complements the soundscape in a perfectly balanced way. The songs are long but don't become boring, it all takes place at a comfortable pace. It's as if Kate takes her time and is not in any hurry, she lets the songs take the time they need. In long songs like these, it's often a vocal part and then some longer instrumental part and then maybe a song part again. On this album the songs have no such distinction, but the singing is there all the way, it's just that often there are a few extra beats non-singing between the lines of text. Often I found myself to believe that the next verse would start but instead there were four more beats of quiet piano. Then the singing started.
This provides a calmness to the first record that might be much needed in our more fast-paced world. You can't call the first record a party album, far from it, but it's definitely not depressing. It is difficult to compare Kate with other artists. Kate is Kate, and usually others are compared with her.
The other record (side C and D) opens up with the more fast-paced track Wild Man. Thereafter we actually hear Kate sing a duet with Elton John on the track Snowed in at Wheeler Street, also a little more fast-paced song. Kate singing a duet in this way is unusual, the only such earlier song I can think of is Don't Give Up, which she did with Peter Gabriel on his album So (1986). To invite another star to sing on a record sometimes feels like a cheap trick to boost sales, especially if one's own stardom may be waning. Knowing that Kate doesn't need to resort to such methods makes it work well here. I've never really liked Elton John, but in this song, I think he complements Kate in a very good way. The song is about a loving couple who have followed each other throughout history, but never gotten hand on each other.
The title track on the last side is the album's oddest song, in which a man lists 50 different words for snow eagerly cheered on by Kate ("C'mon man, you've got 44 to go"). A gentle ballad with Kate and her piano finishes the album. Although it's a bit higher tempo on sides C and D, it's still a relatively calm experience.
Overall, I think it's a very good album, actually one of Kate's best records. She has the strange ability to create albums where you no doubt recognize Kate from album to album, but as she always takes a step forward in her creations each album has its own unique character and are not similar with any other record she's made. In 50 Words for Snow she calmly paints a beautiful musical landscape helped by fine musicians, her voice which has matured with age and a perfect production. Listening to this album gives you a peaceful and harmonious moment. She undoubtedly takes new steps in her creativity and provides the listener with some new approaches, such as the earlier mentioned duets (with her son and Elton John), and overall the album is quite different from what she has done before. And yet, it sounds just as we expect Kate Bush to sound like. Album of the year 2011?
Tracklist
Side A
1. Snowflake
2. Lake Tahoe
Side B
1. Misty
Side C
1. Wild man
2. Snowed In At Wheeler Street
Side D
1. 50 Words For Snow
2. Among Angels
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