ALBUM REVIEW: Kate's sounds of the season

by Nikki M. Mascali
Weekender Editor

Of all Kate Bush’s idiosyncrasies, dedicating the theme of her 10th album to snow isn’t too odd. But on “50 Words for Snow,” her second album to be released in 2011, the English songstress throws listeners for a loop with stories of protecting a yeti, having a passionate one-night stand with a snowman and a near-tearjerker about a frail old dog.

Despite such left-of-center content, it’s easy to get lost in Bush’s snowy world. Even the pretty, piano-laden music on the seven-song album takes a backseat to her lyrics. The songs, which range from more than six minutes on the short end to 13-plus on the long, would be tiresome if done by any other artist; it’s all in Bush’s impeccable timing. When each song ends, you’re left spent from becoming so emotionally involved.

“Snowflake” is ghostly, with Bush helming a tinkling piano and her teenage son singing the role of the falling flake. Falsetto vocals from Stefan Roberts and Michael Wood add a hymnal flair to “Lake Tahoe,” and Bush’s piano pings like flurries against a window.

Opulent piano is again at the forefront on “Misty;” this time it’s almost somber, with just a hint of high hat. “He lies down beside me …/ I can feel him melting in my hand,” Bush sings of her snowy lover before becoming nearly manic at the song’s culmination.

“Wild Man,” about the aforementioned yeti, is fast-paced and, thanks to vocals from Andy Fairweather Low, Pink Floyd-esque (courtesy his time touring with Roger Waters, perhaps?). “We found your footprints in the snow/ We brushed them all away,” Bush promises.

Standout track “Snowed In At Wheeler Street” has Bush trading vocals with Elton John. Both convey the eternal brokenness of a lost love that keeps turning up, in ’42 when “we were on different sides” and on “9/11 in New York/ I took your photograph.” John’s rich vocals play beautifully with Bush’s — you can feel his franticness when he exclaims, “I don’t want to lose you again.” When their vocals finally crash together in the final minute, it’s so emotive you get goosebumps — and hope they can finally be together.

English actor Stephen Fry recites “50 Words For Snow,” which include beauties like “blackbird Braille,” “Wenceslasaire” and “Zhivagodamarbletash” as Bush helps keep count. The chanteuse and her piano stand alone on the gentle closer, “Among Angels.”

As someone who has only toured once (in 1979) and performed just a handful of shows since, it’s no wonder the poetic Bush hides in the snowstorm she made her 10th album. She may not be an artist for all seasons, but she’s the perfect companion for winter.

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