The Sensual World (CD)
Kate Bush
Amoeba Review
Michael Keefe 06/15/2010
After British singer and art pop songwriter Kate Bush gained international acclaim for her fifth studio album, Hounds of Love, she spent four years on its successor, The Sensual World. The record is more rock-based than, and much of is is performed by Bush on the Synclavier synthesizer. The Sensual World beefs up on the drums and guitars without sacrificing any of Bush's otherworldly allure. The opening title track offers a new take on Molly Bloom's soliloquy from the end of James Joyce's Ulysses. It is an erotic reverie, punctuated by Bush's purrs of "mmh, yes" and given Irish accents via Uilean pipes and fiddle. The Sensual World continues on as a series of daydreams, some warm and inviting and other restless and dark. Art rocker "Heads We're Dancing" tells the tale of a woman who's charmed into dancing with Hitler. "Deeper Understanding" presciently warns of the emotional trappings of the Internet years before AOL and features bewitching vocal contributions from Bulgarian female singers Trio Bulgarka. More impressive are the guest spots from Pink Floyd guitarist and early Kate Bush champion David Gilmour. He and the Trio Bulgarka turn "The Rocket's Tail" into heady international rock. Gilmour also lends some atmospheric chords to the spirited single "Love and Anger." The LP's closing track (the CD ends with a bonus cut) is the heartbreakingly beautiful "This Woman's Work," about a man whose wife's life is hanging in the balance. A gorgeous and smoldering album, The Sensual World was another worldwide hit for Kate Bush, going Platinum in the UK, Gold in the US, and Top 40 in eleven other countries.
Track Listing
Disc 1 Titles |
Artist |
Length |
---|---|---|
1.
The Sensual World
|
Kate Bush | 03:57 |
2.
Love and Anger
|
Kate Bush | 04:42 |
3.
The Fog
|
Kate Bush | 05:06 |
4.
Reaching Out
|
Kate Bush | 03:12 |
5.
Heads We're Dancing
|
Kate Bush | 05:21 |
6.
Deeper Understanding
|
Kate Bush | 04:46 |
7.
Between a Man and a Woman
|
Kate Bush | 03:30 |
8.
Never Be Mine
|
Kate Bush | 03:44 |
9.
Rocket's Tail
|
Kate Bush | 04:07 |
10.
This Woman's Work
|
Kate Bush | 03:38 |
11.
Walk Straight Down the Middle
|
Kate Bush | 03:48 |