Going aerial with Kate Bush

I may not remember anymore what Kate Bush looks like. It has been over 10 years since I last saw a picture. But I certainly recall her song Wuthering Heights, which she named after the immortal Emily Bronte novel. Then some years ago, she had something entitled Red Shoes. That one came from the Hans Christian Andersen story. So when I saw that Bush has come up with a new album again after what seemed like ages, I wondered about what references she alludes to in this one.

Bush does not disappoint. The CD entitled Aerial has references galore. This time around she has Joan of Arc in Joanni, Elvis Presley and the classic motion picture Citizen Kane in King of the Mountain and others including her little boy in Bertie. But the music of Bush transcends references, interesting though these may be. She has the wonderful gift of being unique and of being able to enjoy the luxury of time. She may never have a hit single as big as Wuthering Heights but you can clearly see she knows what she wants and enjoys creating every song. The process may have been long but everything in Aerial is so well thought out that the result is a perfect whole.

Like her early works Aerial is a mixture of styles. The range of her musicality is stunning and the way she mixes everything is a mind-blower. Bush welds together synthesizer pop, jazz, electronica and ethereal New Age meditations that recall Enya. Very impressive and emotion-inducing to the listener and a source of wonder to fellow musicians and singers. How on earth did she come up with that?

Aerial is divided into two parts. The first CD is A Sea of Honey where she unloads her personal sentiments in the songs. This is the pop showcase where you might find a hit single from among King of the Mountain, Pi, Bertie, Mrs. Bartolozzi, How to be Invisible, Joanni and A Coral Room. The second is A Sky of Honey and it has Prelude, Prologue, An Architect’s Dream, The Painter’s Link, Sunset, Aerial Tal, Somewhere in Between, Nocturn and Aerial. I see no singles in this one. Honey is designed to be listened to as a complete piece about life. This is music made for quiet introspective moments. How nice to discover that it ends in inspiring joy with the title song.

The Pink Album

When I saw the title The Pink Album, I thought that this collection was similar to Woman, which is made up of hits from various female artists. But what on earth is Elton John’s The Bitch is Back doing there? He’s no female. There is also Don’t Leave Me This Way by the Communards. Is it because of the falsetto singing by Jimmy Sommerville? Why it even has Boyzone’s When The Going Gets Tough? Now is there a joke somewhere there? After all, as we all know, Stephen Gately did start the end of Boyzone when he came out and by out, I do not mean out of a door.

So I check out the other cuts and there is indeed a "coming out" song! I’m Coming Out by Diana Ross plus I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor, Sound of the Underground by Girls Aloud, Karma Chameleon by the Culture Club and It’s Raining Men by The Weather Girls. And it dawned on me. This is no girl album. These are songs popular with the gay club scene. But gay or not, you cannot argue with the fact that the 38 cuts in this CD are very clever choices. Gays know how to have fun and listening to these songs played one after another result in a great fun, let’s dance, feeling.

Take note of other titles also included in The Pink Album: Spinning Around by Kylie Minogue; Push the Button by the Sugababes; Don’t Cha by the Pussycat Dolls; I Like the Way by Bodyrockers; Ladies Night by Atomic Kitten; Don’t Stop Moving by S Club 7; Groove in the Heart by Deee-Lite; Barbie Girl by Aqua; Teardrops by Womack & Womack; Horny by Mousse T vs. Hot ‘n’ Juicy; If I Could Turn Back Time by Cher; You Sexy Thing by Hot Chocolate; Dancing Queen by ABBA; Relax by Frankie Goes to Hollywood; Car Wash by Rose Royce; Flashdance by Irene Cara; Love to Love You Baby by Donna Summer; Ooops Upside Your Head by The Gap Band; Boogie Wonderland by Earth Wind & Fire; We Are Family by Sister Sledge; I’m So Excited by the Pointer Sisters; Lady Marmalade by Patti Labelle plus others.