The Boston Globe Calendar

[herbison%ultra.DEC@decwrl.DEC.COM (B.J.)]

>From the Records section of The Boston Globe, 31 October 1985.
Copied without permission.
						B.J.

KATE BUSH
*HOUNDS OF LOVE*
EMI AMERICA

   Kate Bush lets her imagination run
wild on this fascinating but flawed al-
bum. It's not quite up to her last, 1982's
``The Dreaming,'' which offered clearer
lyrics and more striking tunes, but in
terms of outright invention, this one goes
further. Side 1 is slightly more conven-
tional, including the subtle but catchy
single ``Running Up That Hill,'' which
recalls Peter Gabriel's recent work.
``Cloudbursting'' sounds like an Elizabe-
than pop song; ``The Big Sky'' borrows
from African rhythms; and ``Mother
Stands for Comfort'' replaces drums
with breaking glass. Side 2, subtitled
``The Ninth Wave,'' is a 25-minute suite
about spiritual travels. The music takes
a number of surprising turns; a spectral
ballad breaks into an Irish jig leading
into a long stretch of choral music.  Bush
makes some unearthly vocal sounds. In
one segment she creates a witch trial,
doctoring her voice into an ominous
male chorus. It's unsettling but positive,
ending with an upbeat affirmation of life
and love. Bush has come a long way from
her early days as a soft-rocking singer-
songwriter.                 - Brett Milano