Re: How is Kate's older stuff compared to newer stuff?

[woj@remus.rutgers.edu]

586locke@gw.wmich.edu sez:
>I have her newest (I think) album (Sensual World)...
>I am wondering how her older stuff compares to this album soundwise...


a quick synopsis of KaTe's albums...

the kick inside - pretty straight forward pop songs using normal instru-
mentation. vocally, quite a bit different as her voice was generally much
higher and less controlled.

lionheart - continues in this vein, with a few exceptions: "coffee home-
ground" and "fullhouse" start branching off into a more exotic sound. but
not terribly different than the previous one on the whole.

never for ever - KaTe discovers synths and uses them to interesting ef-
fects. she also begins to produce some of the album herself. a beginning 
of a departure from the poppy sounds of before. still there, but the songs
are weirder and more intereting from a musical point of view. vocally,
she also begins to develop a lot more control and, at the same time, a
certain quirkiness.

the dreaming - the great leap forward. blows holes in speakers both
musically and vocally. no real way to describe this - except to rec-
ommend that you buy it and listen in the dark with headphones on. nothing
like _the sensual world_ (with the possible exception of "night of the 
swallow").

hounds of love - covers a broad range of styles. song-oriented first side
that is somewhat similar to some songs on _tsw_, but the concept-oriented
second side is nothing like it. vocally, the most similar since this is
probably where some of her best singing occurs (though some would claim
that _the dreaming_ was her pinnacle of vocalizing).

woj