Rolling Stone reviews The Red Shoes!!

[ed@wente.llnl.gov (Ed Suranyi)]

Rolling Stone is probably the most important American rock music
magazine.  That doesn't mean it's the best, but it is the most
well-known and has by far the largest circulation.

They didn't review "The Whole Story", except in passing.  They didn't
review "The Sensual World" at all.  But in the Nov. 25 issue, they
review "The Red Shoes".  Actually, the same "article" reviews both
that and Jane Siberry's "When I Was A Boy".  To ease the suspense,
I'll tell you right off that TRS got three and a half stars, while
WIWAB got four (out of five).  Not fantastic for TRS, perhaps, but
not awful either -- and that's pretty good, considering the track
record of this magazine.  And what the review says is perhaps better
than the number of stars indicates.  It's by Richard C. Walls.  Here it is:

     On her first album since _The Sensual World_, in 1989, Kate Bush
continues in the manner of that album's verbal directness while 
displaying a melodic sense that's in peak form -- there are more hooks
on _The Red Shoes_, both subtle and obvious, than on any of her releases
since _The Dreaming_, in 1982.  Bush seems content now to dress her songs
in simpler -- though still occasionally antic -- colors.  The result
is offbeat pop that refines but doesn't sacrifice her signal eccentricity.
     While the music has settled down somewhat, Bush herself remains
rambunctious, and it's a saving grace.  A sighing remembrance like 
"Moments of Pleasure" or the purple pleas of "Big Stripey Lie" could 
have the cloying aura of pressed flowers if they weren't put across with
conviction and a tendency to really belt.  "And So Is Love" is typical
of Bush's aggressively sad torch songs, built of simple phrases theatrically
enunciated and enhanced by dramatic support from guest Eric Clapton.
     It's not all fainting hearts on _Shoes_, though.  The mood ranges
from the pure pop of "Rubberband Girl" to the exuberant reel of the title
cut (an homage to the classic film), from the wistful verse and funky
chorus of the Prince collaboration "Why Should I Love You?" to the 
West Indies-flavored "Eat the Music."  _The Red Shoes_ is a solid 
collection of well-crafted and seductively melodic showcases for
Bush's hypercaberet style.

Walls then goes on to review Jane Siberry's album, and I'll just post
the relevant parts:

     Canadian Jane Siberry has often been compared to Bush, partly due
to the convenience of lumping together quirky female singer/songwriters
but also as an acknowledgment that both are working in a personal
subgenre of art rock.
...
     But Siberry's album is as funereal and expansive as Bush's is tight
and energized.
...
     Like Bush she creates dramatic structure by using a variety of
voices, from brimming-heart full tones to deadpan whispers.  _When I
Was A Boy_ is a difficult disc to get into -- the languidness at its
center can be off-putting -- but a little patience rewards you with a gem.

Ed
ed@wente.llnl.gov