Why TRS doesn't work for me

[dlangs@sunstroke.sdsu.edu (Derek Langsford)]

This is the first posting from me in a while.  

My impression of TRS has been severely coloured by the most tragic event
of my life: the death of my beautiful 21 month old son from brain cancer.
This album I fear will always be tainted by this. You all know how certain 
albums remind you of specific events, or times and places?

Being an importaholic, I had a UK CD mailed to me the day of release.  
It took an interminably long 9 days to arrive (UK mail had been taking 
about 4 days).  My son passed away three days later on the 13th Nov.  

I can't help but feel underwhelmed by TRS.  It is more consistant
than TSW; it doesn't have the high of This Woman's Work or the low of
Between a Man and a Woman.  What it does have is some annoying cliche's
that trivialize Kate's talent e.g. the "baby baby" backing vox on ASiL, a 
song I otherwise really like. Many times I keep on thinking "that song 
would be better if she had not .........."  Even MOP has the same contrived 
feel I disliked on The Fog.  I love Lily and Big Stripey Lie. The 
remaining songs have their points but are just OK; she has either done 
better of the like before, or ventured into territory that does not 
work for her (big IMO there).  

To add to my indifference, the cover of MOP shows Kate dancing on burning
bones and skulls.  My wife and I scattered our son's ashes this past weekend.
I don't like the coincidence (yes, I know it's a coincidence).  

And the track selection is so frustrating.  EMI are screwing us yet again. We 
already have MOP, DWBM and X4 on CD.  Why not put some of the 4 or 5 studio 
tracks that didn't make it onto TWW I and II.  I presume Kate had some control
over this - maybe someone could ask when they meet her in NYC :)
 
Some of you might think I blaspheme.  I have followed Kate intensely since
her initial commercial success in the UK and being British I have inborn 
good taste :). This album continues the relative dissappointment of TSW.  
Time has seemingly caught up with her.  She no longer is way ahead of
the rest of the pack.  I think we now have a greater diversity of artists 
producing technically competent work than ever before. There are many other 
fish in the pond and Kate doesn't stand out as much as she did in the late
70's through mid-80s.  I wonder if sales of the singles and album are as 
poor in the UK as her chart performance might indicate, compared to her
previous albums?

I fear that Kate is hitting a ceiling with her creativity, and having set 
such high standards in the past cannot help but fall a notch or two.  
It happens to most artists.  Why should we not expect Kate to suffer 
similarly, afterall she is human?  

Last thing, my UK CD was pressed in Holland, the back insert was made in Italy
and there is no source for where the fold-out insert was printed.  Are
all UK copies like this - a truely EC product?  

'nuff said,

Derek 

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Derek H. Langsford                                            Dept. of Biology 
dlangs@sunstroke.sdsu.edu                           San Diego State University 
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