50 WORDS FOR SNOW

My favorite Kate Bush album? Maybe. Even in her later years, Kate is still as capable as ever to produce great albums and songs. '50 Words for Snow' is a very soft record with a strong minimalist jazz feel. All of the songs here are primarily piano- driven in Kate Bush's natural style. While not a concept album, this record does have a pretty apparent theme: snow. Also, every song (apart from the title track) has a story to it. The album starts with 'Snowflake'. This track has interesting lyrics. The story is written from the view of a snowflake descending, waiting for a kind soul to catch it. The melody is repetitive, but Bush and her son's vocals are so powerful together no change is needed. Then is 'Lake Tahoe'. This track is close to perfect. Kate Bush tells a story of a woman who lost her dog named Snowflake with her voice and keeps the mood rolling with her mesmerizing piano skills. One of the best songs on this album. 'Misty', my favorite song on this album, has quite an odd premise: a lady builds a snowman and it arrives in her bed that night. They kiss and the snowman melts away before the morning. Steve Gadd's drums and Kate Bush's piano make a soothing, groovy melody that remains for all thirteen minutes of the song. Perfection. 'Wild Man' is a song about an elusive cryptid in a place called Garo Hills. A class of children on a field trip have an altercation with him and the wild man runs away. This song has a fun kind of energy to it. It is groovy, but it takes its time. Like a callback to Kate's earlier works. 'Snowed In At Wheeler Street' is my least favorite song on the album. Not bad (I love those Elton John vocals), but I feel it just doesn't feel as strong as all the other tracks on this record. The song is about a woman and a man who were caught in a snowstorm together. They had met and dated on many occasions and had wished to find each other again. It is a sweet song, but the music is nothing outstanding (although those vocals and lyrics are delicious). '50 Words for Snow' is a very fun song. It is a musical list of adjectives, verbs, and nouns to describe snow. Fun, groovy, and just amazing. Kate Bush's "Come on, you got __ more to go!" just gets me every time. Masterful. 'Among Angels', the last track on this album, has a theme that I really can't decode. The lyrics only reveal half the story and I don't know what the 'angels' even are. But I feel I don't even need an explanation, because the mystery pulls me back to want to listen to this album. Kate Bush's vocals are just as good as ever, and there's no more to say. This is a great album. I recommend this for anyone who has enough patience to get through each song (they're all mighty long, although if you're a prog fan which I know you are, you'll have no problem). Prog on.

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