HOUNDS OF LOVE

Kate Bush deserves credit for consistently doing her own thing in a music industry where women in particular can often find themselves being moulded for their perceived audience. Hounds Of Love is I feel her most artistically successful album, with many heartfelt and emotional tracks woven together by her ever-beautiful voice, which is on top form on this album.

Whilst this album contains some of Kate's best known singles (the poignant 'Cloudbusting', and determined 'Running Up That Hill'), it is the quieter less ostentatious track 'And Dream Of Sheep' which provides the highlight of the album - Kate's mournful voice and expert employment of the trademark Bush bass combining to create a truly haunting image of a life slipping away. .

As far as Bush's albums go, this one would get five stars. The reason I have given it as little as three stars in this review is that compared to other Prog offerings of say, 70's Yes, it is limited in scope - songs mostly about love and simple, though often enchanting and touching, melodies. The reason I give it as much as 3 stars is that, taking into account my previous sentence, this is also just a jolly enjoyable album, full of the joys of a female artist at the top of her game. (And although Kate may not be as 'progressive' as others on this website, she is surely as hairy, and therefore gets extra points!).