HOUNDS OF LOVE

After the masterpiece that was "The Dreaming", I was excited when it's follow up was released too many years later. Now, don't get me wrong, this is by no means a bad album, but compared to the album preceding it, it was a step backwards. Lyrically, this album is great, but musically, it features little of the progressiveness Bush had shown earlier.

It should have been a warning that the album opens with a fairly standard dance pop song, "Running Up That Hill", that at least has nome nice vocals. The remainder of what was side one of the LP runs through four more unmemorable songs with nice, but not spectacular vocals.

The second half of the album, called "The Ninth Wave" starts peacefully, with "And Dream Of Sheep" that I believe was meant to contrast with what is probably her creepiest, and most disturbing song ever, "Under Ice". That's where the album begins to show some of that quirky creativity I was waiting for. The strong portion of the album continues with "Waking The Witch", with broken call and response vocals over a heavy rhythm track.

The album then goes back to the good, but not memorable style of the first half of the album for the remaining four songs.

I wouldn't call this great, but it's better that any of her subsequent releases.