FEATURE:
If the Queen of Music Were to Return…
Speculation and Possibility Around a New Kate Bush Album
___________
I am returning to this subject…
so soon, as there is a sense of anticipation in the air regarding Kate Bush music. It has been confirmed that Big Boi has recorded a song with her. We are not sure the form Bush’s vocal will take, though one gets the feeling the song will be out by the end of the year. The Kate Bush News Facebook page asked, a week or two ago, what people would expect or want were a new Kate Bush album to be announced. This is something I have thought about frequently. To be fair, no announcement has been made at all. One feels that it cannot be too long until something arrives in the world. It has been ten years since 50 Words for Snow was released. Although, technically, Bush released the live album, Before the Dawn, in 2016, that does not count as a studio album – even though they are new vocals from her. I have said before, when a new album does arrive, it is unlikely to veer too far from 50 Words for Snow. It is not as thought she will come back to her earlier sound or something like The Dreaming. Some said – on the Facebook post Kate Bush News sent out - how they would like to hear something like Director’s Cut. That album was also released in 2011, and it saw Bush recording new versions of songs that originally appeared on the albums The Sensual World (1989) and The Red Shoes (1993).
Whether she would ever go back to albums like Never for Ever (1980) or Lionheart (1978) and think about re-examining them at all. She is not averse to retrospection, if it was called for or something that she needed to do. It is more likely an original album will come. Whereas before I have said that an eleventh studio album will mix 2005’s Aerial and 50 Words for Snow in terms of its sound and style, I have had a bit of a rethink. One might observe that, as Bush is an artist who never repeats herself and keeps on venturing into new sonic space, it is likely that she will add new layers to her music. The point of these features is not to pressure Bush into making music (not that she will ever see anything I write). It is more an excitement of wondering whether 2022 will be a year when we get an album from her. A lot of people who have been discussing Kate Bush and a possible album have said that she might go more into Jazz territory. We get some of that on 50 Words for Snow. Maybe an album that is even more experimental and instrumental. That might be something that would catch people off guard. I have been listening back to 1989’s The Sensual World. This is an album that was acclaimed when it came out, yet it remains underrated and under-played in my view. I love the percussion through that album and the overall sound. I predict that, were Bush to put out music in the future, she may well nod to this album.
Naturally, nobody anywhere can say exactly what Kate Bush’s next album will sound like. Maybe she will look to release an album in a different, less conventional way. I can imagine the pandemic has been as tough for her as anyone. Perhaps, whilst recording might have been gradual or slow, there was plenty of time for reflection and writing. Working with Big Boi might have instilled some Hip-Hop sensibilities or inspired her to go a little left-field and serve up an album that is like The Dreaming, in terms of the clash of sounds and something a little odder. Even as I am typing, I am contradicting myself and wondering if, actually, Bush could surprise everyone! One thing that is certain is that, whenever (and if) she does choose to release an album, the last twenty months or so would have affected her. Bush has never been overly-personal with her albums, though she has addressed tough subjects previously. Whereas Aerial and 50 Words for Snow were a little more conceptual and there was this feeling of weather and the elements playing a part, I think something darker and more urgent might make its way into Bush’s writing. Whether that reflects the growing climate crisis or the sense of separation we have felt, I wonder if she will explore a concept or suite of songs like she did on Hounds of Love (with The Ninth Wave) and Aerial (with A Sky of Honey).
Bush has collaborated with other artists through her career. Her albums have always consisted or a variety of musicians. That is not going to change. One would ask, on another album, would she include as many musicians as she has on Aerial and Hounds of Love, or would it be more scaled-back? There are still logistical challenges at the moment, but I reckon, when she is in a position to record, that there will be quite a few musicians and players in the mix. Maybe not as many vocal collaborations as on 50 Words for Snow (including Elton John on Snowed in at Wheeler Street), but there will be that desire in her to join with other musicians. This is the last feature (promise) that I write that asks about a new album and what it might sound like. I guess the next big Kate Bush news we will get is when the song with Big Boi is released, whether that is next month or early next year. After that, there will be various anniversaries to mark. Every week, I see so many fans write about her music or songs that have impacted them. Bush is someone who can affect so many people and remain right at the forefront without releasing new music. Such is the strength and importance of what she has already released! A lot of people are looking ahead to a more positive and optimistic next year. In terms of music release, it is hard t say which artists will bring out an album. There are millions of people around the world who hope that Kate Bush…
IS among them.