The O-town Scene

Haunting Tales of Snowman Loving, a Lost Dog and More Kate Bush's '50 Words for Snow' New Music Notes |by Mark Boshnack Contributed Animation of Misty's encounter with a snowman. With its opening notes like snowflakes, Kate Bush's 10th album, "50 Words for Snow," takes the listener to another world _ ready or not. Not being familiar with the 53-year-old's multi-dimensional work, I had no idea what to expect. Listening has made me feel like a character in a C.S. Lewis novel, stepping into a wardrobe and finding myself in a world of longing, love and wonder. Each song is an exploration deep into Bush's imagination. The first song, "Snowflake," starts out with a simple lyric, told from the point of view of a snowflake: "I was born in a cloud/now I am falling/I want you to catch me." But the music and voices, including her young son Albert's, raise the poetry of the song to the forefront. Listen to this one loud, with headphones. When he sings, "I am ice, and dust and sky," you will be hooked if you're like me. And the beauty never fades. "Lake Tahoe" is an 11-minute tale filled with Bush's beautiful piano work and vocals. With the help of others, she tells a haunting tale of a mythical woman looking for her dog, Snowflake. Her voice on this and some later songs reminds me of singer-songwriter Laura Nyro, who was popular in the '60s and '70s. With vocal accompaniment sounding like a classical choir, when she sings the dog's name, it is a thing of beauty. Contributed If the listener thought he or she would get a break from the enormity of this artist's vision after those first two tracks, forget about it. At 13 minutes and 9 seconds, "Misty" goes where few have dared to tread, in a tale of a dream about a tryst with a snowman. But anyone who doubts that this singer-songwriter can't pull this off, give it a listen. Her twists and turns and lyrics and piano make it easy to feel the singer's pain. "Wild Man" is a sympathetic tale of the abominable snowman. Bush sings a beautiful song about love throughout time with Elton John in "Snowed in at Wheeler Street." The experience ends with the album's appropriately named title track and the haunting "Among Angels." Kate Bush If there are 50 words to describe this album they would include haunting, provocative, lyrical poetic and essential. Mark Boshnack is a reporter at The Daily Star and a music fiend. 14 O-Town Scene Feb. 9, 2012

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