I Wanna Be Kate: The Songs of Kate Bush

by

Various Artists

Edit

I got this album from the label a while back, and when it arrived I

unplugged the phone, went in my room and listened to it start to

finish.

Starting with the sweet, fairly straightforward rendition of

"L'Amour Looks Something Like You" by the Aluminum Group, I

was in heaven. After all, the only Kate cover I'd ever heard was Pat

Benatar's tinny and over-produced version of "Wuthering

Heights."

Susan Voelz (formerly?) of Poi Dog Pondering

performed lushly in the James Joyce-inspired "The Sensual

World," and the Moviegoer's take on "The Hounds of

Love" lifted my floodgates, caught my breath and made me want to

write a screenplay just to feature the song in the soundtrack.

I

love Syd Straw, and her simple rendition of "Then Man with the

Child in His Eyes" showcased her uniquely plaintive voice. J

Davis Trio's laid-back-coolio hip-hop "There Goes a Tenner"

was the first song on the album to really explore the

variation-on-a-theme possibilities inherent in the tribute

genre.

Without going song by song, here's a rundown on the rest:

"Coffee Homeground" is creepily interpreted by Mouse with

the Lionheart-era theatricality intact; The Baltimores do a sort of

nouveau-punk reduction of "Running Up That Hill" -- I was

initially put off by it, but grew to love its tweakiness; "Love

and Anger" builds on the elation of the original version by

adding raw touches; and Thomas Negovan uses a string

ensemble to make "And Dream of Sheep" into a heart-rending,

Neil Diamond-esque dreampiece. Finish with a B-side cover, "Not

This Time" (arguably better than the original), and you've got an

amazing collection of lovingly interpreted favorites.

I can only

hope that this will inspire others to look at other Kate Bush songs

with an eye to covering them. And please, Kate, if you're out there,

please give us something new soon, even just a snack.

--gaw

I am a big fan of Kate Bush. I have collected all of her music, including her cameo appearances on other groups; yet I cannot agree with the other reviewers regarding this CD.

The only good thing about this album is that most of the artists did indeed attempt to render original, different versions of Kate Bush's wonderful songs. However, I find their talent a little limited.

Listening to this album made me a little sad, as it made me wish that a real tribute album to Kate Bush were released, with versions by artists such as Peter Gabriel, The Cure, Depeche Mode, Morrissey, Annie Lennox, Phil Collins, Tori Amos, etc...

The fact that this album was highly rated by other reviewers shows how desperate fans are for more recognition of the talent, uniqueness, and influential nature of Kate Bush's music (especially on some rather popular female artists that followed her).