Kate Bush - 'Director's Cut'

If you're around my age then it's almost mandatory that you like Kate Bush, it might even be a law. So, whenever there's new music from Kate it's quite exciting and quite tense. She has an incredible body of work behind her and will anything new match what she's done before?

'Director's Cut' is that strange thing, old songs re-imagined. The songs come from 'The Sensual World' and 'The Red Shoes' and Kate has kept the best bits but re-recorded the songs, all with new vocals and other new bits here and there. Some are significantly lengthened but none are what I feared most - knob-twiddling for the sake of it and self- indulgent - they all work effectively. They're fresh and breathe new life into the songs. My favourites on this record are 'Lily' (a favourite anyway), 'The Red Shoes' (ditto) and 'Top Of The City', a song I've never really 'got' until hearing this version. The most surprising song is 'Rubberband Girl' with it's indie guitar feel, almost like it's the 'live' version of the album track. And her voice is still a powerful and subtle weapon, and a joy to hear.

The record is beautifully packaged, with the standard edition coming in hardback book format with a glossy booklet inside with all the lyrics and a collection of photos illustrating the songs. The box set includes re-issued copies of the two source albums. I didn't realise it, but both albums have also been re-issued today, along with 'The Dreaming', but I don't know if they've been re-mastered or not.

Listening to Kate songs with fresh ears, listening for new bits and changes to the originals, just emphasises how bold and imaginative she was and still is. There hasn't been anyone else like Kate, a true original when she made us all sit up and listen that first time back in 1978, creating sounds we'd never heard before, using her voice as interpreter and instrument. If you like Kate then I suspect you'll like this record. Buy it.