I Wanna Be Kate
The Songs of Kate Bush
Brownstar
Kate Bush has grown from an obscure singer in the Eighties with an intense cult following to a minor icon whose songwriting and vocals have had a far-reaching impact on today’s music. It only stands to reason that musicians pay tribute to her. The most common form of tribute is to cover someone’s song. So now we have I Wanna Be Kate, a rather odd tribute album in that most of the bands covering her music are ones no one has ever heard of. The Moviegoers, Trinkets of Joy, and Nora O’Conner are some not-so-big names covering such songs as “Running Up That Hill” and “L’Amour Looks Something Like You.” The problem is that since the listener probably does not know the music of the bands performing and that makes it difficult to distinguish what they are bringing to the table to make the song theirs. What the album manages to do is make me appreciate Kate Bush a little more and to want to listen to her sing her songs, instead of listening to covers that sound too much like imitation than tribute. Brownstar Records, 1060 W. Glenlake Ave., Chicago, IL 60660-2977
