It's the sense of grown-up accomplishedness that really makes The Sensual World such a satisfying record. Bush's wild and brilliant experimentation is shaped and directed beautifully here into a more mature and classy record, compared to her previous work.

Less bold than her previous work in terms of not having any real big-hitters, save for the enigmatic track-of-the-same-title opener and the heartbreakingly beautiful ending, yet what it lacks in show it makes up for in detail. It pays dividends to spend time with The Sensual World, especially to pick out certain lines on songs such as the emotional rollercoaster of Love & Anger, the dystopian Deeper Understanding and on the soulful Never Be Mine.

This is Bush as a craftswoman; an artist at her peak not trying to outdo herself or indeed anyone, but just making wonderful, beautiful music as always. The difference now though is that Bush sounds and feels more mature here, revealing a delicate vulnerability in her words and in the tone of her music.

Personal, deep and, for lack of a better word, sensual.

Lovely Kate Bush record. The sensual world completes a run of four brilliant albums. Some great songs and sounds here. Love and anger, heads we dance, and, this woman's work, are all excellent. The sensual world, is an atmospheric record, but has the songs to back it up.

I fall more in love with her albums at every listen, and The Sensual World is no exception.

The Fog is quite possibly my favorite, at least at the moment. Kate has not always been someone I was ready to listen to, but I'm so glad I'm ready now.

If 1985's Hounds Of Love saw Bush channel her adolescent high spirits for the last time, The Sensual World served as a coming of age. Having turned 30, she delivered her most rounded mature album to date. She acknowledged her irish heritage, taking inspiration both from the Celtic instrumentation, and, at least in the case of the title track, from James Joyce's most sensual of characters, Molly Bloom. There is a broader folk influence too, which is partly down to Bush's brother Paddy, a fan of ethnic music. It is he who introduced her to The Trio Bulgarka, traditional Bulgarian singers who appear throughout the album. Michael Nyman arranges strings on "Reaching Out"; Nigel Kennedy appears on "The Fog" and "Heads We're Dancing"; Dave Gilmour plays on "Love And Anger" and "Rocket's Tail". Even her father, credited as Dr. Bush, contributes spoken word dialog to "The Fog", a song nominally about a parent teaching their child to swim -symbolism that is not hard to decipher. (An aditional track, "Walk Straight Down The Middle", featured on the cd).
Although champions of her teenage spectral keening might have wished she had remained forever young, Kate breaks new ground, welcoming an era where global influences are paired with computerized proficiency. There is a distinct quality of womanly sexuality to The Sensual World too, as well as an attempt to address outside of her Kentish back yard. Whereas once she sounded as if she was happiest playing organ in the barn behind her parents' house, here she sings as a fully accomplished recording artist ready for international success.

"Growing up for most people is just trying to stop escaping... But I'm not sure if people ever grow up properly."

Kate Bush, 1989

A shame this album is not ranked higher. By far her most mature, solid body of work. When I first discovered this album, I was not anticipating what I was soon about to hear, assuming that her later work was not on par with her earlier albums. The church bells depicting marriage in the title track bring you in: "Mhhhmmmm yes!!" Those pan flutes are amazing, very Paul Simon. "The Fog" is a stunning track. "You see, I'm all grown up now" sums up this album for sure. Kate the great turned from a girl into a woman in this album. She predicted the 21st Century's dilemma of technology obsession in "Deeper Understanding", which proves just how ahead of her time she was. "Rocket's Tail" is probably her best piece. Between Trio Bulgarka's vocals and David Gilmour's guitar work, these songs are just so well put together and eclectic.

The bottom line: work your way up chronologically through Kate's collection, you will not only see her progression, but you will grow with her. Let this one sink in. I did, and now I can tell you it's a 10 star album.

This album has a cohesiveness lacking in her previous albums, she really comes of age here. Overall "Hounds" is a better album but this is a close second.

Even though I prefer the 'Hounds' this is arguably a more cohesive offering, tightly focussed with a kind of symmetry that grows upon you with repeated listening. No real weak tracks here, just subtle moments of reflection that demonstrate the deft tranquillity of Kate's best work.

A really good album showcasing her brilliant songwriting abilities.

Very good music

Just listened to this album again for the first time in several months. It absolutely blows The Hounds of Love away. Every track (even the bonus "Walk Straight Down the Middle" is simply mind-blowing.