Artist: Kate Bush

CD: “Aerial” (Sony)

Not many artists can take 12 years between albums and pick right up where they left off, but with “Aerial,” Kate Bush proves it can be done. This is the comeback of the year. Kate has delivered a two-CD set that exudes class, sophistication and musical excellence.

The first disc of this set is titled “A Sea Of Honey,” but it’s really just a collection of songs that cover a wide range of topics. “King Of the Mountain,” the first single, relays the story of a reclusive elderly Elvis, living like Charles Foster Kane in a mountaintop Xanadu. “Pi” is a tune about a man’s infatuation with the mathematical formula. This song, which is not immediately, obviously humorous, cracked me up completely. Not many listeners pick up on Kate’s subversive sense of humor, but she is an honorary member of the British alternative comedy scene that spawned “The Young Ones” and “Absolutely Fabulous.”

“Bertie” is a mother’s tender, happy song about her son. Kate’s son, Bertie is 8 years old, and she was able to hide his existence from the British press for nearly three years, much to their consternation.

“Mrs. Bartolozzi” is a seductive piano, cello and voice piece that makes mundane household chores sound like a high holy calling. “How To Be Invisible” is the likely second single. This song, based on a book, but also analogous to Kate’s 12-year hiatus, is like a slower version of her 1985 hit, “Running Up That Hill,” but with eerie electronic interludes.

The emotional knockout punch of the first disc is “A Coral Room,” about her late mother. In this stark, striking elegy, Kate paints a picture of her loss and how she dealt with it. This is a powerful and beautiful work, and a fitting end to the first half of this collection.

The second disc of “Aerial” is titled “A Sky Of Honey” and it is a conceptual work. With music based on field recordings of birdsongs, this song cycle follows the progression of a day, told through the perspective of several different characters. It’s a joyous work, with touches of classical music, Spanish guitar, and just a hint of Celtic music in the mix. This is not her first long form song work. Side two of her “Hounds Of Love” album was a cycle called “The Ninth Wave” about a woman drowning. As impressive as that was, with “A Sky Of Honey,” Kate tops it, with a cohesive, musically adventurous work that is some of the most intelligent music of 2005.

“Aerial” is a major return to form. This album is a sublime musical accomplishment that will not only please Kate’s longtime fans, but should also find a following among a whole new generation, who were too young to appreciate her earlier work. Fans of Tori Amos, Fiona Apple and Regina Spektor should take the time to listen to the woman who inspired those artists.

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