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Director's Cut - Kate Bush
Director's Cut Image
Metascore
80 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 22 Critics What's this?

User Score
7.8 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 9 Ratings

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10 out of 10
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  • Summary: The British artist reworked and rerecorded some of her songs from 1989's The Sensual World and 1993's The Red Shoes albums.

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 18 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 22
  3. Negative: 0 out of 22
  1. The Independent (UK)
    May 18, 2011
    100
    There's a consistency and homogeneity about the 11 tracks (seven from The Red Shoes, four from The Sensual World) which echoes her work on Aerial, and which lends the project a character entirely its own.
  2. Consequence of Sound
    May 24, 2011
    90
    Director's Cut can be seen as new work, because some of these songs are very different to their earlier versions in tone and scale; both sets of work are equally brilliant, but here there is even more clarity of purpose,
  3. Sputnikmusic
    Jun 14, 2011
    60
    If you've heard the albums it's drawing its material from, you've already got all of those secrets figured out. Ultimately, that renders this album as a novelty of sorts, a release that should only have a footnote in the story of her career rather than its own chapter.

See all 22 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 3
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 3
  3. Negative: 0 out of 3
  1. curdey
    10
    A stunning, understated return for one of the greatest, most original artists of all time. Kate Bush reworks the songs from her 1993 and 1989 albums to allow for a more intimate, yet spacious sound. The standout track for me is Never Be Mine - the original was flawless, yet somehow Bush manages to surpass it with this new version.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  2. Lodz
    10
    Fantastic effort of the greatest living British musician. She was able to make huge changes in her own masterpieces without doing any harm. Rubberband Girl and Lily, both songs form the Red Shoes album are just smashing. And "Moments of Pleasure" shall give anybody any pleasure he or she needs.… Expand
    • 0 of 1 users said yes
  3. hydrawithears
    6
    Every single release by the great Kate Bush is an artistic feast even if it is a collection of old songs with new vocals and some arrangement changes. Director’s Cut consists of four tracks from The Sensual World (1989) and seven from The Red Shoes (1993). The opening Flower of the Mountain (previously The Sensual World) finally gives Kate an opportunity to use the famous Molly Bloom’s soliloquy of James Joyce’s Ulysses. It is the only song without Bush’s original lyrics but still is highly original and absorbing. Song of Solomon finds the singer at her emotional peak and is the best thing here, both musically and lyrically. If you feel nothing while a desperate woman sings Don’t want your **** yeah / Just want your sexuality / Don’t want excuses, yeah / Write me your poetry in motion / Write it just for me, yeah / And sign it with a kiss you are a cold-hearted bastard or a zombie. There are some Bible and literary allusions in the song which should arouse an intelligent man’s interest. Lily starts with a granny-like prayer to soon turn into a dramatic and captivating composition. The only single from the album titled Deeper Understanding is about now-so-obvious relationship man-computer but remember Kate wrote it back in 1989! So far, so good but the string of excellent songs is cut with not-that-great The Red Shoes. The following tracks are quite drowsy (especially Moments of Pleasure). Thankfully, the penultimate And So Is Love is very touching and sees Kate on good form again. It’s really shocking to hear the next track as it is the worst one to appear on this record: the cheesy Rubberband Girl. It’s totally out of place. I don’t really understand the reason behind this album (maybe to start and test the activity of Bush’s very own record label Fish People?) but who cares? It’s fantastic to hear from you, Kate.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes

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