I hated Bare Trees when I first heard it over 25 years ago. I thought it sounded a bit muddled and anonymous. I couldn't sense a good deal of musical dynamics on it.
How wrong I was! Now I love it, but it was one of the last albums to have won me over. I think the fact Christine's vocals are not yet fully evolved here is a key reason why I underlistened to it for years. (At least Future Games had "Show Me a Smile," which sounds like mature Christine.) But now I love this record. As the writer shows, it's Kirwan's showcase--and what a showcase. The only thing that could have made this album better would have been the inclusion of "Trinity."
What a rich list of songs! I think "Child of Mine" may be one of the greatest opening cuts on a FM record. The instrumentation is layered yet concise, expansive yet restrained.
So, I agree with the writer on this point. But other parts of his breakdown--such as pairing Kiln House and Future Games in one era, and calling 73-74 the wilderness years--are, well, wrong.
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