"The Sensual World" is not my favorite thing made by Kate Bush, but it certainly stands out as her most polished piece of work. All of her wonderful work from the 1980s (along with the music of her friend Peter Gabriel) really helped me to reassess my initial ignorant dismissal of the entire decade as a period in which the technical perfections of the music studio made for music without any soul. Kate Bush proves that so wrong with her smart and sultry soundscapes and free singing, and "The Sensual World" is the epitome of artistic stride.