's strongest album to date also marked her breakthrough into the American charts, and yielded a set of dazzling videos as well as an enviable body of hits, spearheaded by her biggest single since Strangely enough, was no less complicated in its structure, imagery, and extra-musical references (even lifting a line of dialogue from 's for the intro of the title song) than , which had been roundly criticized for being too ambitious and complex. But was more carefully crafted as a record, and it abounded in memorable melodies and arrangements, the latter reflecting idioms ranging from orchestrated progressive to high-wattage ; and at the center of it all was in the best album-length vocal performance of her career, extending her range and also drawing expressiveness from deep inside of herself, so much so that one almost feels as though he's eavesdropping at moments during is actually a two-part album (the two sides of the original LP release being the now-lost natural dividing line), consisting of the suites "Hounds of Love" and "The Ninth Wave." The former is steeped in lyrical and sonic sensuality that tends to wash over the listener, while the latter is about the experiences of birth and rebirth. If this sounds like heady stuff, it could be, but never lets the material get too far from its trappings and purpose. In some respects, this was also 's first fully realized album, done completely on her own terms, made entirely at her own 48-track home studio, to her schedule and preferences, and delivered whole to as a finished work; that history is important, helping to explain the sheer presence of the album's most striking element -- the spirit of experimentation at every turn, in the little details of the sound. That vastly divergent grasp, from the minutiae of each song to the broad sweeping arc of the two suites, all heavily ornamented with layered instrumentation, makes this record wonderfully overpowering as a piece of music. Indeed, this reviewer hadn't had so much fun and such a challenge listening to a new album from the U.K. since , and it's pretty plain that listened to (and learned from) a lot of ' output in her youth. ~ Bruce Eder