It’s a chancy thing, to traverse the world of female singer-songwriters. In addition to the risk of infringing on one’s masculinity, there is always the occasional schlock factor. For every Joni Mitchell there will be a Carly Simon, for every Rickie Lee Jones there will be a Norah Jones. Undoubtedly, one of the greatest musicians to be grouped into this category would have to Kate Bush.

Today, she is known for, well, very little in fact – at least in the public sphere. Although she released a fairly large body of work in her heyday, and in fact managed to receive a good amount of radio play at one point, today probably the most recognition she has received has been “This Woman’s Work” playing over the ending of this past season’s finale to “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.” This beautiful song was released on her 1989 album, “The Sensual World.” Although a solid work, this album is far from the best introduction for new listeners to Kate Bush. The production is somewhat dated in a way that obscures some of the less-solid songs.

Despite that fact, songs from this album and her follow-up “The Red Shoes,” are going to be revamped on her upcoming release “Director’s Cut.” Fans would be well-advised to keep their eye out for this album. A reworked version of “Deeper Understanding” has already been released, and it contains a warm, organic feel, which, although not absent in the original, really has to be heard.

Probably the best starting point would be 1985’s “Hounds of Love.” Indie-rock fans may remember Brit rock band The Futureheads’ cover of the title track from several years ago. As a piece in itself, it works just fine. However, when placed side-by-side with Kate Bush’s seminal original, it is hard to dispute which is the superior song. Kate Bush’s classic single swoops and swerves with passion and joy, at a level rarely reached in world of pop music.

This album works as a perfect introduction for new listeners, because it equally covers both sides of this singer’s persona – both her quirky and experimental one, and her swooningly romantic one. The “Ninth Wave” arc of songs on the album’s back half tells a dark and unsettling story of Paganism, space and dreams – while acting as incredible songs in themselves. The first half of this album contains what may be the single greatest string of pop songs she released in her career: “Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God),” the title track, “The Big Sky,” and “Cloudbusting” all are perfectly arranged and engaging pop songs with career-defining videos.

From here, there are several directions one can take. One can pursue the singer’s pop side, if one chooses. For this, listeners would be recommended to head towards the singer’s classic debut “The Kick Inside,” which she released at the age of 19. This album contains her classic single “Wuthering Heights,” which in addition to obviously being heavily informed by the Emily Brontë  novel contains a terrific guitar solo from Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour and one of the best pop choruses of Kate Bush’s career.

For those who prefer to explore her darker material, the best next step would probably have to be 1983’s “The Dreaming.” This curious album explores rather curious themes of domesticity, colonization and theft. The music itself is informed by world-beat sounds, show tunes and torch songs. Although there certainly are still elements of pop music, a combination of her voice (which she stretches on this album to both high and low extremes, which she never really reached before or after) and the curious instrumentation (which, once again, is informed by curiously disparate genres) allows for “The Dreaming” to be the most forward-reaching album of Bush’s career. Admittedly, it isn’t an album that will be to everyone’s taste. But for those who find something to enjoy, here, there will be many musical joys to be had.

Mark Schiffer can be reached at [email protected]