Kirsty MacColl - Tropical Brainstorm (2000)

Note: the CD I listened to was the 2001 US release, an Enhanced CD with three bonus tracks and a video track. Tropical Brainstorm was released in the UK on March 20, 2000, but the US release was April 24, 2001, after MacColl's tragic death.

from the CD back insert

Songwriting so good that you'd like this album even if you didn't care for Latin-tinged music. But I do indeed appreciate that genre, so I enjoy this thing. But please hold off on the cries of cultural appropriation. To her credit, MacColl didn't try to make an authentic Latin album, saying "I didn't want to try and fail at being the Buena Vista Social Club. I wanted to succeed at being Kirsty MacColl."¹ Instead, she tackles and adds a modern twist to many of the various Latin styles - tango, samba, salsa, bossa, batucada, etc. - much to my delight. Writing for Playboy magazine, Robert Christgau called the album "loose and raunchy" and while the lyrics can get saucy at times, the performances are anything but loose. But the only adjective you really need to describe this album is "outstanding." Grab a fruity drink and enjoy.

Press of the time:

• Rolling Stone: "highlights her love of Latin music, and the sensual rhythms provide the perfect setting for her tales of romantic wheeling and dealing."
• CMJ: "it's the 'English lass kicks off her shoes' vibe that makes the album such an ironic treat."
• Robert Christgau (A-): "she soars like she never has"
• Billboard: "a stunning testament to MacColl's powerful songwriting and passion for Latin culture."
• Entertainment Weekly (A): "As usual, her songs express endless disappointment in love matched to melodies that won’t quit."

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks: It's all good, but for me the cream of this bumper crop is In These Shoes?, which sets itself apart both musically and lyrically. Other favorites include Mambo De La Luna, Nao Esperando/Alegria, and Designer Life. 

Bonus tracks: Unlike many bonus tracks, these three are quite good, which shouldn't surprise me considering they come from MacColl. I'll single out Things Happen.

The bonus MPEG track is the promotional video for Mambo De La Luna.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None, but if I had discovered this album around the turn of the century when I was going through an Afro-Cuban/Brazilian phase of my own, this would have fit perfectly. File this one under "better late than never."

Previously revisited for the blog:
Kite (1989)