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)

Kirsty MacColl - Kite (1989)

Note: the CD I listened to was the 2012 Salvo Records expanded edition which includes a 17-track bonus disc.

A tune from MacColl appeared in this previous post about a 1981 UK hits compilation CD where I wrote: "There's no acceptable excuse why I haven't explored her entire catalog. Currently accepting suggestions for a starting point for that journey." William, a friend who does blog business over at musicofmylife.net, suggested that I start with this album and am I ever glad he did - what a treat this thing is. It's hard to decide what I like more: MacColl's voice, the music compositions, or those spectacular overdubbed vocal arrangements throughout. And we've got lyrics so good I actually pay attention to them.

Press of the time:

• Entertainment Weekly: "It’s hard to imagine how anyone so joyfully sharp-tongued could have worked so long in the shadows"
• Stereo Review: "MacColl's strong, clear voice matches the straight-forwardness of her material."
• Billboard: "this effort shows off MacColl's vocal talents, which are exceeded only by her top-notch songwriting."
• Record Mirror (★★★★): "quite a decent record"
• Q (★★★★): "expect to see Kite high on everybody's list of favourites come the year's end"
• Rolling Stone (★★★½): "MacColl has created a sparkling, modern folk-rock sound"
• The CD Project: "Have mercy that Kite album gets better with each listen."

OK, so maybe that last one is a more recent quote, but it certainly holds true. And that "sparkling, modern folk-rock sound" description from Rolling Stone is spot-on accurate.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart in the US, but it did peak at #34 in the UK.

Tracks: The first half of the CD is nothing but enjoyable pop music and includes most of the singles that charted in the UK: Free World (#43), Innocence (#80), and a cover of The Kinks' Days (#12). The second half kicks off with the country waltz Don't Come To Cowboy With Me Sonny Jim (#82) and I initially want to write it off as a novelty tune, but by the end of the thing I'm asking myself, "Is this woman gonna get me to like post-'70 country music?" And are those mariachi horns??" So it turns out I really dig that song and my ears are fully primed which is a good thing because things really start going in the second half with the rollicking Tread Lightly followed by the sardonic and accurate What Do Pretty Girls Do? Then the beautiful, sparse Dancing in Limbo (the a cappella vocal parts on the chorus are what initially got me to order the CD). But wait! There's more! The best track is track 11, The End Of A Perfect Day, co-written by Johnny Marr. The album then ends delicately with the melancholy You And Me Baby. The perfect ending to fantastic album.

Sounds to these ears like Nick Heyward was quite familiar with track 6, Fifteen Minutes, when he recorded These Days a few years later. That same Heyward album has another track titled Kite. Coincidence?

Bonus tracks - the bonus CD is nearly twice as long as the original album (17 tracks, 60 minutes): mainly b-sides, we're treated to the usual demos, single versions, alternative mixes, cover tunes, and soundtrack tunes plus the three tunes included as bonus tracks on the 1989 CD version. The difference between these b-sides and most other b-sides is that these are worth your time.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None, but it's highly unlikely this will be MacColl's last appearance in this space.