Customer Reviews

Kiss Me with the Wind

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During the first couple of years of the 90's not only was music in a somewhat uncertain state of affairs but so were the possibilities of songcraft and lyricism. On the latter two fronts Brenda Russell had always been possessed of both in spades. Her career as an artust up until this point had been brief if fullfilling and her career as a songwriting for others was still strong and vital. This is only her fifth album in about eleven years years and her first of the 1990's. Now being that it is in the first year of the decade Brenda decided to forgo any major nods towards any of the variety of hip-hop oriented production styles that were trendy at the time and stick by her harmonically and rhythmically rich urban contemporary jazz/pop. The title song opens the album and does have a strong late 80's proto disco-dance ethic married to an excellent composition overall. "Stupid Love" and her own version of the hit she wrote for Donna Summer a couple years earlier "Dinner With Gershwin" take on a more lite funk oriented style of uptempo tunes with layered rhythm guitars and both showcase another feature of the album;Brenda's maintainance of her thoughtful,reflective and emotionally soulful words and vocal phrasing which,by the way is some of the finest of it's time. Brenda's voice can be as alternately smokey,celebratory,elegent and direct as her songs are and at a time where everyone was simplifying on this front she wasn't. What your getting here sounds as if Sade,Joni Mitchell and Chaka Khan all joined in on a jam session bringing their own styles mixed into the brew which if you look at it is a good enough way to describe Russell's overall sound anyway. The harmonically impressive "Last Train To Leningrad" tackles the socially and historically aware subject of creative oppression,in this case in 1930's Communist Russia. Therefore dance oriented "All American" points out Brenda's own country's need to be freely expressive. "Justice In Truth" is a pumping midtempo jam co-written with Matthew Wilder,a name we hadn't heard in awhile up to this point where her own "Drive My Car (Til Sunset)" has Brenda musing on notions of genuine escapism from some of the confinds one might have been dealing with in the era. In terms of music of the era this is not something that's trying necessarily to change the world or do anything innovative. But it does showcase that in the early 90's the burgeoning urban contemporary scene,all emcompassing as it was could still include artists and music that had some serious thought and feeling behind it.

Brenda Russell---pop diva? Disco queen? Soul singer? R&B vocalist? Or all of the above?
Style aside, Russell is an accomplished artist, a Donna Summer compatriate with a more eclectic repertoire. This 1990 effort blends all the above-mentioned styles into a well produced and tasteful collection.
The strongest tracks for me:
KISS ME WITH THE WIND - a bouncy disco-influenced tune right out of the 80s
ALL AMERICAN military flavored funk
JUSTICE IN TRUTH - Russell's passionate vocals soar on this lush ballad
NIGHT TRAIN TO LENINGRAD - a superb arrangement and its politically infused lyrics inspire this unique tunE
DINNER WITH GERSHWIN - Donna Summer even recorded this Russell-penned ditty and scores high in her own spirited version.
Russell has written tons of songs for other artists and had modest success as a singer. KISS ME WITH THE WIND is a solid record lost in the then volatile music scene.

I purchased this CD because I wanted to upload the music to my ipod and it wasn't generally available. I've had the old cassette tape for years. I love Brenda Russell's music. It speaks to being human and lyrical. I could not imagine having to do without the entire album. I am very happy that I could re-purchase this for my library. The vendor rocked, as well, delivering product as promised.

Here you get to know the pop-side of Brenda Russell. It almost sounds like a Stock Aitken Waterman production. Very pop-ish and very 80s. Quite some fun, but people who look for a song like "Get here" look in vain. There is here own version of "Dinner with Gershwin"(also sung by Donna Summer) and some more catchy tunes like "All Americans".