Customer Reviews

Tropical Brainstorm (Different Cover Artwork)

5 star:		(67)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I remember exactly where I was when I heard Kirsty MacColl was dead. I was getting off work around midnight in December 2000, and the radio announced that she'd been killed in a boating accident in Cozumel. I immediately thought back to the first time I'd heard her music; on the "She's Having a Baby" soundtrack, she covered The Smith's "You Just Haven't Earned it Yet, Baby", and I've been a fan ever since. The untimely death of this mainly underrated songstress is a huge loss for the music industry. "Tropical Brainstorm" seems a very fitting last album; a breezy, cozy CD that sounds like Kirsty was happy and enjoying life. Her obvious love of Cuba and its history is prominently displayed here, since most songs have a cuban influence. And yet, she never forgets her native Surrey, England, using phrases like "lying git" (on the track "England 2, Colombia 0"). One of my favorite tracks is a beautiful piece called "autumngirlsoup" that is tragic and lovely all at once; "I'm an autumn girl on the endless search for summer", she sings, "'cause I need some love to cook my frozen bones". If you've never experienced her music, there's no time like the present to enjoy it. BUY THIS CD. Anyone in the know understands what a blow to music this tragic loss is- I quote the chilling lyrics of "Alegria": I close my eyes, another dream arrives
Taking me deeper, into the sweet water
Filling my senses with happiness and joy
Alegria, alegria

Happiness and joy

Goodbye, Kirsty- you will be sorely missed.

What do you get when you combine a sly British wit with an open Carribean beat and a genuine love for the Cubanos? Kirsty Maccoll! I bought this one after one listen in the store, and I haven't regretted my purchase one bit. From the fun "Mambo de la Luna" to the lighthearted sarcasm of "In these shoes" or "Here comes that man" or "England 2: Columbia 0" to the wistful "Auntumngirlsoup" to the brilliant latin beats of "Alegria" this album is a must have. I laughed nonstop through "Treachery." Starts with "I'm stalking a fan..."

Even the lyrics in Spanish are clever and fairly easy to follow, even for a student whos hasn't spoken in about four years. If I were you, I'd buy this one and "dance around in my socks."

I first heard of Kirsty MacColl back in 1989 or '90, singing "Fairytale of New York" with The Pogues, the most clever, heartbreaking, and lovely Christmas song. It is like Billy Strayhorn's "Lush Life," hung up with tinsel and mistletoe.

Kirsty's talents come out in full form with "Electric Landlady" from 1991. "All I Ever Wanted," "He Never Mentioned Love," "We'll Never Pass This Way Again," and "Halloween," are so wonderful because they aren't overwrought, and as a songwriter, she refuses to romanticize love all out of proportion, turning it into something niave, artificially sweet, and marketable but ultimately silly and unfamiliar. Kirsty proved that something intelligent could happen while translating relationships into songs -- that the pain and frustration they create could be transformed into something lovely, in part because these things are so familiar to people who have been in love. (Kirsty and Lloyd Cole are the only ones who seemed to get it.)

The Latin-Cuban influence heard on "My Affair" courses through "Tropical Brainstorm" from start to finish and the results are simply brilliant. Beneath the marvelous beats and rythms of islands is classic Kirsty. Love still goes wrong in "England 2 Colombia 0," "Autumngirlsoup," and "Wrong Again," but more often than not it is smart and sardonic, as in "Designer Life," "Celestine," and "Us Amazonians." My favorites -- "In These Shoes," "Treachery," and "Here Comes That Man Again" -- place Kirsty on top, well in control . . . sort of . . . in three different situations with men, and involve her protagonists and: (1) the problems they have with very stylish but inconvenient footwear; (2) "infidelity" in the record store leading to stalking and voyeurism, and (3)cybersex and voyeurism.

"Tropical Brainstorm" is now being released in the U.S. just over a year following it's appearance in Britain, and not quite half a year since Kirsty's death. The album gets better with every listen and, of course, leaves her heartbroken fans wondering what would have come next (probably not the "thrash album" she promised after her very last appearance on "Later With Jools Holland", but who, I ask, would have complained?).

All of Kirsty's albums deserve to be heard over and over again, and for the newcomer "Tropical Brainstorm" is a fantastic beginning. For the rest of us, who loved Kirsty and miss her terribly, this recording confirms what we already knew: she was a singular talent, ruthlessly honest about love's joys and sinister leg-traps, gorgeous, vulnerable, luminous, and simply beautiful.

Two years after my first listen, I'm still amazed by the range and depth of this CD. From the tropical exuberance of the Cuban-influenced "Mambo de la Luna," the Brasilian-tinged "Celestine," and the tango-esque "Treachery," to the humour of "England 2 Colombia 0" and "In These Shoes," the spare, understated emotion of "Head" and "Golden Heart," and the touching directness of "Things Happen," this work confounds the boundries between musical genres (jazz, pop, salsa, samba, etc), stylistic influences and inspirations. Above all, the work is richly infused with Kirsty's love for Latin/Brasilian music, culture, and perspective. The standouts include the haunting "Autumngirlsoup," the hilariously camp "In These Shoes," and the amazing subtlety and warmth--and the delicacy with which adolescent obsession is handled--in "Things Happen." The album is a fitting tribute to the life and talent of one of the most sensitive, intelligent, and interesting singer-songwriters of our time. In a musical landscape dominated with hype and image, its singers often devoid of any true talent, the voice of Kirsty MacColl is needed more now than ever. We miss you so much, Kirsty.

I don't know if you've ever had an album absolutely infiltrate you the moment you heard it, but that's what "Tropical Brainstorm" did to me. I took it out of the library on a whim because I had read a few passing things about Ms. MacColl and knew she was a critic's darling, etc., so I took it home. I'm usually resistant to unfamiliar music, but this CD immediately filled me up, it hit all the right spots, it was about the most enchanting thing I've ever heard. I rushed out to buy it a few weeks ago, and it hasn't left my CD player yet. The lush and punchy Cuban beats elevate tunes like "Mambo de la Luna" and "Treachery" to a euphoric high. Some are just so thrillingly beautiful, like "Us Amazonians" (a woman's anthem) that you experience joy just listening to the song unfold. After I got past the wonderful musical arrangements and started paying more attention to the lyrics, the album truly earned its 5 star rating. "Autumngirlsoup," for example, parallels being carved up by an ill-fated affair with being the contents of a pot of soup in one of the CD's most poignant moments. Kirsty MacColl was obviously one gutsy, funny and gifted lady whose deliciously cynical wit and unflinching vulnerability produced some great moments on this CD. It is with such bittersweet feelings that I submit this review, grateful as I am for the joy of discovering this artist and this music, I am equally saddened by the fact that her light has left this world.

What a wonderful CD! And what a tragedy that Ms. MacColl was killed by a passing speedboat while she was swimming with her two children. The songs marry Latin hedonism with British cynicism, and amazingly enough, the combination works. It's as though she found a doorway out of darkness by creating these lilting latin-tinged melodies. The songs range from beautiful and evocative (Mambo de la Luna), funny eroticism (In these shoes?) to songs that wouldn't be out of place in the Threepenny opera. "England 2, Columbia 0" is bitter and sarcastic enough to have been written by Weill. Unlike most kiddy-pop CDs, this is the music of a complex adult women who seems to have struggled out of a dark cocoon and spread her wings joyously, if only for a brief moment. You won't see anything better and you'll never, sadly, see anything more from this wonderful artist. Don't miss this one.

Less than a week after I bought 1995's Galore: The Best Of..., I picked up this album, as it was the only other one of Kirsty's I could find in the racks. I know there's no way Ms. MacColl could have known that this would be her last album (unlike George Harrison on 2002's Brainwashed), but this 2001 posthumous release feels like a small masterpiece just the same. The Latin-pop sound of her 1991 gem "My Affair" can be heard in at least 9 of these 16 tracks, and her interest in Spanish seems utterly sincere (a la Richman's 1994 CD Jonathan Te Vas A Emocionar) rather than like jumping on some bandwagon.

Kirsty's lyrics are funnier and more biting than ever as she sings about "stalking a fan" ("Treachery," possibly my favorite track), cybersex ("Here Comes That Man Again"), the lives of the Amazons ("Us Amazonians"), a single mother returning to the dating scene and dealing with a "serial liar" ("England 2, Columbia 0"), and the "happy little bubblehead" lifestyle of her ex and his new wife ("Designer Life"). "In These Shoes?" (covered by Bette Midler in 2000), "Alegria," "Mambo de la Luna," and "Celestine" are fun dance tracks, but that's not to say that this is a slight effort.

Genial delivery and mostly upbeat tunes aside, MacColl wrote these songs from a mature woman's perspective, with all the pain, wisdom, and resilience that experience brings. In "Nao Esperando," a girl quits waiting around for her man and moves on with her life; in "Autumngirlsoup," Kirsty uses cooking metaphors to describe a sexual relationship and the need for an emotional connection; the heartbreaking "Wrong Again" is the vulnerable flip-side to the witty "England 2...," as she really gets at the pain of being deceived by the man she loves. In songs like "Head" and "Here Comes That Man Again," she writes honestly about sex without resorting to crudeness or being too coy. It's a shame that this had to be MacColl's last album, but at least she went out with a satisfying winner. Oh, and here's a tip: Don't dwell on whether or not she ever would have been able to top this -- just enjoy the music.

The first Kirsty MacColl album I bought was Kite, which became a quick favorite with its humor and trenchant social insights. Kirsty's 'Electric Landlady' grew on me after time and I loved the track, 'It's my Affair,' which I believe was her first foray into Latin music. In 'Tropical Brainstorm,' Kirsty took her love of with la musica latina and went to town! The musical arrangements on this album are so well done and Kirsty's Spanish so adept, you'd never know this was the work of an English girl! One of the tracks not influenced by the Cuban vibe would be the lovely 'Autumngirlsoup'with its breathy vocals and gastronomic metaphors. Kirsty MacColl was one of those rare artists who got the joke. She was Oscar Wilde blended with Gloria Steinem and lately, even a little Celia Cruz. I hope she's swaying in a big hammock in heaven, drink in hand, and living 'con Alegria!'

Kirsty MacColl can stalk me anytime (and she does stalk a fan in the wry "Treachery"). Few voices are like hers--simultaneously warm/homey and wry/sinister. I felt let down by her last propper US album (Titanic Days), which I thought was a spotty effort (only by Kirsty standards, of course--her Kite and Electric Landlady discs are simply fantastic blends of musical adventurousness and inspired, witty lyrics). Tropical Brainstorm, songs united musically by Latin flavors, is a great treat. A strong, smart album that's perfect for summer drives with open windows and sunroof as well as for sitting around the house just listening to Kirsty tell these musical tales. I discovered this cd was out completely by accident while at a shop in Prague. I can't believe it's not available in the US except as an import. All I can say is BUY THIS; it does not disappoint. "In These Shoes?," "Treachery," "England-2, Columbia-0," and the party-perfecto "Us Amazonians" are outstanding additions to the Kirsty canon and have been setting my stereo on fire for consectutive weeks. Yes, it's unbelieveable she's unknown in the US, where you get promoted only if you're some talentless pneumatic teen sensation, but Kirsty'd drink 'em all under the table and still kick out these great songs. Everyone to whom I introduce her cd's asks why they haven't heard of her before. If you aren't familiar with her work, get with it, jeez.

You know how you can have good albums, even favourite albums? But there is usually one track which is a bit duff. Not on 'Tropical Brainstorm'! You know how you can overplay an album over three months and then you don't listen to it for ages? Not 'Tropical Brainstorm'! You know how the charts today is filled with airheaded bimbo's, marketed solely on their looks although they cannot sing without that bloody awful voice modulator thing (And 'Yes' Britney, I'm talking about you!)...? Well, not Kirsty MacColl. Simply put, a damn fine artist unfairly taken from us, but a tremendous album. A 'must buy'!