Tropical Brainstorm - Kirsty MacColl > Reviews > Shake those Marraccas

Author's product rating:   

Originality
Lyrics
Quality and consistency of tracks
How does it compare to the artist's other releases
Value for Money

Advantages:	Great music, for that holiday feeling
Disadvantages:	She's no longer around

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

The charts have been awash with the influence of Latin music, but this isn't just another of those jump-on-the-bandwagon records (a la Ginger Spice, maybe?).

"Tropical brainstorm" was just the latest product of Kirtsy MacColl's love affair with Cuban music, which began around 10 years earlier. For this album, she spent much time over in South America, playing with musicians over there, immersing herself in the music and rhythms.
And it shows. The tunes are the kind that you can imagine dancing a mambo or a cha-cha to - or at the very least you can picture yourself drinking a cocktail while watching others dance to them!

There's still plenty of the British, dry humour that was always evident in MacColl's lyrics (I always knew there was something special about her when I first heard "there's a guy works down the chip shop swears he's Elvis" in the 70s).
Another typical MacColl feature is that the songs invariably have a good yarn behind them.
"Treachery" is an inspired tale of a singing star stalking a fan - the line about the fan "dancing around in his socks" is so absurd, yet sums up the betrayal so well, it makes me laugh every time.
The hit single, "In these shoes" is extremely memorable, witty and camp - I believe that Bette Midler has shown an interest in recording a cover of the song, which seems perfectly appropriate.
"England 2 Columbia 0" is another distinctive tale of deceit and the battle of the sexes - musically, it sounds almost like a bullring encounter.
"Autumngirlsoup" sounds like a softer, ordinary kind of ballad, but listen to the lyrics and it's not what it seems at all - altogether more sinister!
The final song, though, "Head" is a gentle love song - very sincere, and unusually on this album, no wordplay, or jokey lines. It's also the only song without the Latin sound, with instead, a sultry sound, almost like a Cole Porter composition - a beautiful, touching song.
Throughout, the vocals are excellent and very versatile - she has a wonderfully clear voice, as well as being able to deliver those cutting putdown lines.

I was lucky enough to see Kirsty MacColl on tour last Summer, performing the entire album with a 9-piece band. She didn't tour often, as I believe she got bad stage fright. The concert was superb, and she came across as truly genuine, with a real love for the music, and musically the songs were even better live than on record.

"Tropical Brainstorm" gets full marks for a very witty title, last in a line of excellent album titles (how about the earlier Electric Landlady? - a play on Jimi Hendrix's classic).

Sadly, this was to be Kirsty MacColl's last album, but what a way to bow out.