Search - Kirsty Maccoll :: Tropical Brainstorm (Different Cover Artwork)

A great, really fun disc

Eric Wahl | Bozeman, MT, USA | 07/16/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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."

The Best

Mr DM Parritt | Melbourne, Victoria Australia | 03/12/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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'!"

Swing out, sister!!

C. J. Hormann | Wellington, New Zealand | 01/02/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Had it not been for Kirsty MacColl's untimely death in a terrible boating accident, many people may never have heard of this great English pop genius. Unfortunately, this is one of the ironies of the music biz, and the pattern that followed the passing of Jeff Buckley and Eva Cassidy, seems sure to re-establish itself.Never mind - for the newly initiated, this is a fantastic album to acquaint yourself with the late, great Ms MacColl. Full of her trademark multi-layered vocals and acerbic wit, this goes further as she discovers the joys of Latin American music, first hinted at with her 'Electric Landlady' album on "My Affair". However the whole album is invested with this free and easy samba beat that accentuates her pop sensibilities. From the date gone wrong of "England 2, Colombia 0" to the Dutch pornographer in "Here Comes That Man Again", the arched eyebrow of Ms MacColl is rarely out of sight. She never shies way from directness - "he's a lying git" and almost coo's with self satisfied delight on "In These Shoes" (incidentally covered by Bette Midler, but never mind) to an Englishman, "I doubt you'd survive". That alone is worth the price of the CD. The two standout tracks are "Treachery" as she transforms the stalker genre, with the pop star stalking the fan, and the beautiful "Wrong Again" which sneaks up on you but turns out to be a glorious song of love and loss. Kirsty MacColl will never produce another album (save any trawling through the vaults) so I recommend any lover of music to get their hands on this and all her other albums - she will not disappoint."