Kirsty MacColl
Tropical Brainstorm

THE REVIEW

Tribute to Kirsty MacColl (1959-2000).

"Tropical Brainstorm" is the simplest and lightest album by Kirsty MacColl and unfortunately also the last...

English, daughter of an artist, and wife of Steve Lillywhite (producer of XTC, to be clear), she was known to the public mainly for collaborations during the '80s and '90s with big names like the Smiths and the Talking Heads, for a cover of Fairytale of New York by the Pogues but also for 5 (it would be 6 with the reviewed one which, however, must be considered separately as we will see) albums in which she showed an intriguing Irish Folk Singer-songwriter streak (Billy Bragg said of her «She writes songs with the power of a playwright and then sings them like an angel») especially worth remembering "Kite" of '89, "Electric Landlady" of '91 and "Titanic Days" of '94.

After this last album, MacColl disappeared from Showbiz for at least 6 years (due to never fully explained personal reasons) until she reappeared in 2000 with "Tropical Brainstorm", a totally different album from the previous ones, but which, ironically, would probably be destined to remain, if not the most loved, certainly the most remembered of her career, which was cut short along with her life in 2000 by a pirate speedboat that, in the warm waters of Yucatan, struck the poor Kirsty while she was swimming.

The fundamental difference between the early albums and this one is that here MacColl surprised her audience by proposing a decisive change in direction, abandoning her typical Pop-Folk Melodies and leaning towards Caribbean Rhythms, interwoven with abundant Pop Calls and Electronic Undertones. In those 6 years of eclipse, it happened that the sweet Englishwoman fell in love with Brazil during one of her trips, and especially with Cuba, and from these experiences, she became profoundly involved until she elaborated this album, an elegant passage between typically British singer-songwriter interference and enveloping Equatorial Sirens...

"Tropical Brainstorm" is a deeply Sunny and absolutely Easy Listening Album, yet by no means predictable because it is the result of 3 years of research in the Musical Scene of the Latin Continent and especially because it is always passed through the filter (much more rigorous than one might be led to believe) of the unfortunate Kirsty's Pop Attitude, Pop that skillfully touches on trends that were fashionable at the time (Lounge, Ambient etc.), but also the Blues.
An intriguing work, therefore, but never cerebral because of a disarming simplicity that reveals the intentions of the Author, which were, as she candidly admitted, purely for entertainment and aimed to try to immerse the listener as tenderly and engagingly as possible into the same experiences she had in South America.

Each song offers a unique experience and blooms into its own microcosm (born from mixing the cited influences in different proportions each time), offering very varied and differentiated listens even in the small details highlighted by a high-level production. One obviously cannot avoid mentioning the famous and danceable "In these Shoes?" when discussing this work, but no song should be underestimated, from the elegant "Mambo de la Luna" to my favorite "Autumgirlssoup"...

... all served according to the Motto "Lightness", not Emptiness, remember, Lightness...

The album had a fair commercial success and shortly before the start of a promotional tour the tragedy occurred, Here you can read an interview released not long before...

Mo.

"No le gusta caminar. no puede montar a caballo
(I don't like to dance, I can't ride a horse)
Como se puede bailar? es un escandolo
(how can I dance? it's a scandal)"

K. MacColl