Tropical Brainstorm

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Tropical Brainstorm
Tropicalbrainstormuk.jpg
Studio album by
Kirsty MacColl
ReleasedMarch 20, 2000
Recorded1999–2000
GenreWorldbeat, Latin Pop, Alternative Rock
Length45:06
LabelV2 Records
ProducerKirsty MacColl, Pete Glenister and Dave Ruffy
Kirsty MacColl chronology
What Do Pretty Girls Do?
(1998) 		Tropical Brainstorm
(2000) 		The One and Only
(2001)
Alternative cover
US release cover
US release cover
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic4.5/5 stars[1]
Entertainment WeeklyA[2]
The Guardian4/5 stars[3]
Robert ChristgauA-[4]

Tropical Brainstorm is the fifth and final studio album by Kirsty MacColl, released in 2000. It was inspired by her trips to Cuba, and many tracks include Spanish or Portuguese lyrics. The album was released with three extra tracks in the US.

Composition and recording[]

MacColl stated that, in spite of the role Cuban music played in inspiring her songwriting, her goal was not "to recreate an authentic sound", offering two reasons: "first of all cos I'm not Celia Cruz, and a lot of people like my music mostly because of the lyrics. I didn't want to try and fail at being the Buena Vista Social Club. I wanted to succeed at being Kirsty MacColl".[5] MacColl had previously shown an interest in Cuban culture, as when she wore a Castro hat and smoked a Cuban cigar on the cover of her 1995 greatest hits collection; she also spent time in both Cuba and Brazil, took Spanish classes, and began attending Cuba Solidarity Campaign shows.[5]

"Good for Me", a non-album track co-written with James Knight, was her last song.[6]

Commercial performance[]

Despite the apparent success of the album (certified Silver in the UK), the V2 label dropped MacColl before her death in 2000.

Track listing[]

  1. "Mambo de la Luna" (Kirsty MacColl, Pete Glenister, Dave Ruffy) – 4:38
  2. "In These Shoes?" (MacColl, Glenister) – 3:392
  3. "Treachery" (MacColl, Graham Gouldman) – 3:51
  4. "Here Comes That Man Again" (MacColl, Glenister) – 4:49
  5. "Autumngirlsoup" (MacColl) – 3:54
  6. "Celestine" (MacColl) – 3:35
  7. "England 2 Colombia 0" (MacColl) – 3:45
  8. "Não Esperando" (MacColl, Glenister) – 4:04
  9. "Alegria" (MacColl, Ruffy) – 2:01
  10. "Us Amazonians" (MacColl, Glenister) – 4:09
  11. "Wrong Again" (MacColl) – 4:16
  12. "Designer Life" (MacColl, Kenneth Crouch) – 2:35
  13. "Head" (MacColl) – 3:56
  14. "Golden Heart" (MacColl, Neill MacColl) – 3:241
  15. "Things Happen" (MacColl, Gouldman) – 2:581
  16. "Good For Me" (MacColl, James Knight) – 4:101

1On US release only.

2Used as the theme for the BBC1 comedy series Any Time Now, and as the theme and bridging music for The Catherine Tate Show (first series). A cover of this appears on Bette Midler's album Bette.

Personnel[]

  • Kirsty MacColl – vocals, autoharp, lap steel guitar
  • Roy Dodds – percussion
  • Pete Glenister – guitar, programming
  • Chucho Merchán – bass, double bass on "Designer Life"
  • Dave Ruffy – drums, programming
  • Bosco DeOliveira – percussion
  • Joseph de Jesus – trombone on "Celestine"
  • Ernesto Estruch – piano, violin, background vocals
  • Felix Gonzalez – background vocals, Cuban rap on "Mambo de la Luna"
  • Omar Püente – violin, background vocals
  • James Knight – saxophone on "Head"
  • Ben Storey – trumpet on "In these Shoes?"
  • Lee Groves – additional programming
  • Mark Hinton Stewart – keyboards on "Designer Life"
  • Luiz de Almeida – surdo on "Não Esperando", nylon string guitar on "Não Esperando" & "Designer Life"

Charts[]

Chart (2000) Peak
position
UK Albums Chart[7] 39

References[]

  1. ^ Tropical Brainstorm at AllMusic
  2. ^ "Tropical Brainstorm". Ew.com. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  3. ^ Sullivan, Caroline (17 March 2000). "Lessons in Latin". The Guardian.
  4. ^ "Kirsty MacColl: Tropical Brainstorm". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 2015-10-03.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b Spencer, Neil (23 December 2000). "Thank you for the Days". Guardian. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
  6. ^ Jean MacColl Sun on the Water: The Brilliant Life and Tragic Death of My Daughter Kirsty MacColl – 2009 -"... things' he remembers about Kirsty and the time they spent together, he told me, I think one of my favourite memories is writing the song 'Good For Me' together. Of course, we didn't know then that it would be Kirsty's last song."
  7. ^ "Kirsty MacColl | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved 17 May 2021.

External links[]



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