Kite is Kirsty MacColl’s breakthrough second album. Produced by her then-husband Steve Lillywhite, the record includes MacColl's hit cover of The Kinks' "Days", as well as two tracks written with Johnny Marr.
Kite is Kirsty MacColl’s breakthrough second album. Produced by her then-husband Steve Lillywhite, the record includes MacColl's hit cover of The Kinks' "Days", as well as two tracks written with Johnny Marr.
8.2
Kirsty MacColl
Kite
Artist Origin: 🇬🇧
Release Date: 8 May 1989
Label: Virgin
Genres: Indie / Pop
Prosecutor: Mike
How and why had I not listened to this before. I was hooked from the first track. What a voice MacColl had. The album starts strongly with Innocence which rattles along at a fair pace with a country twang and U2 style guitar arrangement. 'Days' is possible my favourite cover of any song and her vocals are like drips of honey. 15 minutes is a lovely swipe at fleeting fame and the fickle nature of the industry. A song appropriate for today. Don't come the cowboy with me is fun and irreverent. I particularly enjoyed End of a perfect day with Johnny Marr on guitars. That should and could of been a big hit for The Smiths. A great pop song! All in all I love this album and could go on a lot longer. 8.7
Phil
The Smiths influence is undeniable, and if you like The Smiths I’d be surprised if you don’t like this album. Musically on point, lyrically incisive and a bloody good voice to boot. It’s still a bozo’s world Kirsty, but albums like Kite help make it bearable. Can’t whittle down to the best out of about 7 of them so I’m swervin it. 9.0
Dan
Irish singer songwriter’s quality shines bright on Kite. The album bursts to life with opener ‘Innocence’, a stomping bit of 60s Beatles-esque rock n roll. Johnny Marr’s signature guitar wizardry adds a sharp post-punky edge to tracks Tread Lightly and The End of a Perfect Day. Lyrically it’s clever and cutting. Lots of poetic turns of phrase on tracks like Fifteen minutes, which builds brilliantly into a Parisian style waltz. MacColl’s knack of covering brilliant songs continues with Kinks classic Days, which is a carbon copy of the original, but feels well-placed amongst some of the spikier opening songs. ‘Don’t come the cowboy…’ felt a little too on the nose Irish folk for my taste, while closer ‘You and me baby’ felt like a lacklustre way to finish. Overall, really enjoyed this record. It’s easy to see why KM was so lauded. Cracking choice Mike. 8.2
Adam
Unfairly I may have bracketed Kirsty MacColl in the ‘my parents like so must be crap’ zone. This album has shown me how wrong a ne’er-do-well street urchin from the wrong side of Exeter’s tracks can be. Starting off with three cracking songs and the famous cover it got me right in the spirit for an ‘ole shindig’. The end of the album tailed off for me which is the only disappointment. The first song sounding like something Beatles did, and the next Free World dripped with Edge-like licks. Tasting notes: Beatles, U2, regret (for not listening before). 7.9
Rich
In my experience, kites either glide effortlessly or struggle to get off the ground entirely. And while Kirsty's does a bit of both, I'm relieved to say it soars more than it plummets. Of all the tracks, Days flies highest. A pretty route one Kinks cover, but a good one nevertheless, and a decent tribute to Kirsty herself. Elsewhere, I enjoyed the moments where Johnny Marr was given the space to do what he does best. Free World and Tread Lightly wouldn't seem out of place on a latter-day Smiths comp. And there's certainly a hint of Marr's creative partner at play too. Her caustic humour recalling Morrissey across the entire album, but most tellingly on Fifteen Minutes. By contrast, I didn't get on with Don't Come The Cowboy - it felt at odds with the rest of the record, and a weak parody of a country song. By a similar measure, What Do Pretty Girls Do felt a little derivative, while Dancing In Limbo made the second half drift a tad. 7.0
< Prev | Home | Next >
How and why had I not listened to this before. I was hooked from the first track. What a voice MacColl had. The album starts strongly with Innocence which rattles along at a fair pace with a country twang and U2 style guitar arrangement. 'Days' is possible my favourite cover of any song and her vocals are like drips of honey. 15 minutes is a lovely swipe at fleeting fame and the fickle nature of the industry. A song appropriate for today. Don't come the cowboy with me is fun and irreverent. I particularly enjoyed End of a perfect day with Johnny Marr on guitars. That should and could of been a big hit for The Smiths. A great pop song! All in all I love this album and could go on a lot longer. 8.7
Phil
The Smiths influence is undeniable, and if you like The Smiths I’d be surprised if you don’t like this album. Musically on point, lyrically incisive and a bloody good voice to boot. It’s still a bozo’s world Kirsty, but albums like Kite help make it bearable. Can’t whittle down to the best out of about 7 of them so I’m swervin it. 9.0
Dan
Irish singer songwriter’s quality shines bright on Kite. The album bursts to life with opener ‘Innocence’, a stomping bit of 60s Beatles-esque rock n roll. Johnny Marr’s signature guitar wizardry adds a sharp post-punky edge to tracks Tread Lightly and The End of a Perfect Day. Lyrically it’s clever and cutting. Lots of poetic turns of phrase on tracks like Fifteen minutes, which builds brilliantly into a Parisian style waltz. MacColl’s knack of covering brilliant songs continues with Kinks classic Days, which is a carbon copy of the original, but feels well-placed amongst some of the spikier opening songs. ‘Don’t come the cowboy…’ felt a little too on the nose Irish folk for my taste, while closer ‘You and me baby’ felt like a lacklustre way to finish. Overall, really enjoyed this record. It’s easy to see why KM was so lauded. Cracking choice Mike. 8.2
Adam
Unfairly I may have bracketed Kirsty MacColl in the ‘my parents like so must be crap’ zone. This album has shown me how wrong a ne’er-do-well street urchin from the wrong side of Exeter’s tracks can be. Starting off with three cracking songs and the famous cover it got me right in the spirit for an ‘ole shindig’. The end of the album tailed off for me which is the only disappointment. The first song sounding like something Beatles did, and the next Free World dripped with Edge-like licks. Tasting notes: Beatles, U2, regret (for not listening before). 7.9
Rich
In my experience, kites either glide effortlessly or struggle to get off the ground entirely. And while Kirsty's does a bit of both, I'm relieved to say it soars more than it plummets. Of all the tracks, Days flies highest. A pretty route one Kinks cover, but a good one nevertheless, and a decent tribute to Kirsty herself. Elsewhere, I enjoyed the moments where Johnny Marr was given the space to do what he does best. Free World and Tread Lightly wouldn't seem out of place on a latter-day Smiths comp. And there's certainly a hint of Marr's creative partner at play too. Her caustic humour recalling Morrissey across the entire album, but most tellingly on Fifteen Minutes. By contrast, I didn't get on with Don't Come The Cowboy - it felt at odds with the rest of the record, and a weak parody of a country song. By a similar measure, What Do Pretty Girls Do felt a little derivative, while Dancing In Limbo made the second half drift a tad. 7.0
< Prev | Home | Next >