Kim Wilde [Expanded Edition] Kim Wilde Artist

{|Kim Wilde|}'s debut album is seemingly dwarfed by her first hit single, Kids in America. Merging punk attitude with gleaming synths, the power pop anthem is a galvanizing call to arms delivered in breathless style by {|Wilde|} and one of the defini... Read more

{|Kim Wilde|}'s debut album is seemingly dwarfed by her first hit single, Kids in America. Merging punk attitude with gleaming synths, the power pop anthem is a galvanizing call to arms delivered in breathless style by {|Wilde|} and one of the defining songs of the new wave era. It's wrong to dismiss the rest of the record, though, because it's one of the strongest, most entertaining new wave albums of the early '80s. More cohesive than a {|Blondie|} album and nearly as peppy as {|the Go-Go's|} debut, {|Kim Wilde|} is filled with fist-pumping rockers (Chequered Love, Our Town), energetic reggae knock-offs (2-6-5-8-0), epically melancholy ballads (You'll Never Be So Wrong), and whip-smart modern pop songs (Water on Glass, Falling Out) that zoom by in a rush of hairspray, cheesy synths, and background chants. {|Wilde|}'s vocals are the star; she delivers exactly what each song needs whether it's blase detachment (Tuning In, Tuning Out), delicate crooning (Everything We Know), or rousing joyfulness (Kids in America). The record is a Wilde family production with her '50s pop-star dad {|Marty|} on lyrics and her glam rock brother {|Ricky|} providing the music and sounds. He balances things nicely between artful, punky noise and factory-fresh synths, getting a punchy, light, and fun sound that's built to blare out of radios as loudly as possible. {|Kim Wilde|} is new wave at the genre's absolute finest; it's fun, it's a little weird, and it's anchored by songs that nod to the past while blasting headlong into the future. Dismiss {|Kim Wilde|} as a one-hit wonder or sleep on {|Kim Wilde|} at your own risk -- you just might miss out on some of the best tunes of the early '80s if you do. [{|Cherry Pop|}'s 2020 reissue of the album adds single B-sides Shane and Boys, 7 mixes of Water on Glass and Tuning In, Tuning Out, along with a second disc of modern remixes of tracks from the album and a DVD of videos and {|Wilde|}'s BBC appearances. The B-sides are a fun addition to the record and the videos are a nice time capsule. The newly done remixes are largely unnecessary at best, terribly corny at worst.] ~ Tim Sendra Less