By Kim Wilde, earMUSIC 2018
Kim Wilde has released her first album in seven years and it’s a beauty.
Kim burst onto the music scene in 1981 with her worldwide hit Kids in America and then followed that up with a string of top 10 hits including Chequered Love, Cambodia, You Keep Me Hanging On (#1 in the USA), You Came, Four Letter Word and Never Trust a Stranger.
She has sold over 30 million albums worldwide.
I haven’t heard any of her recent albums but if this disc is anything to go by they might be worth checking out.
Here Comes The Aliens combines Kim’s pop roots with a good dose of rock and roll.
The album’s oozing with great guitar riffs and drum rhythms.
It was produced by Ricky Wilde, Kim’s brother, and recorded at RAK Studios in London, the very same recording studios where she recorded Kids in America, Chequered Love, and Cambodia all those years ago.
The album consists of 12 new songs and the Aliens theme is present in most, especially in the music, and to some extent lyrically.
The opening track, 1969, instantly grabs the listener’s attention.
It starts with ambient noise of a radio flicking through stations until settling on a song.
A great bit of raunchy guitar introduces 1969, a song that is grounded with an infectious bass groove. The track should be released as a single.
A lot of consideration has been given to capturing the right groove for each track.
Kim’s assembled a talented group of musicians who really do have the chops to pull it all off.
Tracks like 1969, Birthday, Kandy Krush, and Rock The Paradiso are right up there with the best she’s ever done.
Kim’s career has been interrupted a few times, including a break to focus on her family, but since she returned to the stage in 2001 she’s been a regular on the festival circuits and released half a dozen well received albums.
In addition to this she has a very popular UK radio show on Magic FM, so for the many of us who might be surprised to hear Kim Wilde on CD again I can tell you that she never really left the music business and that she’s still singing as well as ever.
