Kim Wilde (Bonus Tracks Version)

Album review

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 blasé 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.

© Tim Sendra /TiVo