Kim Wilde

There's no doubt many heard Kim Wilde searching for the beat on "Kids in America," but know now that she finds it; thus, the rest of this sterling debut comes dangerously close in quality to that killer kick-off. The second cut, "Water on Glass," follows the sound from the wild streets to Wilde's brain, maintaining a high level of exuberant class. Weird staccato runs down the streets of "Our Town," while "Everything We Know" chills into an icy groove. Wilde only wants to be free in "Young Heroes," and by side two's single, "Chequered Love," she gives permission to touch her and do anything (surprising, considering her pro-pop dad and brother wrote the whole LP). Hard guitars and xylophones get physical, until horns and Ska skip into "2-6-5-8-0"; by this point in the record, Wilde can pull off anything she wants, and ends up sounding like a No Doubt B-side. "You'll Never Be So Wrong" mellows the turgid tempo but not the precise passion, and she just plain gets upset in "Falling Out." From the womb to the end of "Tuning in Tuning On," Kim Wilde is one excellent inaugural, one excellent chapter in the evolution of hi-NRG, and one excellent slab everyone should own.

Ripped from the 2009 reissue with bonus tracks (you lucky slobs) to MP3 @ 320kbps and now added FLAC

Kim Wilde; Kim Wilde

1.      Water On Glass

2.      Our Town

3.      Everything We Know

4.      Young Heroes

5.      Kids In America

6.      Chequered Love

7.      2-6-5-8-0

8.      You’ll Never Be So Wrong

9.      Falling Out

10.   Tuning In Tuning On

11.   Shane

12.   Boys

13.   Water On Glass (7” Version)