Kid Creole’s triumphant before-Christmas gig at Friars Aylesbury showed that the coolest street-wise Lothario to strut the planet had lost none of his unique spark and charisma, while his finely-drilled 14-piece big band were astonishing as the funkiest unit this side of George Clinton’s mothership; far from the nostalgia romp associated with most former 80s heroes as his timeless hits were interspersed with new songs which more than held their own. August Darnell solidifies his current mission with this two-CD set, matching revamped versions of classics like [‘Annie, I’m Not Your Daddy’ with lesser-known tracks and vibrant new works like ‘Cool, Calm And Collected’ and ‘Young, Gifted And White‘, showing that his lyrics have lost none of their bite as he again tackles racial issues with eloquence and humour. The new arrangements, delivered by the skin-tight musicians, are lean and sophisticated, still sparkling with that intangible spirit which managed to mix so many aspects of New York’s diverse musical melting-pot into a new kind of exotic global pop. Darnell pays tribute to former boss Chris Blackwell with Millie’s ‘My Boy Lollipop’ and even throws in a charged version of Machine’s ‘There But For The Grace Of God Go I‘, his first success sounding timelessly relevant. This immensely-talented man struck a universal chord 30 years ago and it still resonates strong as ever.
5 Out Of 5
Reviewed By: Kris Needs
