Tropical Brainstorm

Rent-a-lip Kirsty MacColl from Croydon has spent the last half-decade trawling around Latin America soaking up the Latino vibes and this is the result, thirteen hot tracks that should be kept on permanent stand-by in case the summer falls below expectations.

MacColl has wisely eschewed the temptation to drench her unique, fragile vocals in sub-tropical effects just to catch the salsa fad. Instead, the melange of African-inflected guitar styles, especially in 'Us Amazonians', mariachi brass, the salsa sway of 'Treachery', bossa beats and heaps of shuffling drums are used effectively to support her vocals. When samples are used, they fit seamlessly into the ensemble rather than, as often the case, sounding like the work of "rivetters-r-us".

Throughout a collection of finely-wrought songs, written either by MacColl alone or with co-writers of the calibre of Pete Glenister, the lyrics are often wickedly and sexily humorous, betimes poignant and more about real life than a thousand Ricky Martins.

She prompts more than the odd guffaw through some clever lyrics as in 'England 2 Columbia 0' (about an encounter with a man in a pub) and 'Here Comes That Man Again' in which a net-surfer flirts with a porno fan.

But it's not just funny, it's witty and human and clever without ever being clever-dick. Could this woman be the first ever stand-up singer-songwriter?