Date: 15 September 2006
Originally published in: Zentralschweiz online website (Switzerland)
Written by: Reinhold Hönle
Kim Wilde was born on November 18 1960 as Kimberley Smith in London. With the song “Kids in America”, written by her father Marty and her brother Ricky, she entered the music world.
Her biggest hits in Switzerland were “Chequered love”, the millionseller “Cambodia”, “View from a bridge”, “You came” and the cover version of the Supremes classic “You keep me hangin’ on”, with which she had her only US number one. After the long career until the nineties, a baby break, as well as a successful gardening career and books about gardening in England, Kim Wilde returns to the music business. The title “Never say never” not only reminds of Sean Connery’s comeback as James Bond, she does it as well as he did – her voice convinces.
Producer Uwe Fahrenkrog-Petersen has modernised her sound for the remakes like he did with Nena and composed lots of new songs, that fit together well with the eighties classics. Only the duets “You keep me hangin’ on” and “Kids in America” with Nena and ex-Ash singer Charlotte Hatherley disappoint. The chart candidate “Forgive me”, a synthpop number, and “Together we belong” make up for the weak points very well.