Date: 22 October 1993
Originally published in: The Age (Australia)
Written by: Chris Beck
Kim Wilde is one of those artists who pops up with a hit single every four or five years. This collection of 17 singles contains more misses than hits.
Way back in 1981 the “Wilde English Rose” released the explosive chart-topper ‘Kids In America’. (Presumably We’re the kids in Eeennnngggland didn’t have the same punch). It was a brilliantly manipulative pop song, notwithstanding her misalliances. We all sang along. But boy, there was a drought after that. ‘Chequered Love’ was developed from the same formula, ‘Water On Glass’ flopped and ‘Cambodia’ was a clumsy ballad. It took a couple of years, but ‘View From A Bridge’ re-established Kim as a pop singer, with its breathy vocals and strong melodic dance beat (with echo). Later, ‘Love Blonde’ and ‘Rage To Love’ (admittedly borrowed from the Stray Cats’ beat) got us singing along again. Then more dross. More recently she has covered the Supremes’ ‘You Keep Me Hanging On’ and the Bee Gees’ ‘If I Can’t Have You’.
Inconsistency and a bland image left Wilde destined to be remembered as that blonde British girl who inexplicably sang that song about being a youngster in America.
