Date: 1 October 2006
Originally published in: Oor (Netherlands)
Written by: Jan van der Plas
Suddenly she was back, the blonde teenage girl who made many young men’s hearts beat faster in the early eighties with hits such as Kids In America and Cambodia . . .
Together with friend Nena, her dark-haired counterpart from Germany, Kim Wilde scored a number 1 hit three years ago with Anyplace Anytime Anywhere. After such a resounding success, a comeback album was inevitable. Since Kim now fills her days with a family and presenting a television show about gardening, it took a long time for Never Say Never to see the light of day. On this album, the teenagers of the past (now thirty-somethings with nostalgia) are immediately served with Perfect Girl and You Came, songs that are a direct extension of the hits of the time: guitar pop with synthetic underwear. Within that idiom, Together We Belong, The Fly and Game Over are also convincing, songs that seem to have been plucked straight from an Avril Lavigne album for younger ears. It gets less when Kim mirrors her peer Madonna and tries to conquer the dance floor. Forgive Me tries but lacks the emotionality of Ray Of Light. And the duet with Nena in You Keep Me Hangin ‘On by The Supremes does not come to life either. The biggest ones are the remakes of her biggest hits View From A Bridge, Four Letter Word, Kids In America and Cambodia. Production right here and now, but less charming than the originals and therefore superfluous. However, that does not apply to the tour she will do later this year. That could be quite nice, because Kim Wilde certainly does not sound worn out.
