Review – Closer

When Kim Wilde reminisces about her past glory, she’s by no means lost in dim nostalgia. “Closer” is the follow-up to her 1988 album “Close” and continues the new wave and disco sound of the original. After Cher and Madonna, it’s now Kim Wilde’s turn to don the mask of eternal youth (incidentally, the tender song “Lighthouse” reminds us of Madonna’s version in Frozen). With almost surgical precision, the interpreter of “You Keep Me Hangin’ On” attempts to reproduce the sound that propelled her to success 37 years earlier. In “Trail Of Destruction,” the copycat effect is perhaps most noticeable: the melody, the surprising effects, and above all, Kim Wilde’s voice seem to have been catapulted directly from that blessed decade. Conceived as a memorial, this album features the voice of Midge Ure (“Sorrow Replaced”) amidst lyrical strings, evoking that kind of “corpse pose” familiar to all yoga fans (Savasana). The 1980s may be dead, but… cheers to the 80s! “Closer,” recorded with Wilde’s family (her niece Scarlett appears as a featured artist on “Hourglass Human”), is a feast of endlessly catchy melodies and reverberating voices. Kim Wilde masters her task here with fresh vigor, making her music seem more relevant than ever.