Review – Closer

Kim Wilde is back. And memories immediately come flooding back: of “Kids In America”, “Cambodia”, “You Keep Me Hangin’ On” and other immortal 80s hits. Is the now 64-year-old happy to be defined by her great achievements back then? Well, she can’t change that in this life. And she’s making the best of it: with “Closer” she consciously reflects on the time of her greatest successes. But she doesn’t seem like another old 80s pop aunt who is just managing her musical legacy and now singing a few new songs to promote the next tour.

Kim Wilde cites her 1988 album “Close” – one of her most commercially successful records – as a reference. At first glance, that seems a bit daring, perhaps even megalomaniacal. But there is, as you can tell when you listen to it, a lot of love in these almost 44 minutes (ten songs). And a lot of fun.

The upbeat first single “Trail Of Destruction” already made people sit up and take notice a few months ago (a great chorus, and still a great voice!), and the rest of the album also has a few real “moments” to offer – alongside the new wave powerhouse pop of “Scorpio”, “Sorrow Replaced”, a duet with Midge Ure (Ultravox), stands out. It was “an absolute joy” to record this record, reports Kim Wilde. “It feels like the natural companion to ‘Close’ from 1988, and I think it perfectly reflects where I am musically today.”