Skeeter DavisReview - Album: Kiss The Lips Of Life - Brilliant
This album is actually twenty-three years old, so why review it now? It has recently been issued on CD for the first time in the U.S. only and is now being imported by music lovers in the UK after a heads up from the official PWL website about the reissue.
So, who are Brilliant and why should we care?
The album has vocals from June Montana, guitar and keyboards come courtesy of Jimi Cauty who later went on to vast success with The KLF and backing vocalists include Princess, Pepsi, Shirley Lewis and Dee Lewis.
The production on all but one track is from the magical Stock Aitken Waterman team.
It's A Man's Man's Man's World Yes, this is a cover of the James Brown song. It's urban-lite on a pretty sorry scale. Dull, plodding and pretty pointless. 4/10
Somebody This is one of those tracks where - once you hear it - you'll realise that the song you never heard of is a song that you do actually know... if you're a Stock Aitken Waterman fan. This has the key elements that drove the team to become the phenomenal success that they were. A really hook laden and upbeat chorus - top drawer. 10/10
Ruby Fruit Jungle This sounds like one of those very early Bananarama tracks that nobody actually knows... before they became famous, as it were. It's inoffensive, mildly pleasant, but won't make you're waters run with excitement. 6/10
How High The Sun This track really does mark the birth of future legends. All whooshing and rocking guitars with a driving dance beat - hear this, know that the man behind MuMu Land and Transcentral is involved and it all makes sense. Look, too, at the writing credits and see that Stock Aitken Waterman not only produced this but co-wrote it, and you have a vital part of British pop and dance music history to consider. And it's a great, strong track too. 9.5/10
Kiss The Lips Of Life Title track of the album, sounding every bit the mid-eighties track that it is. It's a good fun, upbeat track and one which allows Cauty to show off on the guitar a little. 9/10
Love Is War This track was my biggest joy about buying this reissued album. This is one of those quintessential Stock Aitken Waterman early tracks and was the true fore-runner to all that came after. Hear this once and, if you don't know it already, you'll play it on repeat already and know it by bedtime. A must have track. Ten out of ten just doesn't ate it highly enough. Pure Pwl gold. 10/10
Crash The Car Slightly cheesy but interesting and enjoyable borderline Hi-NRG track which foreshadows Roadblock far more than it does anything KLF. It's almost entirely instrumental... and it doesn't half make you want to sing a Rick Astley song over the top of the beats. 9/10
I'll Be Your Lover This is completely recognisable as Stock Aitken Waterman from the word go. Nice track. 9/10
The End Of The World This is a cover of the old Skeeter Davis song that Stock Aitken Waterman would, a few years later, preside over with a further cover from Sonia. While Skeeter and Sonia delivered quite contrasting version, this one is reasonably uptempo and is a refreshing take on an old song. 9.5/10
Overall rating: 8.5/10
This album is actually twenty-three years old, so why review it now? It has recently been issued on CD for the first time in the U.S. only and is now being imported by music lovers in the UK after a heads up from the official PWL website about the reissue.
So, who are Brilliant and why should we care?
The album has vocals from June Montana, guitar and keyboards come courtesy of Jimi Cauty who later went on to vast success with The KLF and backing vocalists include Princess, Pepsi, Shirley Lewis and Dee Lewis.
The production on all but one track is from the magical Stock Aitken Waterman team.
It's A Man's Man's Man's World Yes, this is a cover of the James Brown song. It's urban-lite on a pretty sorry scale. Dull, plodding and pretty pointless. 4/10
Somebody This is one of those tracks where - once you hear it - you'll realise that the song you never heard of is a song that you do actually know... if you're a Stock Aitken Waterman fan. This has the key elements that drove the team to become the phenomenal success that they were. A really hook laden and upbeat chorus - top drawer. 10/10
Ruby Fruit Jungle This sounds like one of those very early Bananarama tracks that nobody actually knows... before they became famous, as it were. It's inoffensive, mildly pleasant, but won't make you're waters run with excitement. 6/10
How High The Sun This track really does mark the birth of future legends. All whooshing and rocking guitars with a driving dance beat - hear this, know that the man behind MuMu Land and Transcentral is involved and it all makes sense. Look, too, at the writing credits and see that Stock Aitken Waterman not only produced this but co-wrote it, and you have a vital part of British pop and dance music history to consider. And it's a great, strong track too. 9.5/10
Kiss The Lips Of Life Title track of the album, sounding every bit the mid-eighties track that it is. It's a good fun, upbeat track and one which allows Cauty to show off on the guitar a little. 9/10
Love Is War This track was my biggest joy about buying this reissued album. This is one of those quintessential Stock Aitken Waterman early tracks and was the true fore-runner to all that came after. Hear this once and, if you don't know it already, you'll play it on repeat already and know it by bedtime. A must have track. Ten out of ten just doesn't ate it highly enough. Pure Pwl gold. 10/10
Crash The Car Slightly cheesy but interesting and enjoyable borderline Hi-NRG track which foreshadows Roadblock far more than it does anything KLF. It's almost entirely instrumental... and it doesn't half make you want to sing a Rick Astley song over the top of the beats. 9/10
I'll Be Your Lover This is completely recognisable as Stock Aitken Waterman from the word go. Nice track. 9/10
The End Of The World This is a cover of the old Skeeter Davis song that Stock Aitken Waterman would, a few years later, preside over with a further cover from Sonia. While Skeeter and Sonia delivered quite contrasting version, this one is reasonably uptempo and is a refreshing take on an old song. 9.5/10
Overall rating: 8.5/10
