Though lazy journalists liked to label Kirsty MacColl folk-pop in truth she was rally too enigmatic to pigeonhole.
This 3CD retrospective covers her entire career from her impressionable Croydon upbringing through to her immersion in Cuban and Brazilian culture just prior to her tragic death in Mexico in 2000.
Compiled in close association with her mother Jean MacColl, the retrospective begins with her earliest, and arguably most charming, kitchen sink dramas like There's A Guy Works Down The Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis and See That Girl. Along the way Kirsty worked with Billy Bragg, making a hit of his New England in '85 and teaming-up with the guy again along with Johnny Marr for Greetings To The New Brunette. Of course she most famously collaborated with The Pogues for everyone's favourite alternative Xmas classic, Fairytale Of New York, as well as successfully covering The Kinks' Days and dabbling in early '90s baggy indie scene with Walking Down Madison.
Featuring a whole bundle of previously unreleased tracks and demos, this is a fitting tribute to an unique artist, and without doubt the ultimate MacColl collection.
