Kirsty MacColl - Sun on the Water - Non-Album Tracks (1996-2001)

Here's the last of my Kirsty MacColl stray tracks albums, going to her untimely murder in late 2000. I have mentioned previously that I think her musical career just got better and better as she got older, in contrast to most musicians who tend to peak early. So out of all of the stray tracks albums, I think this one is the strongest.

In the last few years of MacColl's life, she spent a lot of time in Latin America, and that led her to incorporate Latin musical styles, especially Brazilian musical styles, into her own music. This can be clearly seen on her last (and best) album "Tropical Brainstorm," released in 2000. Not surprisingly, many of the songs here have that same influence. She even covers a song by the great Brazilian composer Antonio Carlos Jobim ("Insensitive"), and another by the Brazilian singer-songwriter Gilberto Gil ("Eu So Quero Un Xodo").

But she had many other influences, and those can be seen here as well. She also does covers of songs by the Isley Brothers ("Harvest for the World"), Randy Newman ("Sail Away"), and Ian Dury and the Blockheads ("Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick"). But the rest of the songs were written by MacColl. 

"Sun on the Water" was the last song she ever wrote and recorded, right before her death. I think it's an excellent song. It's such a shame she died when she did, when her songwriting was just getting better and better.

Two songs, "The Great Silence" and "I Believe in Love," were recorded in early 2001, right before her death, but weren't released until 2008, on a very obscure various artists compilation.

This album is 49 minutes long.

UPDATE: On December 10, 2023, I updated the mp3 download file. I added the songs "Eu So Quero Un Xodo" and "Siempre Tu Rosa" from the recently released box set "See That Girl." But I also removed the demos for "Celestine" and "Sun on the Water," as I'll be putting them on a demos album.

01 Eu So Quero Un Xodo (Kirsty MacColl)
02 Siempre Tu Rosa [Always Your Rose] (Kirsty MacColl)
03 Libertango (Sharon Shannon with Kirsty MacColl)
04 Sail Away (Ghostland & Kirsty MacColl)
05 Picking Up the Pieces [Instrumental] (Kirsty MacColl)
06 Golden Heart (Kirsty MacColl)
07 Things Happen (Kirsty MacColl)
08 Harvest for the World (Kirsty MacColl)
09 Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick (Kirsty MacColl)
10 Good for Me (Kirsty MacColl)
11 Manhattan Moon (Kirsty MacColl)
12 Insensitive [Insensatez] (Kirsty MacColl)
13 The Great Silence (Philip Chevron, Ronnie Drew & Kirsty MacColl)
14 I Believe in Love (Kirsty MacColl)
15 Sun on the Water (Kirsty MacColl)

https://www.upload.ee/files/16376567/KIRSTYMCCLL1997-2000SnontheWatr_atse.zip.html

For the album cover, I used the cover to the 1995 single "Caroline." I erased the title and changed the text.