Kid Creole & The Coconuts: Fresh Fruit In Foreign Places (Ze/Sire)
Craig Zeller, Creem, September 1981
I HAVE TO admit I got a brief kick out of Creole and Co. when I saw them strut their stuff opening for the B-52's last fall. But I can't get behind this fatally diversified platter at all. Let's see, there are hackneyed Latino moves, worn-out reggae riddims, swinging salsa, impure pop touches, the briefest of R&B flourishes, self-consciously clever rhyme schemes, and mucho tropical jibber jabber. Hey, it's got everything — everything except anything resembling passion or commitment to the musical forms involved.
Total word count of piece: 425
