Arts
The Mic
Page 7
Kid Creole and Coconuts
Kid Creole and the Coconuts-'Fresh
Fruit in Foreign Places'-(Ze-
Sire)-This album could well serve as
the Creole manifesto, a word which has
been commandeered by The Coconuts
to denote their musical intermingling of
different cultures. Kid Creole's second
album is a persuasive argument for
recognition that such exchanges are
taking place, celebration of the fertile
and truly American hybrids that have
resulted, and destruction of the walls
(both from within and without) around
r
our various cultural communities that
foster ignorance, hatred, and
homogeneously bland music.
August Darnell, a.k.a. Kid Creole,
captains The Coconuts through
everything from reggae to big band
music, salsa to pop, creating a melange
as exciting as it is all-embracing.
FRESH FRUIT uses an Odessean
story line as a device to weave the
songs loosely together . .. and also as a
playful excuse for incorporating a
variety of musical styles. The "plot"
concerns Kid Creole's search for his
beloved Mimi, and the many perils he
and his faithful crew encounter along
the way. Actually, the entire journey is
a ruse; a glance at the inner sleeve
reveals that all these exotic places are
actually located in New York City.
Although Darnell et al. seriously
believe in what they are doing, Fresh
Fruit never degenerates into a grim
crusade. They are able to laugh at
themselves and at the overzealous
"mulatto is better" creed that fueled
Darnell's previous group, Dr. Buz-
zard's Original Savannah Band. For
example, "In the Jungle" is a tongue-
in-cheek warning against interracial
relationships, set to a throbbing African
drum beat:
"I don't believe in integration
Just to achieve miscegenation.. .
I don't believe in propagation
Just to achieve cafe-au-lait-tion."
Darnell also manages to get away
with some of the soppiest romantic
numbers this side of the 40s ("I Stand
Accused," "Dear Addy") and the
slyest, most engaging rude songs ever.
"Table Manners" casts The Coconuts
as Sirens-insatible females taxing
their lovers to the breaking point with
their sexual demands. The lyrics and
arrangement are far too funny to be of-
fensive, though. In "Gina Gina," Dar-
nell vainly tries to woo the girl away
from her Swiss lover: "What kind of
happiness can this union bring?/ He'll
consummate his love yo-o-deling."
Fresh Fruit offers wit, swirling
rhythms, lush orchestrations, and Dar-
nell's silver screen sense of style. No
point in resisting; join the Creole
movement and let yourself be taken for
a (banana boat) ride.
-Karen Green
375 N MAPLE
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