Kid Creole - The August Darnell Sessions

It’s hard to think of a more underrated pop musician than the amazing (and humorous) August Darnell, aka Kid Creole. In the mid-1970s he played bass and wrote lyrics for Dr. Buzzard’s Original Savannah Band, a group that fused disco, big band, and other styles in elegant ways. Later, Darnell formed and fronted Kid Creole and the Coconuts, a stylish outfit with an entertaining stage show and a distinctive polyglot sound. He wrote deliciously witty lyrics that rivaled anything in the Great American songbook, and his music drew from many sources, including funk, Caribbean genres, and musical theater. He also collaborated with other recording artists and was involved in various side projects and The August Darnell Sessions presents a nice mix of his endeavors. Goofiness and sophistication mix on Don Armando’s Second Avenue Rhumba Band’s “I’m an Indian Too,” while an update of the Peggy Lee hit, “Is That All There Is?” by Cristina, transposes the song’s scenario to the glittery world of New York nightclubs. Kid Creole’s “Off the Coast of Me” is an evocative slice of oddball nostalgia and Aural Exciters’ “Marathon Runner” shows the influence of Parliament. Sessions is serious fun.