Kirsty MacColl - Titanic Days (CD)

After she shot out of the gate with her 1979 debut single, "They Don't Know," Kirsty MacColl's career became more defined by its sidetracks than its mainlines. Although MacColl was known primarily for her high-profile covers (her version of Billy Bragg's "A New England" was a U.K. hit) and guest spots (her saucy turn duetting with Shane MacGowan on the Pogues' "Fairytale of New York"), her fifth studio outing, TITANIC DAYS, argued emphatically that her greatest strength was as a songwriter in her own right. Tracks such as the title track, "Bad," and "Big Boy On A Saturday Night" marry the acerbic wit, infectious hooks, and refreshingly melisma-free singing style that made "They Don't Know" such a triumph. Johnny Marr co-wrote the stand-out "Can't Stop Killing You" and Smiths-like sonic touches are in evidence throughout the albums' strummed guitars and delicate production values.