Belinda Carlisle just dropped her new EP Kismet and I haven’t been this excited since finding out Oreos are vegan. There’s been a lot of talk about it being 27 years since she released a pop album in English but it doesn’t feel that long. I mean six years ago she released “Wilder Shores” her album of Kundalini mantras with a pop beat and she’s such a fabric of any retro-80’s countdown show (either solo or with The Go-Go’s) that it feels like her voice never leaves the airwaves.
The other press-worthy topic about the EP has been that all the songs on Kismet are written by Diane Warren. Diane Warren is the only song writer I know who isn’t also a singer that I follow. She’s a big name in the music industry and has penned some of Belinda’s (and other big diva’s) previous songs, most notably “I Get Weak.”
Kismet perfectly marries Diane’s heart-tugging lyrics with Belinda’s rich vocals and positive vibes. “Big Big Love” is her big big return single that’s super fun with a shoulder-shaking beat. My favorite up-beat track on the EP is “If U Go” with it’s down-beat story of life sucking if your love leaves but the reality is that you can live through it, if need be. “Deeper Into You” and “I Couldn’t Do That To Me” both have a classic Belinda pop-ballad sound. Where “Sanity” is the most un-Belinda sounding track on the EP, in my gay opinion, but I’m still crazy about it.
I’m crossing my fingers, toes, and any other appendages that I can twist into a pretzel with all the yoga classes I take, that Belinda will fall in love with all these love-filled tracks and feel inspired to record a whole pop album the next time around…and hopefully it takes her less than a couple decades to do it in.
