COLORS THAT DIFFUSE, BRIGHTEN AND SWAY.CRISP BREEZES.SWOONING MELODIES. REFRESHING PHRASING AND ORCHESTRATION. A PURE VELVET TOUCH HERE.
CONNELL AND DREWERY turn up creative juices and change gears. this album celebrates two constants in their career which started with this recording.1a. never repeat the same thing.2b. show the world our range.
there is a tremendous nod to the 60's pop engine here but more over it has a opening movie score feel.TO BE MORE SPECIFIC it is the brainchild of SOMEWHERE DEEP IN THE NIGHT, but more in the birth stage.
to me it holds itS own head held high with nostalgia to be sure but heartfelt and completely filler free of the trappings of what was on the radio at the time in the late 80's or what is on the radio now. for all that matters.
when this album came out i swooped it up immediatley because i never knew if the band would make any more music. lucky for those of us longtime fans and music enthusiates they continue to this day.
THIS IS THE BEGINNING OF THE LUSH, FLUID FEEL SWING OUT SISTER.
HOPE, EXUBERANCE, MELODIES, ORCHESTRA, HEART, SOUL,RYTHUM AND BLUES. WHAT MORE CAN YOU WANT. THIS BAND IS TIMELESS AND TRUE.JAZZY AND COMPLEX. NOT FOR YOU AVERAGE MUSIC LISTENERS.NOT COCKTAIL LOUNGE EITHER.CLEAN AND PURE. A GEM.

With British jazz-pop group Swing Out Sister's 1989 followup to It's Better To Travel, Kaleidoscope World might as well be titled It's Better Than It's Better To Travel, because it is. Orchestral and string arrangements abound in their glory, making more full the usual brass section, and the songs are just as dreamy and upbeat, and maintain a consistency in sound. And all that despite having the same producer save the group-produced "Coney Island Man."

The full-bodied brass ensemble in "You On My Mind" kind of makes it the opening theme song to so many movies in the 1960's, or something that Dusty Springfield would do. Backing vocalists are introduced here too. Whoever thought not getting over someone could be so cheerful?

"Where In The World" is more lush, but with the same pronounced brass sections, with some pop-like sections when the backing vocalists come in.

The slow-dancing and dreamy "Forever Blue" is one of two songs using a full orchestra. Despite its dreamy tone, the words tell a different nature, urging a girlfriend that hopeless wishing won't restore her guy. The other song is "Precious Words," something that could've doubled for a mid-paced 70's disco song. The title is all that's left in another song yielding an empty world: "Loneliness says so much more/than a thousand words ever said/conversations pass me by/I'm left with silence instead." Instrumental versions of both are included.

When Corrine sings in a slightly lower register in "Heart For Hire," similarities to Sade can be detected, although Corrine's voice is smoky but higher in pitch. Another mid-paced Dusty-like song. The title refers to what the protagonist will be when the lying louse leaves her.

"Waiting Game" has a tempered Stock-Aitken-Waterman sound, with string and brass arrangements flirting with 70's-style disco. Put it another way, Dusty and the Pet Shop Boys would want to do this and put it on Dusty's Reputation album.

"Masquerade" is a moody piece where similarities to Sade can be heard when Corrine's voice is long and drawn out. This song too has an instrumental version included.

"Between Strangers" could've belonged on their previous album, what with the bass keys that can be heard.

"The Kaleidoscope Affair" is not the theme to a 60's spy movie, but this instrumental, with Corrine merely vocalizing, might as well be for such a hypothetical movie. "Coney Island Man" is another instrumental, upbeat with more vocalizing by Corrine, and sounding a lot like Basia.

A mixture of songs buoyed by energetic strings and horns, with Corrine Drewery's voice used to better effect than it was in the previous album, and a sound that occasional veers into 70's disco territory and 60's Dusty Springfield regions, Swing Out Sister's Kaleidoscope World is a world for the dreamer, but at times, with advice that the dreamer should wake up.

Another fine one by those two! Even though I witnessed SOS's debut in 1987, I had failed to get their debut album 'It's Better to Travel' at the time. In 1991, I finally purchased my first SOS album 'Kaleidoscope World' which turned out to be such a wonderful experience, hence turning me into an SOS worshiper.
This is the album introduces us to Corinne and Andy's long-running infatuation with the sounds of the late 60s/early 70s. Though SOS is quite retro here, they still manage to keep their cool and upbeat jazzy sound. I love the way this CD takes you on a ride through time and then brings you back home again. Such a great combination. If you really enjoy this one, then you must check out their more current 'Somewhere Deep in the Night'.

I'm not gonna lie, I didn't warm up to this album until after a couple listens, but has S.O.S. really made a bad album? I have S.O.S.'s albums #1-3 and #5, I have yet to get the other ones. When I first bought "It's Better To Travel", I thought it was a great album. I loved the jazz/pop vibe of it. Then I bought "Get In Touch With Yourself" and liked that even more because it mixed R&B and jazz. Then I bought "Shapes And Patterns" (I still haven't bought "The Living Return" yet). "Shapes And Patterns" was good (to me, "Somewhere In The World" is their most brilliant song period), but some of the songs sounded like they were straight out of the 60s. I'm not very fond of that decade musically. Those type of songs are usually too gleeful for me. So with "Kaleidoscope World", I wanted to dismiss it because I encountered those 60s-esque songs again. But there are only 3 songs that sound like they're straight out the 60s ("You On My Mind", "Forever Blue", and "Precious Words"). The other songs I could tolerate because there were 80s songs with 60s elements ("Where In The World" and "Heart For Hire"), just plain 80s songs ("Tainted" and "Between Strangers"), espionage film-esque songs ("Kaleidoscope Affair"), and a lounge song for good measure ("Coney Island Man"). And I loved how they would break into a little lounge number at the end of a couple of the songs (I like when loungey songs are played on commercials. That's what "C.I.M." reminded me of, although it also reminded me of "The Price Is Right"). One problem though- "Waiting Game" is too cheesy! I like the beat, but what were they thinking with the music behind the verses? Anyway, in closing, I'm still not a big fan of 60s music, but this album is something you will keep coming back to. Like the other albums I own, it has its own individual style.

I get offended reading some readers referring to Swing Out Sister as "Martini Music". This music isn't lounge in the least! Maybe because some perceive S.O.S. lacking that "edge" to classify them as a true rock or even pop group, so they're relegated to some classless category. Why do we need labels? Though some of Burt Bachrach and Fifth Dimension's melodies show some rebirth in various degrees on "Kaleidoscope" arrangements.

Speaking of arrangements, the whole angle with Jimmy Webb is blown way out of proportion. If you look at the liner notes, Jimmy is credited with arrangements on only 2 tracks, maybe he was brought in to "beef up" the sound, which show an overall maturity and complexity over their debut disc "It's Better To Travel". There are sweeping strings, percussions, more layered drumming, and other special arrangements added on this disc that were not present on "Travel".

Corinne Drewery's voice is the real story here. The slight lilt and crisp phrasing show some jazz influence. This English gal probably listened to Billie Holiday growing up. She has enough verve and spark to uplift weak material, which fortunately are few and far between on this disc. Listening to Corinne is such a refreshing experience, she's like a breath of fresh air in an overcrowded, stuffy room. Listening to her, I can picture myself running thru a country meadow in an April shower. There's boundless energy, hope, effervesence and romanticism reflected in her voice.

I would say after listening to Swing Out Sister's entire body of work that "Kaleidoscope" easily ranks as their BEST. Most of the songs on this disc have just enough hook to leave you humming the melodies afterwards even though the lyrics sometime escape the listener. As usual, Corinne's vocals is their best asset, but Andrew's contribution on various instruments cannot be overestimated. Even the 3 instrumental tracks on the CD have enough variety and catchiness to keep the feet tapping. Some of the lilting melodies like "Forever Blue" and "Precious Words" rank as S.O.S.'s best. The Sixties come back to life on tracks like "You On My Mind", one of two tracks that Jimmy Webb arranged. Here you can definitely hear the Fifth Dimension's influence. "Up, Up and Away" anyone?

If you just started listening to Swing Out Sister, then you will definitely want to own "Kaleidoscope". If you must choose just ONE of their discs, then THIS is the ONE to own!!