Warming up with Kirsty MacColl

It's chilly in the house this morning -- I just pulled on a sweatshirt -- but forecasters say there is colder weather to come. They've issued a FROST ADVISORY for tomorrow night.
I am warming myself up with some KIRSTY MACCOLL.
The late singer-songwriter's debut album, "DESPERATE CHARACTER," always makes me smile while it turns up the emotional heat.
Catchy, memorable songs such as "(I'm Just a Lonely Alcoholic) Teenager in Love," "There's a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis" and "See That Girl" seem only funny on the surface. Listen more closely, and the songs are raging against crumbling or abusive relationships.
That was MacColl's signature -- she could take desperate, harrowing tales and set them in the most delightful musical settings.
It helped, of course, that she had such a wonderful voice.
Blankets, sweaters, long-sleeved shirts -- I'm bringing them all out to help ward off the chill. I've already brought out the Kirsty.