Hi everyone!
I've been a fan of Kylie Minogue since her "Loco-motion" days nearly thirty years ago. I've always kind of seen her as Madonna without the edge or the pretension. Kylie has evolved into an international pop star -- one of the top female recording artists in the world -- though she has never quite been able to make a successful go of it here in the U.S. With the exception of a darker edgier avant-garde phase in the early 90s, (her collaboration with Nick Cave comes to mind) Kylie's music is upbeat and sensuous without necessarily being all that sexy. She's kind of the ultimate tease. She excels at infectious danceable pop songs that get into your head ("Can't Get You Out of My Head") and stay there. Her voice is a bit breathy, a bit thin, but with undeniable range. Like Madonna, her live shows are spectacular but you never get the sense that Kylie is trying to do more than entertain. She's not afraid to have fun. And although I've been a lifelong fan of Madonna and think she's brilliant if not visionary at times, I've always thought that Madonna tries a bit too hard -- especially in sections of her recent MDNA tour -- to convince us that she's having fun.
And so we come to Kylie's latest studio album -- her 12th I believe: "Kiss Me Once". She's working with a new team and while many critics and fans have said this latest effort is a step in a new direction/new sound for Kylie, I don't discern much of a change. It's a fluffy pop confection that passes by in no time at all. There's no message or underlying theme, no dark hidden meaning. At first I wasn't overly enamored, but after repeat listenings, individual songs start to get into your head -- just like Kylie's songs tend to do -- and leave you feeling a little euphoric and a whole lot happy. I'll even venture to say that this is probably Kylie's best and most consistent album since 2000's "Light Years".
Track One: "Into the Blue". This is a barnstorming opener, probably the strongest track on the album, and one of my favorite Kylie singles. Unfortunately, because the song is so strong everything that comes after it leaves you a tad disappointed...at least initially. As I've said, this is an album that grows on you but "Into the Blue" is the album's stand-out track.
Track Two: "Million Miles". Catchy chorus and beat, will probably be a big hit in the clubs and should be the album's second single.
Track Three: "I Was Gonna Cancel". This Pharrell-produced track takes a bit of getting used to. It's kind of bouncy, kind of funky, about what you'd expect from Pharrell. Without being overtly disco, it brings to mind a little Donna Summer, Studio 54, disco balls, and roller-skates. I don't know why but that's what I think of when I listen to this song.
Track Four: "Sexy Love". After "Into the Blue", this is one of my favorite tracks. It's Kylie at her playful flirty best and I think the chorus samples from an 80s one-hit wonder because I'm sure I've hear it somewhere before. A lot of fun and will definitely stick in your head. More roller skates.
Track Five: "Sexercise". I wouldn't necessarily call this a misstep, but it's the only song on the album that I tend to skip when I listen to the album straight through. It's the most overtly sexual track on the album and it samples from a weird rhythm track she released last summer called "Skirt". Yeah, it's sinuous and mildly dirty but I feel it tries too hard to be sexy. It also doesn't really fit with what comes before or after it. And the name "Sexercise" just sounds a bit ridiculous especially when repeated over the course of three minutes.
Track Six: "Feels So Good". I love this track. It's a happy, breezy song with a synthesized bass that brings Giorgio Moroder to mind without being retro. The title accurately describes how you'll feel listening to it.
Track Seven: "If Only". This is another stand-out track: a ballad of sorts with a wistful synthesized edge that becomes epic about halfway through. I think Kylie's voice is at its best here: it soars above the percussion that gradually take front and center. It also features my favorite lyric of the entire album: "If I set you free and you actually came back to me." I'm a sentimentalist, but this song gives me goose bumps.
Track Eight: "Les Sex". Cheeky 1980s "Parisian" pop. This song is a lot of fun with some of the most ridiculous lyrics on the album: "Take two of these and meet me in the shadows/We'll be higher than stilettos". But it's undeniably catchy. Je t'aime.
Track Nine: "Kiss Me Once". The album's title track is another upbeat affair and (like this album) just gets better and better after repeated listenings.
Track Ten: "Beautiful". A duet with Enrique Iglesias. A rather subdued track with some nice harmonies between Kylie and Enrique and subtle usage of the vocoder. It's a pretty track, romantic, and less 'produced' than the rest of the album. But I feel that it never rises to the heights a duet between these two powerhouse pop artists should. It's a nice ballad but ultimately leaves you wanting more.
Track Eleven: "Fine". Kylie leaves us on an optimistic note: "You're gonna be fine...Turn your face into the sun" she sings over a dance floor whirl. It's not quite the barnstormer of the album's opener but it's a more than suitable ending to an album that is truly in love with love and doing nothing more than having fun.
Kylie deserves a bigger audience here in the U.S. and this album should bring her new converts. "Kiss Me Once" is the most consistently enjoyable new album of 2014 thus far.
Must-haves: "Into the Blue" "Feels So Good" "If Only" "Les Sex" and "Sexy Love"
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