"A near perfect pop record" - [url]www.allmusic.com[/url]
Ahh, Kylie Minogue. Sex goddess, patron of many a thing, and general cool person and great musician. This is her latest album in a career that spans a whopping 16 years. This album has been of much lesser success than her two previous albums (2002's
Fever and 2000's
Light Years), which cemented her as one of the leading pop acts in the world. Anyway, onto the album.
The album is a greta mix of disco-esque pop music which simply makes you wanna get up and dance. As with most pop music, the lyrics don't exactly take the focus in the music, but there are some really great lines on the album. Some of the instrumentation and production on this record is just really brilliant.
01 Slow
The first single off the album. Such a great disco track. This song actually took me a few listens to get used to, but now I love it. It begins with some sexy as hell vocals, and builds up but never really takes off. That's where she gets you. 5/5
02 Still Standing
Some funky guitar and some cool synthy stuff kicks this one up, and carries on the dancing. The vocal line either reminds me of something else, or is just that catchy that it is instantly memorable. A very well crafted song, but not one of the best on the album. 3.5/5
03 Secret (I Take You Home)
I love this song. I think it is the vocals, just when Kylie sings in that lower sexy voice it sounds so fantastic. The lyrics are cool too. Simple, but rad. The instrumental part at the beginning of this song is just way too awesome as well. 4.5/5
04 Promises
A change of pace, and a great pop track. Lyrics are ust about broken promises, pretty simple stuff, but fit the song well, especially when the oh so 80's synth part comes in on the chorus. It is a more melody driven song than any before it on the album, and it switches it up very well. 4/5
05 Sweet Music
The intro sounds like a Michael Jackson song. One of those songs that everyone would sing at the disco, and suddenly all know the same dance and everyone join in. Cool song, the little vocal explosion before the chorus and all the little "woohoo"s make this song a dance gem. 4/5
06 Red Blooded Woman
The second single off the album, and equally as strong as (if not stronger than) Slow. The sexy voice is back, and the chorus is fuc
king great, and it makes you wanna run around and sing. The coolest part is the quick pre chorus of "You'll never get to heaven if you're scared of gettin' higggghhhhhh". 5/5
07 Chocolate
My favourite. The third single, and ultimately the reason I bought the album. It is a softer song, which has a very dark colour vibe to it. The vocals are high and bouncy, with some cool breathy backing vocals. The instrumentation is really very well done, and there are even some samples in the back. The chorus is cool, with great lyrics
If love were liquid it would drown me
in a placeless place would find me
in a heart shape come around me
and melt me slowly down
Fit the song so well it confuses me. 5/5
08 Obsession
A song about needing love for the wrong reasons. This song is really dancey again, to get things in motion again. The lyrics are again really great. The chorus is a little cliched, but pretty good nonetheless. 4/5
09 I Fell For You
The title alludes to a rather bland cliched song, but surprise, this song is one of the best on the record. It has rather jazzy verses, with some oh so good sampled backing vocals. Accompanied by a rather cruisey chorus, this song has some wonderful flow working for it, and a cool bassline. This song
is sex. 5/5
10 Someday
The vocals here remind me of Lamb for some reason, but I don't know why. It is a very lovely song about leaving someone. A very dreamy intro, and some dreamy vocals. There are some vocals by some guy, which add a little to the song, but not much. A pretty good song. 3.5/5
11 Loving Days
An orchestral intro, and some cool effects in the background come in before the vocals. The dreamy vocals continue in this track, but work a lot better here. This song is the peak of the dreamy section of the album, and is just wow. I really love the chorus, everything combines so well. 5/5
12 After Dark
Funky. Oh yeah. Sexy vocals are back to accompany the sleazy funk. This song is cool. I can't seem to write long sentences while listening to it. It has a very familiar sounding chorus, with some rather sexified lyrics, which make it a cool song. 4/5
13 Slo Motion
An intro reminiscent of Slow, clicks into a different, vocally punctuated instrumental section. A part of this reminds me of Lamb again, and the chorus is just beautiful. This song is a great closer to the album, and slows it down, still combining elements of the rest of the album. The allusion to the first track helps to link it into a circle too, and almost a theme for the album. 5/5
This album is simply brilliant. I'd like to point out that Kylie does write her own songs too. This album is her best work to date, and is definately the best pop album this side of 2000.
4.8/5
If you like sex, you should get this album.
