Sound: Australia’s Diva, Kylie Minogue has resurfaced with her latest release X, to mark being her tenth studio album. The music exudes of techno-pop esthetics liken to Goldfrapp and a synth-pop borealis with flickering hues comparable to Daft Punk. Minogue’s angelic vocal register is reminiscent of the Soho Dolls lead vocalist Maya von Doll as Kylie’s voice is caressed in silky movements made from the synth textured guitars and sonic effects which are in a continual state of flux while contoured by processed beats. “Sensitized” and “The One” have complementing effects and melodic hooks that are reflective of new wave rays, and “No More Rain” reflects a folk-pop tune with an electro-pop coating. Most songs are made to be dance tracks with mag-wheeled beats and synth studded soundscapes. For a gal who was a teen idol along with Debbie Gibson, Minogue stayed the course while expanding with dance music’s changes. Her album moves club music into the cosmos with futuristic effects on “Wow” and esoteric pop grinding on the tasteful “Nu-di-ty.” The lounging grooves of “Cosmic” have a bluesy sway in the guitar riffs and keyboard sequences shrouded by an elevating string arrangement that lifts the melodic lines to a soft R&B/pop tint. It is one of the more natural sounding songs on the album and one of the best tracks on the album, second to “No More Rain.” // 8
Lyrics and Singing: The lyrics seem to follow a strict regiment to say what you mean in as few words as possible and keep a positive outlook. The first track “2 Hearts” is a testament to the album’s soothing sonic esthetics with words of sheer bliss: “You make me invisible/ Like the sky you make my day/ And I feel so wonderful/Oh-oh-oh don’t let go/ I’m deep in the dark of you/ It feels like I never saw the sun/ Should I shout for the rescue? / Oh-oh-oh don’t let go.” And of course, what is club music without a mating dance filled with lust like in “Nu-di-ty” when Minogue lathers the electro-pop atmospherics with, “I like it/ Nu-nu-di-ty/ Let me, let me see/ Nu-di-ty/ Hang your coat up, hang your coat up/ Lock the doors up, lock the doors up/ Let the steam rise in/ The spotlight, alright/ Are you steady to let it go tonight/ Do your own thing with your own thing/ Whoo, shake a hip, it’s getting cool swing.” // 7
Impression: Kylie Minogue’s album X has all the club music vises that people have come to expect from her. Minogue shares songwriting credits on 7 of the 13 tracks and collaborated with Guy Chambers (Robbie Williams, Natasha Bedingfield), Cathy Dennis (Britney Spears, Spice Girls), and Bloodshy & Avant (Madonna, Britney Spears) for the album. There aren’t any surprises on the album, she sounds exactly as she always has. It is an album that is hard to dislike because it has elixirs that please any crowd and fit in any setting. It’s a disc that you can feel comfortable leaving in the CD player and know that you will want to listen to it over and over just to enjoy its soothing sonic esthetics. // 8
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