The release of Kylie Minogue's 10th album, X, is less than one month away now. Here's my overview of her previous nine releases:
Kylie (1988). (3.5/5) Light and frothy late ‘80s pop that made Kylie a name all over the world. In the U.S., “The Loco-Motion” became, for years, her sole major hit. But in the rest of the world, particularly Europe, the album spawned multiple hits, most notably “I Should Be So Lucky,” perhaps the best example of super producers Stock Aitken Waterman’s (SAW) work at the time. It doesn’t try to be anything more than a good time and it succeeds very well. Essential: I Should Be So Lucky
Enjoy Yourself (1989). (3/5) Kylie’s second album was essentially more of the same SAW fluffy pop. This album falls down a bit though when Kylie tries on a few slow songs, which have never been (and probably never will be) her strong suit. Aside from that though, it’s pretty good. Essential: Hand on Your Heart
Rhythm of Love (1990). (4/5) Things get a little more interesting with Kylie’s third album. Still a SAW production, but with a concerted effort to update Kylie’s sound for the ‘90s, the album wisely avoided the balladry that weakened her last album. The results are not unlike what Cathy Dennis—a future critical collaborator—was doing at the time. “Better the Devil You Know,” the album’s first track, remains one of Kylie’s strongest early singles. Essential: Better the Devil You Know
Let’s Get to It (1991). This is the only Kylie album I don’t own, so I can’t say much about it, but the fact that I don’t have it says something about my lack of interest in it. This was the first albeit tentative step into more adult territory for Kylie, who was becoming increasingly interested in asserting herself in her music and not being just a dance pop producers’ plaything. The singles from the album, if they are indicative of the rest, are just average though. Essential: Finer Feelings
Kylie Minogue (1994). (4/5) After taking a 3-year break and emerging on a new record label, Kylie Minogue was a forceful statement that Kylie was taking a new, more mature direction with her music. Freed completely from the Stock Aitken Waterman production house that made her a household name, Kylie was free to experiment. Nowhere is this more evident than with “Confide in Me,” the haunting, vaguely Middle Eastern first single that is markedly different than anything else Kylie has ever done. Dance pop is still the emphasis, but the flavor is much more adult than teen oriented. Essential: Confide in Me
Impossible Princess (1997). (3/5). Here’s where things got really weird. This is the furthest from dance pop that Kylie ever ventured, and the results are interesting but mixed. The disc spans from the dark trip-hop of “Jump” to the soulful and upbeat “Some Kind of Bliss.” Essential: Some Kind of Bliss
Light Years (2000) (4.5/5). Another long break and Kylie emerged once again into a new musical era, this time embracing the frothy dance pop that made her famous, updated for the new millennium and injected with a heady dose of ‘70s disco influence. Light Years is confident, joyous fun, particularly her campy collaborations with Guy Chambers and Robbie Williams on “Loveboat,” “Kids,” and “Your Disco Needs You.” But the more contemporary tracks, “Spinning Around,” “On a Night Like This,” and “Please Stay,” were good too, and returned Kylie to the top of the charts after the relative drought of her experimental period. Essential: Spinning Around
Fever (2001). (5/5) Fever is the best dance pop album ever made and one of my favorite albums. Every track is a winner and the thoroughly modern sound fits Kylie like a glove. While the camp and retro elements of Light Years were fun, I don’t miss them here at all. This time the inspiration came from the best of current dance music, such as the obvious Daft Punk influence on “Love at First Sight.” Cathy Dennis’ remarkable work on “Come Into My World” and the classic “Can’t Get You Out of My Head” is also notable. Essential: Can’t Get You Out of My Head
Body Language (2003). (4/5) Kylie shifted her emphasis again for Body Language away from house dance pop toward a more electro sound with ‘80s influence. The results aren’t as enjoyable as her last two albums, but this is still solid, particularly on the sexy, breathy “Slow” or “Chocolate.” Upbeat tracks like “Secret (Take You Home)” and “Still Standing” are great too, as is the Justin Timberlake-influenced “Red Blooded Woman.” Essential: Slow
Enjoy Yourself (1989). (3/5) Kylie’s second album was essentially more of the same SAW fluffy pop. This album falls down a bit though when Kylie tries on a few slow songs, which have never been (and probably never will be) her strong suit. Aside from that though, it’s pretty good. Essential: Hand on Your Heart
Rhythm of Love (1990). (4/5) Things get a little more interesting with Kylie’s third album. Still a SAW production, but with a concerted effort to update Kylie’s sound for the ‘90s, the album wisely avoided the balladry that weakened her last album. The results are not unlike what Cathy Dennis—a future critical collaborator—was doing at the time. “Better the Devil You Know,” the album’s first track, remains one of Kylie’s strongest early singles. Essential: Better the Devil You Know
Let’s Get to It (1991). This is the only Kylie album I don’t own, so I can’t say much about it, but the fact that I don’t have it says something about my lack of interest in it. This was the first albeit tentative step into more adult territory for Kylie, who was becoming increasingly interested in asserting herself in her music and not being just a dance pop producers’ plaything. The singles from the album, if they are indicative of the rest, are just average though. Essential: Finer Feelings
Kylie Minogue (1994). (4/5) After taking a 3-year break and emerging on a new record label, Kylie Minogue was a forceful statement that Kylie was taking a new, more mature direction with her music. Freed completely from the Stock Aitken Waterman production house that made her a household name, Kylie was free to experiment. Nowhere is this more evident than with “Confide in Me,” the haunting, vaguely Middle Eastern first single that is markedly different than anything else Kylie has ever done. Dance pop is still the emphasis, but the flavor is much more adult than teen oriented. Essential: Confide in Me
Impossible Princess (1997). (3/5). Here’s where things got really weird. This is the furthest from dance pop that Kylie ever ventured, and the results are interesting but mixed. The disc spans from the dark trip-hop of “Jump” to the soulful and upbeat “Some Kind of Bliss.” Essential: Some Kind of Bliss
Light Years (2000) (4.5/5). Another long break and Kylie emerged once again into a new musical era, this time embracing the frothy dance pop that made her famous, updated for the new millennium and injected with a heady dose of ‘70s disco influence. Light Years is confident, joyous fun, particularly her campy collaborations with Guy Chambers and Robbie Williams on “Loveboat,” “Kids,” and “Your Disco Needs You.” But the more contemporary tracks, “Spinning Around,” “On a Night Like This,” and “Please Stay,” were good too, and returned Kylie to the top of the charts after the relative drought of her experimental period. Essential: Spinning Around
Fever (2001). (5/5) Fever is the best dance pop album ever made and one of my favorite albums. Every track is a winner and the thoroughly modern sound fits Kylie like a glove. While the camp and retro elements of Light Years were fun, I don’t miss them here at all. This time the inspiration came from the best of current dance music, such as the obvious Daft Punk influence on “Love at First Sight.” Cathy Dennis’ remarkable work on “Come Into My World” and the classic “Can’t Get You Out of My Head” is also notable. Essential: Can’t Get You Out of My Head
Body Language (2003). (4/5) Kylie shifted her emphasis again for Body Language away from house dance pop toward a more electro sound with ‘80s influence. The results aren’t as enjoyable as her last two albums, but this is still solid, particularly on the sexy, breathy “Slow” or “Chocolate.” Upbeat tracks like “Secret (Take You Home)” and “Still Standing” are great too, as is the Justin Timberlake-influenced “Red Blooded Woman.” Essential: Slow
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