Best of 2000s: Dannii Minogue - Neon Nights (4.5/5)

Dannii Minogue's music career never took off like it did for big sister Kylie, but the closest she came was her fifth album Neon Nights, from which the Australian singer had three UK top 10 hits. Looking back, it's incredible the extent to which this album was a harbinger of upcoming pop music trends. While her sister and just about every other dance pop singer were still thriving on disco, Neon Nights jumps ahead to the '80s and electro--stylings that are omnipresent now, but not in mainstream yet in 2003. The upbeat set has a lot going for it: it's cohesive but avoid excessive repetition, wisely avoids balladry until the very end ("It Won't Work Out"), and never runs out of energy. "I Begin to Wonder" is clearly inspired by Dead or Alive's "You Spin Me 'Round" (an effective mash-up later proved it) and "Push" samples Laid Back's "White Horse." "For the Record," "On the Loop," and "Mystified" pulse with '80s synths. "Don't Wanna Miss This Feeling" benefited from a better single mix, and an even cooler approved mashup with Madonna's "Into the Groove." The best cut on the album is a bonus: Dannii's fantastic 2001 "trance pop" single "Who Do You Love Now." All in all, the work showed that Dannii was a serious contender to rank among the decade's most prominent dance pop singers. A shame she didn't keep it up.

Best: Who Do You Love Now?, I Begin to Wonder, Creep, Don't Wanna Miss This Feeling, For the Record, Mystified