Essential Albums of the '80s: Kylie Minogue - Kylie (1988), Risk Astley - Whenever You Need Somebody (1987)

Is there a more defining late ‘80s British dance pop sound than Stock/Aitken/Waterman? They were huge and their breezy tunes, kissed by rat-a-tat drum programming, staccato keyboards and studio-perfected voices from fresh-faced artists generated a plethora of hits. Kylie Minogue and Rick Astley were their poster children, particularly these debut albums.

Both albums had their signature hits—her “I Should Be So Lucky,” his “Never Gonna Give You Up”—plus quite a few other singles. Those two songs, which are essentially the same, begin each album, which both unfurl with similar dance pop after. They both down for some mid-tempo numbers but not really any ballads, save for Astley's terribly misguided remake of “When I Fall in Love.”

Much of Kylie’s songs have a laid-back feel, such as “Je Nais Sa Pas Pourquoi” and “It’s No Secret,” a minor US hit. It’s front-loaded with the better songs (and singles) and loses steam once you reach “I Miss You,” although I do like “Look My Way,” which bears more than a passing resemblance to The Whispers’ “Rock Steady.” The album concludes with perky “Love at First Sight,” which bears no resemblance to the vastly superior track of the same name from Minogue’s 2001 album, Fever.

Interestingly, Astley’s album was the bigger of the two in the US, where “Never Gonna Give You Up” and “Together Forever” were #1 hits. Minogue scored a top 10 hit with her remake of “The Loco-Motion,” but that was her only major American hit until “Can’t Get You Out of My Head” struck gold 13 years later (“I Should Be So Lucky,” despite its pop brilliance, couldn’t even reach the top 20). Globally speaking though, Minogue is by far the bigger artist, having used this album to launch a successful dance pop career that continues to today, whereas Astley seems a fine candidate for a “where are they now” special. Yet, it could have easily gone the other way, as his album is no less a guilty pop pleasure than hers. The aforementioned #1 hits, plus the title track and “It Would Take a Strong, Strong Man” are all worthwhile, semi-disposable pop that can get stuck in your head to this day (walking on the beach earlier today I couldn’t get “Together Forever” out of my head). His album tracks aren’t as strong as hers. “The Love Has Gone” has more of a mature, adult feel to it, but “Don’t Say Goodbye” could have been a boyband hit. Most of the other few tracks aren’t very distinct, particularly “You Move Me,” which has about the worst lyrics I’ve ever heard for a pop song.

Kylie best: I Should Be So Lucky, The Loco-Motion, Je Ne Sais Pas Pourquoi, Got to Be Certain, It’s No Secret.

Whenever You Need Somebody best: Never Gonna Give You Up, Together Forever, It Would Take a Strong Strong Man, Whenever You Need Somebody.

Singles Serving

Taio Cruz feat. Kylie Minogue & Travie McCoy - Higher. First there was the original album version, then the Kylie version, then the Travie version. Now there's the Kylie AND Travie version. The best of both worlds! This week it become Cruz's 7th top 10 hit and Kylie's first top 10 hit since "All the Lovers" last summer. A fun, breezy slice of European dance pop.

Eric Prydz - Niton (The Reason). Eric Prydz is back. I posted the video for this a few weeks ago. It's a great dance track. Shame it doesn't look like it's going to get anywhere close to the UK top 10 this weekend. His last single, "Pjanoo" hit #2 in 2008, but he's best known for his 2004 #1 hit, "Call on Me."

Justin Bieber feat. Jaden Smith - Never Say Never. Justin Bieber will be 17 on March 1, just in time to celebrate his new movie, from which comes this new track featuring the offspring of Will and Jada, whose little sister Willow recently scored her own chart hit, "Whip My Hair." Although I know everyone loves him, I'm not a major Bieber fan myself, although this song is decent enough and I think Jaden's rap is cute.

Chipmunk feat. Chris Brown - Champion. British rapper Chipmunk returns with a new single this week, featuring vocals from maligned American R&B singer Chris Brown. While Brown's been steadily making a comeback in the US, he looks set to make a big splash on the British singles chart this weekend, as this is headed to #1 while his own single, "Yeah 3X" looks like it will climb into the top 5. This is decent enough. There's an additional rap by someone with an American accent--is that Chris Brown?

Modestep - Feel Good. British dubstep group puts out their first single. The sample sounds familiar, but I can't identify it. Another good dance track here.

Album Review: Kylie Minogue - Aphrodite (4.5/5)

"I'm fierce and I'm feeling mighty. I'm a golden girl. I'm an Aphrodite, alright!" declares Kylie Minogue on "Aphrodite," the title track of her 11th studio album. Accompanied by a drumline and kickin' keyboard melody, the song is one of many highlights the Australian singer delivers on this outing.

The style of Aphrodite will come as no surprise--it's slick dance pop through and through with no ballads to disrupt the rhythm. What may be surprising is how cohesive and consistently good this album is, particularly following X, which delivered some great songs but felt disjointed.

The album's first third consists of four particularly uptempo numbers. Glittery first single "All the Lovers" starts the set off right with its bright melodies of synthesizers and piano chords over a chugging bassline. "Get Outta My Way" comes on a bit stronger, reminiscent of Fever's "Love at First Sight." Rumor has it this will be the second single, and it's great choice. "Put Your Hands Up (If You Feel Love)" delivers a similarly clubby vibe. "Closer" is a bit darker with a melody of synth harpsichord. All of these songs are co-produced by Stuart Price, the musical magician who also helmed Scissor Sisters' latest album. He produces or co-produces 10 of Aphrodite's 12 songs.

Mid-tempo "Everything Is Beautiful" is the closest the album gets to a slow song. It's quite apparently written by Keane's Tim Rice-Oxley, as it's easy to imagine Tom Chaplin singing this instead with a different arrangement. It's a lovely song in Kylie's hands with a synth-pop sound that complements the surrounding dance pop. "Illusion" blends some acoustic guitar and strings into the Price-produced dance pop sound. Singer-songwriter Nerina Pallot and her husband Andy Chatterley wrote and co-produced (with Price) "Better than Today," another guitar-and-synths-based song.

Kylie turns the production reins over to Calvin Harris for "Too Much," and his edgier style contrasts with the smoother dance pop production Price favors. Darker "Cupid Boy" finds Kylie in a particularly expressive mood, awash in layers of scratchy synths, swirling synths, guitar and beats. In contrast, "Looking for a Angel" is bright and smooth, gliding along as if effortlessly in the way that a lot of the songs on Madonna's Confessions on a Dance Floor did. "Can't Beat the Feeling" finishes with a "hands in the air" party feel.

This is Kylie's best album since Fever, and closest in style and form to that album. Considering how much I love that album, she couldn't have done better by me. Aphrodite may be the Greek goddess of love and beauty, but in Kylie's hands she's now also the patron saint of dance pop.

Best: All the Lovers, Get Outta My Way, Aphrodite, Everything Is Beautiful, Illusion, Cupid Boy

Kylie Minogue Discography

Before I review Kylie Minogue's new album, Aphrodite, I first want to look back at the 10 discs that preceded it. I have all of Kylie's albums, but I didn't get into her until 2002, so I wasn't clued in during the time most of her earlier albums were hits. So, while I don't feel nostalgic for anything prior to Fever, I can certainly appreciate them.

Kylie's musical career falls neatly into three distinct phases: her initial work for Mushroom/PWL, which was produced by the Stock Aitken Waterman team, her more "serious" work with Deconstruction and then finally her current (and best) modern dance pop for Parlophone.

Here's a rundown....

Stock Aitken Waterman Years (1988-1992)

Kylie (1988). This is where it all started. Buoyed by the success of "Locomotion" in Australia, the former soap star traveled to Britain, hooked up with super pop production team Stock Aitken Waterman and produced this late '80s pop classic. "I Should Be So Lucky," the first track and biggest hit, is a clear standout, but there are other bubbly late '80s synth pop gems here, such as the updated version of "The Loco-Motion," for years Kylie's only US hit; "Je Ne Sais Pas Pourquoi," which sounds like a newscast at first; and "It's No Secret," a single in the US but nowhere else. "Look My Way" is an interesting album cut since it sounds like The Whispers' "Rock Steady." Best: I Should Be So Lucky, The Loco-Motion, It's No Secret, Got to Be Certain, Turn It Into Love (4/5).

Enjoy Yourself (1989). At first blush this differs little from Kylie, yet unlike her first album there aren't as many good songs. "Hand on My Heart" was another #1 hit, but not as joyously good as "I Should Be So Lucky." I actually think I prefer "I Wouldn't Change a Thing" and "Never Too Late," which was a #1 hit in Ireland. Despite these great singles, the albums suffers from too many ballads, most of which aren't very good, save for the '60s-leaning "Tears on My Pillow" (another UK #1). Best: Never Too Late, I Wouldn't Change a Thing, Hand on My Heart (3/5).

Rhythm of Love (1990). New decade, slightly new sound for Kylie. This is still S/A/W, but updated for the '90s with a little more mature sound. Among these early albums, this was the best, delivering glossy, high-class dance pop. "Better the Devil You Know" in particular is a standout of Kylie's early work. "Step Back in Time" lives up to its name with some funky retro touches. No ballads this time; a wise choice. Best: Better the Devil You Know, Step Back in Time, What Do I Have to Do, Secrets, Things Can Only Get Better (4/5)

Let's Get to It (1991). By this point, Kylie was ready for a change. It's clear enough from the album's cover shot that she meant this to be something different. But what? Unfortunately, Let's Get to It doesn't answer that question. Halfway through the promotion of Rhythm of Love, Kylie retooled her image to be sexier (some said trashier), a look the press dubbed "SexKylie," with her big hair and fishnets. Despite apparent intentions to the contrary, Let's Get to It isn't very sexy; only "Finer Feelings" comes close to conveying much sensuality. The rest is a jumble of Kylie as usual--dance pop like "The Word Is Out," retro-flavored pop like "Give Me Just a Little More Time"--and then some big missteps, like the "Whole New World"-esque duet with Keith Washington, "If You Were with Me Now," "Let's Get to It," a rip off of Color Me Badd's "I Wanna Sex You Up" and "I Guess I Like It Like That," which liberally samples from 2 Unlimited's recent hit "Get Ready for This." The least enjoyable album Kylie would ever make. Best: Finer Feelings, The Word Is Out (2.5/5).

Deconstruction Years (1994-1998)

Kylie Minogue (1994). Having finished her PWL contract with a greatest hits set, Kylie moved on to Deconstruction, a more cutting-edge club-oriented label. From the opening notes of the first song--the quite stunning "Confide in Me"--it is clear that Kylie has made a different record. In fact, I'd say this is the record Let's Get to It would have liked to have been. Much of the album is slower songs, but amazingly, they work, conveying an easy sensuality missing from her previous work. "Confide in Me" burns with Middle Eastern influences. "Surrender" and "Put Yourself in My Place" both slink along with a seductive synth-based melodies. "If I Was Your Lover" has a funkier beat. "Where Is The Feeling?" dives into disco (too bad it was completely remade for the single, since the original album version is quite cool). The rest of the album follows a similar template. A re-invention that worked, at least for now. Best: Confide in Me, Where Is the Feeling?, Surrender, If I Was Your Lover, Put Yourself in My Place (4/5).

Impossible Princess (1997). While Kylie Minogue was a a new direction, Impossible Princess was a flat out experiment. Inspired by her then photographer-director boyfriend and recent work with Nick Cave, Kylie sought to make something really different from anything that came before (or after). Impossible Princess is eclectic, surprising and personal--things a dance pop diva aren't typically known for. It largely works, although it's so "un-Kylie" as we know her now, that it's difficult to assess. "Too Far" kicks off with a spoken-word intro, harsh beats and blasts of strings. "Cowboy Style" has a cool Western vibe with fiddle and guitar. "Some Kind of Bliss" has a confident rock swagger. "Did It Again" blends electric guitar, sitars and beats into a hard-hitting pop song. "Drunk" is the album's most insistent dance cut. "I Don't Need Anyone" is high-tempo, guitar-driven and retro all at once. Despite all these interesting elements, the album failed. Its release was botched when, after the death of Princess Diana, the album's release was pushed back and its title removed. First single "Some Kind of Bliss" failed to catch on, and nothing subsequent made many waves. The pop princess tried to make something else of herself; but the public took a pass. Best: Cowboy Style, Some Kind of Bliss, I Don't Need Anyone, Too Far, Did It Again (3.5/5).

Parlophone Years (2000 to present)

Light Years (2000). With Light Years, Kylie started the third and best segment of her musical career. Leaving behind the experimentalism of the Deconstruction years, Kylie embraced a more mainstream dance pop sound. This was not a return to the bubblegum pop of the S/A/W years, but a whole new direction into disco-inspired modern dance pop--a sound wholly fitting of Kylie's less than powerful but quite expressive vocal style. The album is a real gem, featuring a delightful mix of modern dance pop (particularly big hits "Spinning Around" and "On a Night Like This" plus the title track), retro disco (fantastically campy "Love Boat," "Your Disco Needs You," "Under the Influence of Love" and "Disco Down") and some more rockin' songs co-written with Guy Chambers ("I'm So High" and the Robbie Williams collaboration, "Kids"). The album is fun, fresh and slickly produced. Best: On a Night Like This, Spinning Around, Love Boat, Your Disco Needs You, Disco Down, Please Stay, Under the Influence of Love (4.5/5).

Fever (2001). As good as Light Years is, Fever is even better--perhaps the best dance pop album ever made. I recently ranked it my favorite album of the last 10 years. I've said much about it in the past, so there's no point in really rehashing it, only to reiterated that this 12-track album is Kylie's most cohesive work: less kitschy and more contemporary sounding than Light Years with no ballads and no duds. It's best known for Kylie's signature hit, "Can't Get You Out of My Head," a #1 hit in more than 14 countries. Simply perfection. Best: Can't Get You Out of My Head, Love at First Sight, More More More, Come Into My World, Your Love, In Your Eyes, Burning Up (5/5).

Body Language (2003). After the successful disco/pop of her last two albums, Kylie advanced a decade this '80s electro-inspired set. It doesn't work quite as well, and her sister Dannii released a similar and better album earlier the same year, Neon Nights. Still, there are some great songs, like the sexy/silly #1 hit "Slow" (which I absolutely adore), stomping "Secret (Take You Home)," which really should have been a single, sly cool number "Chocolate" and R&Bish hit "Red Blooded Woman." Best: Slow, Secret (Take You Home), Chocolate, Red Blooded Woman (3.5/5)

X (2007). After a 4-year gap in albums filled delightfully with the retrospective Ultimate Kylie and less delightfully with Kylie's bout with cancer, the Australian singer roared back with this winning and eclectic dance pop album. While less cohesive than Light Years or Fever, it was better than Body Language, delivering a big dose of sound with its first single "2 Hearts," electro-pop hit "Wow," and the stunning House number, "The One." Best: 2 Hearts, The One, Wow, In My Arms, Like a Drug, All I See (feat. Mims) (4/5)

Ranked list

1. Fever (2001, 5/5)
2. Light Years (2000, 4.5/5)
3. Rhythm of Love (1990, 4/5)
4. Kylie Minogue (1994, 4/5)
5. X (2007, 4/5)
6. Kylie (1988, 4/5)
7. Impossible Princess (1997, 3.5/5)
8. Body Language (2003, 3.5/5)
9. Enjoy Yourself (1989, 3/5)
10. Let's Get to It (1991, 2.5/5)

July New Album Releases

Welcome to the second half of 2010! July is generally a slow month for album releases, but this year may be the exception, with some notable releases on the way.

Kylie Minogue - Aphrodite (July 5/6) ( Kylie's last album X was, if not a slam dunk, a pretty successful dance pop album. Three years later, Aphrodite promises to be just as good if not better. With Stuart Price on board as executive producer, I'm hopeful the album will have a more unified sound than X, which suffered an identity crisis from its producer-potluck approach. Other collaborators this time include Kish Mauve (X's "2 Hearts"), Keane's Tim Rice-Oxley, who co-writes one song, Calvin Harris, Jake Shears and Nerina Pallot. First single "All the Lovers" is already a hit.

M.I.A. - /\/\ /\ Y /\ (July 13). Confused? Those symbols are meant to be read "Maya," as in the nickname for British recording artist Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam, better known as M.I.A. M.I.A. had a major hit with her last album, Kala, most notably its single "Paper Planes," a top 10 hit in the U.S., which was nominated for the Record of the Year Grammy and featured in the Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millioniare. The album's first single, "XXXO," is already out. She's going really conceptual on this album, whose theme M.I.A. has described as "information politics."

Sheryl Crow - 100 Miles from Memphis (July 19/20). Sheryl Crow returns with her 7th studio album, the follow-up to the rather enjoyable Detours from 2008. This time she adds a bit of country flavor to her pop/rock singer-songwriter sound, as well as a well-known musical guest, Justin Timberlake.




Enrique Iglesias - Euphoria (July 5/6). With "I Like It" (feat. Pitbull) having become Iglesias's biggest US hit in years, he's in good position for the release of Euphoria, his ninth album and first to contain a pretty even mix of songs in Spanish and English.

Mystery Jets - Serotonin(July 5). The British Indie band releases its third album. I haven't listened to them much, but I liked their 2008 single "Two Doors Down."

Feeder - Renegades (July 5). British rock band releases its 7th album, the first of two planned for this year.

The Coral - Butterfly House (July 12). Fifth album from them.

Looking ahead to August: New albums from Katy Perry, Arcade Fire, and the Saturdays.

Scissor Sisters "All the Lovers"

Scissor Sisters performed a country-fied version of Kylie Minogue's "All the Lovers" on yesterday's BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge. Jake Shears remarked that when he first heard the song it reminded him of Dolly Parton, which inspired this reading. Both the forthcoming albums by Kylie and Scissor Sisters were produced (or mostly produced) by Stuart Price and the Scissor Sisters have collaborated with Kylie, most notably on her 2004 hit "I Believe in You," but also her upcoming album.

Kylie Minogue - All The Lovers (HD)

Kylie Minogue and thousands of her underwear-clad friends take over downtown Los Angeles in this senuous video for "All the Lovers." Fantastic.

Kylie returns

Some of my blog buddies have already written about this, but I can't let it go by without saying something too....Kylie is back!!!! Rejoice from the highest mountains, ring all the church bells, pinch all the little children, and get those disco balls spinning.

The single is "All the Lovers," the first from her new album Aphrodite. It's pretty much in keeping with recent hits like "I Believe in You" and "The One." Nicely dance pop.

Best of 2000s: Kylie Minogue - Fever (5/5)

Fever is, in short, the best dance pop album ever recorded. I absolutely love it for so many reasons, perhaps most of all because it strikes the perfect balance for what dance pop should be. Where her previous album, Light Years was cheeky, and over-the-top, Fever checks the camp just enough to be more direct but doesn't make the mistake of taking itself too seriously. The songs pulsate with energy and fun, with a less retro production than Light Years and a tempo that's never broken by a ballad (there are none). The songs that work best are the simplest: The Daft Punk-inspired "Love at First Sight," the stripped down "Can't Get You Out of My Head," and keyboard-throbbing "Come Into My World." But everything works here, from the electro-pop of "Fever" to the '90s sounding "Dancefloor," and disco stomp of "Burning Up." An underrated track that I love: "Your Love," which has an infectious dance beat underscored by acoustic guitar and keyboards.

Best: Can't Get You Out of My Head, Love at First Sight, Come Into My World, In Your Eyes, Your Love, More More More, Burning Up, Fever

Best of 2000s: Kylie Minogue - Light Years (4.5/5)

The '90s were not good to Kylie. While in the late '80s she ruled the charts in Europe and Australia, the '90s found Kylie jumping to the Deconstruction record label to explore a more experimental sound that except for the intriguing "Confide in Me," yielded few hits for the singer. For Light Years, the singer staged a dramatic return to frothy dance pop, reaching back not to the '80s sound that made her famous but to the '70s, and in doing so created the decade's best disco album. Working with big names like Guy Chambers, Kara DioGuardi--even Paula Abdul and Robbie Williams--Minogue turned out a blend of contemporary, dance-floor ready pop, like her #1 hits "Spinning Around" and "On a Night Like This," and campy '70s-influenced tunes like "Loveboat" and "Your Disco Needs You." Except for a few ballads, which she wisely avoided on this album's even better 2001 follow-up Fever, the album works splendidly as dizzy, silly disco pop.

Best: Spinning Around, On a Night Like This, Loveboat, Disco Down, Your Disco Needs You

Kylie's new singles

It's always interesting when a label decides to release different singles from an artist in different regions simultaneously (they took it to a new extreme with Nelly Furtado's Loose, which had all sorts of different releaeses).

For Kylie's second single, the UK is getting Daft Punk-esque "Wow," while the rest of Europe is getting electro-tinged "In My Arms." I assume both singles will eventually be released in both places.

Here's the videos for "Wow":


...and "In My Arms":

Album Review: Kylie Minogue - X (4/5)

It's no secret I'm a big Kylie Minogue fan--have been ever since she conquered charts worldwide in late 2001 with "Can't Get You Out of My Head" from her eighth album, Fever, which is probably my favorite album released this decade. Following her meteoric rise with a string of big hits ("Love at First Sight," "Slow," "I Believe in You," to name a few), Kylie was forced to put her career on hold when she was diagnosed with breast cancer 2 years ago. Having successfully battled the disease, she now returns triumphantly with her tenth studio album, the Roman-named "X."

Despite the illness, as well as her publicized break-up with Olivier Martinez, this is no "woe is me" affair. X is a crackling collection of dance and electro tracks, dripping with the modern production sensibilities of a who's who of pop music's best writers and producers, including Richard Stannard, Cathy Dennis, Guy Chambers, Freemasons, Calvin Harris, and Bloodshy & Avant. The message here is that Kylie is happy to be alive, to be back, to be dancing again, and she's inviting us along for the party.

The album opens with a trio of upbeat electro-drenched tracks. First there's the stomping current hit "2 Hearts," which shows obvious Goldfrapp influence, followed by "Like a Drug" and "In My Arms," which are both similarly melodic dance pop. They're a great start to the set.

"The One" is quickly becoming one of my favorite tracks. The upbeat number is very '80s-sounding, with lots of synth keyboards. This has to be a future single. Also good is mid-tempo "No More Rain," one of the two tracks that do hint at her recent illness, but it's not very heavy handed. The guitar and synth back tracked is a hopeful song about moving on. "Cosmic," the album's only slow track, is the other one. It's theme is about doing the things she's "put aside for years." It's fine, but not a highlight.

"Sensitized," the brash Cathy Dennis/Guy Chambers production, is another winner. Then there's funky Daft Punk-esque "Wow," which is an obvious choice for a future single. Charging "Stars" and the beat-heavy Calvin Harris-produced "Heart Beat Rock" are good too, but not stand outs like the others.

There are some missteps however. Bloodshy & Avant, the Swedish production duo responsible for many of Britney Spears' recent electro-ish singles (they did "Toxic" for example) contribute their skills to two tracks, "Speakerphone" and "Nu-Di-Ty." The former sounds like it was stolen off Britney's Blackout, and the latter just doesn't work very well. Kylie can do better than imitate Ms. Spears. "All I See" is an obvious attempt to make an American R&B/pop styled single, akin to something StarGate would have produced for Ne-Yo or Rihanna (it has that harp and beats combo you hear a lot). The song's fine, but it's just not Kylie.

These are not major problems though. Overall this is a very fun set, a welcome return from one of pop music's most enduring and enjoyable artists. It's no Fever for sure, and probably not as good as Light Years, but I do think it improves on Kylie's last album, Body Language, which got too bogged down in its bland second half, despite containing the awesome "Slow." I definitely expect this will get heavy rotation at my house over the next year (sorry Chris).

Best: 2 Hearts, The One, Wow, In My Arms, No More Rain, Like a Drug, Sensitized

Kylie X preview

Kylie's MySpace page is offering a free download mix of new tracks from her forthcoming X album. You can get it here. It includes:

"2 Hearts" - The single we already know and love.
"Like a Drug" - Sounds cool. Electronic dance music reminiscent of "Can't Get You Out of My Head."
"The One" - This is produced by the preeminent dance group the Freemasons, and it sounds like it's a standout.
"In My Arms" - At first I thought this was the Calvin Harris track, "Heart Beat Rock," but it's clearly "In My Arms," and it sounds good.

Based on this, it sounds like X will be a good blend of the electronic sound of Body Language, but with a stronger melodic emphasis like that of Fever. Could be really great.

Kylie "2 Hearts"

Kylie Minogue is back and in great form with her new single and video "2 Hearts." The vampy track has a prominent bass-line, thundering piano, and strong vocal delivery from Kylie, who's sounding a lot like Goldfrapp here.