the Color of Context

Kylie Minogue: X hits the mark
X, EMI Records
Release date: 1 April 2008

By Joe DeRosa
When Lindsay Lohan was asked what she wanted her new album to sound like, she said she wanted it dance-y, like Kylie Minogue. If X is any indication, she has but one place to turn for inspiration: the 1980s. Just one look at the album cover is enough to bring back memories of the gone-but-not-forgotten decade. This translates to the music, as well. The opening track, “2 Hearts,” has a piano-driven chorus, which sets the tone for the entire album that follows: Get up, have fun, and dance.

This makes perfect sense. Since bursting onto the scene in 1987 with a cover of Little Eva’s “Locomotion,” Minogue has made a career of creating music intended to get you up and out onto the dance floor. Unfortunately, the biggest-selling female pop star in Australia and Europe didn’t find the same success in the U.S. with her next six albums. It wasn’t until 2002’s Fever, with its infectious hit “Can’t Get You out of My Head” that the U.S. audiences again turned their attention to her. Then in 2004, with the release of Body Language, Minogue won a Grammy for Best Dance Recording (for “Come into My World”) and thus reclaimed her spot in the American music scene. Now with X, Kylie flexes her musical muscle and presents us with her most eclectic album yet. Cowriting seven of the 13 tracks, Minogue brought in a handful of writers and producers to put together an album that at times may feel disjointed, but not once loses the listener’s interest.

The ’80s influence is strong on such songs as “In My Arms,” with its heavy synth track and grand chorus, and even the first single, “2 Hearts,” the only one on X that was written and produced by Kish Mauve (the British club duo of Jim Eliot and Mima, who are currently working on a debut album of their own). “Heart Beat Rock” has Minogue performing a funky little rap-style vocal that sounds like it would fit very nicely on a Fergie record. Other standouts include “Nu-di-ty,” a club number with Minogue’s vocals cut up and distorted, which makes for an interesting sound; and my personal fave, “Speakerphone,” which after announcing “Music makes you lose control,” breaks out into a synth-heavy dance number that fans of fallen pop princess Britney Spears will absolutely love. Both of these tracks were produced by the duo of Bloodshy & Avant, the team responsible for Spears’s “Toxic.”

Minogue has been compared to Madonna throughout most of her career for obvious reasons. Both sprung from the same era and could be the most recognizable pop icons of their respective countries. But the most notable comparison would be the ability to reinvent themselves with each album, to keep themselves relevant for modern pop music fans. It’s because of this that Kylie Minogue is just hitting her stride twentysome years into her career. Lindsay, you’ve got a lot of work to do.