Kylie Minogue : Releases >>

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Traditionally, Kylie Minogue has been at her best attempting pure pop, not chasing credibility, but X--her tenth studio album, and the first since 2003's Body Language--somehow pulls off the trick of being both. With production credits split between old hands like Richard Stannard and Guy Chambers and new faces like Calvin Harris, the Freemasons and Bloodshy & Avant, the Swedish team behind Britney's "Toxic", X does a neat job of matching big hooks with forward-thinking production tricks. The poptimistic Kylie fan will head straight for "2 Hearts", a sassy falling-for-you number with a glammy beat and a chorus poised to fill a thousand Karaoke rooms, and "Wow"--a thumping disco number with a lot of love to give. Scattered alongside these, however, are some slightly more adventurous productions that demonstrate that despite a few years off the stage, Kylie is well up to speed with 21st Century pop: the excellent "Speakerphone" begins with the sound of a strummed harp before diffusing into a shimmering, Scandinvian-tinged electro-pop number reminiscent of Robyn or The Knife, all snapping, sassy beats and vocodered vocal; meanwhile, the ghetto-pop bounce of "Nu-di-ty" proves raunch is still by no means beyond her. A very welcome return. , --Louis Pattison

Ultimate Kylie >>

Fever >>

Fever was released on a wave of publicity as the lead single "Can't Get You Out of My Head" battled in the charts with the debut effort from Spice diva Victoria Beckham... and won spectacularly. Just over a year since Kylie's disco inspired Light Years and her sound has progressed again; plundering the retro style of post-disco electro from the late 1970s and showing what might have happened if Kraftwerk had produced Donna Summer or Chic. Unlike most pop albums or indeed pop artists, the album is geared towards hi-NRG dance rather than pedestrian "I love lovin' you" ballads.

Aside from the aforementioned hit single another standout is "Give It To Me", a great piece of dance pop that has everything from Britney-style wailings to Basement Jaxx funk wrapped up with a catchy and typically suggestive chorus. The closest Kylie gets to a gentler moment is right at the very end with "Burning Up", a breezy guitar progression with laid-back melody, but this doesn't last long as the need to start dancing again takes hold and it breaks into some electro funk to finish Fever on a definite high. In short, if you liked "Can't Get You Out of My Head" you won't be disappointed with this pop masterpiece. --David Trueman

Tour Edition >>

Light Years >>

Thirteen is considered an unlucky number by some, but Light Years is the album that marked the miniscule Miss Minogue's 13th year on the pop scene and with it a remarkable return to form. The pint-sized girl-next-door had been delivering teen-pop to an insatiable public year after year with ever diminishing success. Her previous album Kylie Minogue was both a critical and commercial failure despite collaborations with some of music's most eminent and respected songwriters and producers. It certainly looked like Kylie's chart days were numbered. Light Years is Kylie's somewhat unexpected return to form as she goes back to her roots in full-on-feather-boa-disco-diva mode (à la "Step Back In Time") on tracks like "So Now Goodbye" and "Under the Influence of Love". This is an album brimming with songs that wouldn't sound entirely out of place on a Donna Summer album. There's plenty to boogie down to and if you liked the number one single "Spinning Around" you won't be disappointed. The Village People style "Your Disco Needs You" will have you stomping around the lounge with your mates in no time, while the easy-listening style "Loveboat" is the perfect soundtrack to a camp cocktail party. This is most certainly her best effort since 1990's Rhythm of Love and just goes to show that she's still got it. --Ronita Dutta

Showgirl: Homecoming Live in Sydney >>

Taken from the opening night of Kylie Minogue's rescheduled 'Showgirl' tour, Showgirl Homecoming is, to all intents and purposes, a live (and slightly updated version) of 2004's Great Hits collection, Ultimate Kylie. This being her first show since successfully battling cancer, Kylie of course pulls out all the stops to make the Sydney date - and the rest of the tour of course - a formidable comeback statement. The 25 tracks here pretty much cover all the key points in Kylie's career - good as well as bad: "Better The Devil You Know", "Spinning Around", "I Believe In You", "Locomotion", "I Should Be So Lucky", "Hand On Your Heart", "Can't Get You Out Of My Head", "Kids" (with a guest appearance from Bono), are just some of the many gems included. It's true that the earlier material (especially from the Stock Aitken & Waterman days) sounds horribly dated even when performed live, but Kylie manages to glide through it all with the kind of sass and style you'd expect from a reborn 21st Century Queen Of Pop. Welcome back Kylie... --Danny McKenna

Body Language >>

Before recording Body Language, Kylie Minogue must have wondered how to follow Fever. That was an album that not only prompted six million people to grab a copy but sparked a national obsession with the diminutive pop diva's posterior. Well, breaking Madonna's record as the female solo artist with the greatest UK chart-topping longevity isn't a bad start. Fifteen years after Kylie first reached the pinnacle of the UK chart with "I Should Be So Lucky", "Slow" took the mini minx to the top for the seventh time. Oozing with the same entrancing blend of seductive electronica, spiralling rhythms and breathy vocals that sent hormones raging with "Can't Get You Out of My Head", "Slow" was cowritten by Minogue and is easily the finest moment on Body Language.

Despite the army of writers, Body Language is a surprisingly cohesive serving of R&B-lite, laced with a sprinkling of Prince-style 1980s disco-fuelled funk, such as "Still Standing", which finds Kylie pronouncing "You know you want it!" amid a bed of grinding bass and squelching synths. There are moments such as "Red Blooded Woman" when the generic-pop production machine all but eradicates any sense of Kylie, but on the whole the formulaic funk and predictable pop styling is outweighed by the soap survivor's inimitable presence. As a result, Body Language is sure to work its magic. --Christopher Barrett

Kylie Minogue : Releases >>

Boombox >>

X >>