Saturday, 4 January 2014

Kylie Minogue- Aphrodite Album Review


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
Album- Aphrodite
Artist- Kylie Minogue

Kylie Minogue is at a funny stage in her career at the moment. After celebrating 25 years in the music industry, she has departed from her previous management and moved to the Jay-Z led Roc Nation team. She has reportedly been working with a number of new music producers such as Rodney Jerkins. And on top of all that she is hotly anticipated as a new judge on the upcoming third series of The Voice UK. In looking to the album Aphrodite, I simply want to see if the singer still is worthy of her pop stardom and whether her upcoming 2014 album will be worthy of the public’s attention. Or maybe this last record of new material should have been her swansong.

Track 1- All the Lovers

Opening track All the Lovers was the records lead single and is a mid tempo synth pop track in which the singer invites people onto the dance floor and for people to connect as lovers, with Minogue also comparing previous relationships to that of her current lover. The lyrics are nice with a shimmering pop chorus, but what is really great about this song is the way that Minogue uses her voice. With her airy tone and breathy vocal style she creates a euphoric quality within the track that makes the lyrical statement that bit more powerful. The production value is also really great, creating this 80’s disco feel with the glittering synth line, whilst the bridge is also great in being stripped back to just a piano and string arrangement, allowing for the final chorus to be a real triumphant piece of pop.

3.5/5

Track 2- Get Outta My Way

Second single Get Outta My Way is an up tempo dance pop tune that sees Minogue do what she does best and just hit the dance floor. The lyrics are fun and flirtatious as the singer plays the role of an unsatisfied lover who warns her partner by getting on the dance floor with another man. The chorus is snappy and immediately catchy, and vocally the singer is the right mix of feisty and sultry. The sound of the track is simple but effective with a thumping beat, snappy synths and a layered arrangement that just works in the right ways, showing that after all these years Kylie Minogue as still got it.

4/5

Track 3- Put Your Hands Up (If You Feel Love)

Put Your Hands Up is another high powered dance tune with slightly more of a club feel. Here Minogue sings of being within this crowd and asking people to just put their hands up if they feel love. The repetitive nature of the chorus makes the song quite catchy but lyrically the composition is a bit weak because a few too many clichéd statements are used. The singer’s vocal performance is nice as her light tone brings out the love based sentiment of the track very nicely, whilst the singer also really sounds like she is having fun within her vocals, so this can really affect the listener. The rumbling beats and snappy electro rhythms creates a more speedy and intense sound that sets the song apart from the previous tracks and creates a slightly heavier, newer style for the singer, even though the song still feels like a Minogue classic in its own right.

3.5/5

Track 4- Closer

With Closer Minogue takes the record into darker territory. The song finds the singer asking her lover to come closer to her and let their love shine, but things are never enough. The message could be sweet but with the layered, lilting vocal performance Minogue creates a haunting and sultry essence within the track. The songs haunting feel is also elevated by the use of sighing background vocals, creating this dual feel of passion and sadness in the song. Producer Stuart Price creates a frenzied, harpsichord style to the production that further heightens the dark energy of the track, making this an interesting offering from the record.

3.5/5

Track 5- Everything Is Beautiful

Down tempo pop track Everything Is Beautiful takes the record to its softest moment yet, but the song still has a stomping beat and shimmering 80’s synths to create a vibrant quality to the track. The production is nice with the use of electric guitar creating a funky undertone that is nice to hear. The song focuses on Minogue being in this languid state of love in which she can just lay with her partner and wait until everything around them is beautiful. The message is sweet but the chorus is a bit dreary, whilst the singer’s vocals are slow and convey the feeling of the song very nicely but don’t grab you in the way you want a catchy song to do.

3/5

Track 6- Aphrodite

Title track Aphrodite changes up the record a little in terms of having more of 90’s influenced dance sound. The track is a fun and feisty number that almost acts like a self-empowerment anthem for the singer as she exclaims of her sexual prowess and warns people that they do not want to mess with her. The song is structured really well lyrically in terms of the verses being a little softer to make the really snappy chorus that much more catchy. Vocally the singer gives a commanding performance that is nicely layered in places to further convey this sense of the singer as a goddess when it comes to music. The snappy feel of the production is also grand, with the military style drum instrumentation creating a real forceful feel to the track. This is a stellar title track and probably would have worked well as a single.

4/5

Track 7- Illusion

Opening with a layered vocal from Minogue that sounds like a vocal choir, Illusion quickly transforms into a stomping mid tempo synth track. Minogue lyrically sings of not being herself and feeling caught up in this illusion, emphasising that she does not understand the relationship she is in. The lyrics are fun in terms of the more narrative feel, whilst the chorus could have more of a prominent and catchy quality. Vocally the singer’s slow and airy style is nice in conveying the songs sentiment but is a bit too safe. The stomping dance beat and fuzzy synth line of the song is fun and forceful, with the 80’s electro blips creating this frenzied but slick style to the track that is a pleasure to hear.

3.5/5

Track 8- Better Than Today

Third single Better Than Today finds Minogue going further back in time as the song has a slight 70’s disco feel. Here we are treated to a simple, pure, summery pop number in which the singer questions people’s feelings in life and asks us what is the point of living if we don’t want to dance? The song is just fun and lyrically really taps into the dance persona that has characterised the singers career. The vocal performance is light and fun with Minogue playing the role of dance queen very nicely. But what is most intriguing and great about the track is the blend of sounds, with the song blending acoustic guitar, synthesisers and drums for a sound that feels very dance ready but which is tinged with a sense of funk, soul and country, making this a much more interesting offering from the record than some of the other songs.

3.5/5

Track 9- Too Much

Current hit song maker Calvin Harris and Scissor Sisters frontman Jake Shears team up with Minogue for Too Much, a rave influenced, thumping dance track. The song focuses on Minogue telling us that she must have love in her life, but this kind of love she is feeling is a bit too much for her too take. The song is lyrically quite simple but lovely, with a chorus that is instantly catchy with a nice pop hook. The singer’s vocal performance is light and snappy enough to really convey the feeling of being too consumed by love very well. The only issue with the song is that the rumbling bassline and bubbling synths creates a fun dance sound, but it feels very much like a typical Calvin Harris tune, so if you are not a fan of Calvin Harris then you probably won’t be a fan of this song.

3.5/5

Track 10- Cupid Boy

Cupid Boy is an upbeat track that finds the record in more of a pop rock state, whilst still having a dance feel. Within the song Minogue asks this guy to call her once again as she sees him as this great guy who almost acts like a drug to her as his love is so great. The message is okay but quite clichéd, but what is fun about this song is the production value. Here Minogue treats us to a song with a throbbing bass line and rock guitar instrumentation that marks the track against the other songs and creates a bit of diversity to the singers traditional dance sound. The singer’s vocal performance is languid and airy in the right way, but the auto tuned pre chorus is just annoying.

3/5

Track 11- Looking for an Angel

With the style of Minogue’s vocal performance and the overall feel of the production, Looking for an Angel is a song in which the heavenly metaphor of the lyrics is perfectly embodied within the different elements of the track. That being said, this does not mean that the song is absolutely brilliant. Instead the song falls flat and is a bit too languid. Here Minogue sings of how she is looking for this man in life who will be like an angel and send her to heaven with their love. The message of the track just feels terribly clichéd and the repetition used in the chorus is just annoying. Minogue’s breathy vocals are nice in bringing out the sentiment of the song but this just makes the lyrics feel a bit drearier. The synth based strings create a euphoric quality to the tracks sound, yet it just doesn’t feel exciting or passionate enough to have you invested as a listener.

2/5

Track 12- Can’t Beat the Feeling

Can’t Beat the Feeling is a great close to the record that finishes things off in a state of electro pop bliss. The song focuses on the singer simply telling this person that she can’t beat this feeling that they make her have when they are with her. The lyrics are fun and simple and the singer’s layered vocal style is sweet and bright enough to be perfectly balanced with the lyrical message. The production is stellar as the shimmering synth notes give a slight funk feel to the track and just creates this buzzing, lovely dance floor finish to the record that is simply euphoric and brilliant.

3.5/5

Final Review

Aphrodite is a great album from a seasoned artist who definitely still has what it takes to thrive in the music industry. The record as a whole is nice in that the polished dance pop sound feels in tune with the style that has characterised Minogue’s career, yet the record doesn’t feel like a simple rehashing of older material and still has that current pop feel that would ensure chart success. The record is also great in that vocally the singer really knows what works well for her, with her airy tone working wonders on particular tracks. Some of the lyrics do annoyingly take in some clichés, but aside from this we are treated to a plethora of catchy tunes that work great as a whole package and this just makes me excited for future music from the singer.

8/10

Best Track- Get Outta My Way

Worst Track- Looking for an Angel

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