Album- Fever
Artist- Kylie Minogue
This was the 2001 album that redefined Kylie Minogue as an
artist and saw her in a career sales high. As a fan of Kylie I wanted to have a
look back at the album as a whole and see if she really has got it and whether
she deserves all her success.
Track 1- More More
More
The albums opening track features breezy sexy vocals that
complement the lyrical message of the track. It’s a little bit of downer opener
in that it takes a while to get into the song and at the same time it never
feels like the song lifts itself to the place that it has the potentially to
do. Maybe this is down to the lyrical quality which is a bit so so or the ok
production that gives a dance flavour with just a dash of RnB but which never
elevates the song to anything like a club banger or cool groovy number. So a
nice opener, but maybe not the best.
2.5/5
Track 2- Love at
First Sight
This breezy pop number is one of the less dancey tracks on
the album in terms of production but it still has that get up and boogie feel
to it. The more downplayed verses contrast great with the up tempo sing-along
chorus that features the great pop hook that many will identify with, or at
least dream about. It’s also a great song for Kylie to record, as her vocals
really give the song that fresh, breezy, first rush of love feel.
4/5
Track 3- Can’t Get
You Out of My Head
The groovy beat introduction on this track combined with the
la la la refrain that is found throughout the song easily marks this as a great
pop number. Its greatness lies in its simplicity, with the lyrics continually
allowing for the repetition of the pop hook “I just can’t get you out of my
head”. The chorus is a bit more
scattered here than in a traditional pop song which allows for a great
freshness to the track, and the breezy soft vocals of Minogue really shine in
the verses, giving a true sense of this boy totally being in her head. The
production value is also top notch in that it maintains a steady electro beat
and lets the lyrics and vocals do all the work, which is great.
4.5/5
Track 4- Fever
The title track of the album is a groovy electro beat of a
number. A mid to up tempo tracks best quality has to be the production, which
just feels a propulsive electro beat that gets the song more easily stuck. The
layering of Minogue’s vocals in the chorus is a nice touch, and whilst the
production is electronic, the lyrical content and vocal performance is very
much in a pop vein. The idea of love and fever is a bit of bland one that
already been done, but the light vocals of Minogue give a sense of freshness,
as if she does indeed have fever, and the “feel the fever” talking moments are
a nice subtle touch. Could have been an album filler song but is saved in a
number of different ways.
3/5
Track 5- Give It To
Me
This track takes a while to get into and is a bit so so. The
lyrics just seem very similar to much sexualised material that has been
released by a number of different artists, and though elements of the songs
production are good such as a the use of guitar and drum beats, the phone
ringing like background beat is just slightly annoying. Kylie also doesn’t feel
as vocally invested in this song as she does in others on the record. So
definitely one of the albums weaker moments.
2/5
Track 6- Fragile
The delicacy of this track both vocally and lyrically is set
off nicely against the steady but slightly propulsive beats, with subtle
undertones bringing out that true delicate nature. It’s a track that’s quite
unassuming and is something to just
really chill out to. Minogue’s voice really pairs well with the lyrical
content, whilst the lyrics themselves are interestingly metaphorical and more
on point than some other songs on the record. The song also works well in being
placed back to back with the next track.
3.5/5
Track 7- Come into My
World
This slightly more chilled out number is for me one of
Minogue’s best. The delicate vocal performance of Minogue throughout the track
really elevates the track, giving that sense of freshness and being in a love
rush, as well as in your own world. And the simple production with its subtle
electro undertone and steady drum like beat just gives a great flavour to the
track, being one of those songs that you can just walk around listening to and
get lost in. Lyrically the song also has that sense of freshness, being
slightly clichéd but having a great pop hook that you can just get as equally
lost in and which is extremely, memorable.
4.5/5
Track 8- In Your Eyes
With its steady drum back beat which is overlaid by groovy
dance beats, this is a cool dance number that really contrasts with the
delicacy of the previous track. The hook isn’t as solid as some other songs on
the record, but vocally Minogue really works her voice well, with the layering
of her vocals in the chorus giving a sense of sexual vulnerability, although
the electronic voice ad libs in the final section are a little annoying.
3.5/5
Track 9- Dancefloor
This is more of a 90’s throwback number than the rest of the
songs on the record. For a song called Dancefloor it’s a bit more mid tempo
than up and is unlikely to get you wanting to get on the dance floor right
away. And lyrically it’s just so similar to many songs about the dance floor
that it feels really bland, with Minogue’s vocals doing nothing to salvage the
song, and likewise the production just sounds a bit dated. Unfortunately a song
that should have just been a B side or not released at all.
1.5/5
Track 10- Love Affair
A slightly rock tinged number that still keeps with the
electronic, dance feel of the record brings the album a little more back to
form. The slow lyrical stresses of the verse and the subtle production contrast
great with the fast paced chorus, but lyrically and vocally the song is a
little bit so so, with the song not really giving any sense of an affair but
being more light and fun, and definitely having one of the most pop tones on
the album. It’s a song that can easily wash over you and can be forgotten.
2/5
Track 11- Your Love
This more acoustically sounding number with a subtle
electronic beat in places is a nice, chilled out number that shows that Minogue
has not lost her pop roots. The idea of love taking over is so tired, but the
delicacy of her voice gives a sense of her truly being in love. It’s a just a
sweet number that you can sit down and enjoy or skip.
3/5
Track 12- Burning Up
The albums final track is a bit of a curveball in that it
starts off in a quite acoustic state and then goes into a cool electro dance
groove within the chorus. It is an interesting end in this sense, and vocally
Minogue’s light tone gives a sense of fun and freshness to the albums end.
However the song is partially marred by the lyrical content as the over
repetitive chorus just becomes annoying rather than exciting.
2.5/5
Final Review
This is definitely an album that has that feeling of always
being current, and has great pop/dance numbers that will definitely stand the
test of time. But whilst the sound of the record is cohesive, this is also the
albums downfall as songs kind of in places just feel too bland and very
skippable. An album that could have been so much more.
5.5/10
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