Jacaranda 94.2 - Hit Play: X

::: 28-08-2008 18:00 The first Convention for a Safer South Africa ended in Midrand today. The convention discussed factors that feed the cycle of crime, and also encouraged South Africans be part of the solution. ::: The Gauteng government today briefed the media about the partnership between retail-banks and government, to help fight business-crime and ATM bombings. ::: Retailer Pick n Pay says it's stores will be "open for business as usual," in spite of tomorrow's planned strike. ::: Nurses union Denosa and representatives of the Sandton Medic Clinic are meeting this afternoon to find a way of averting a pay strike due to begin at the private hospital this evening. ::: Economists warn that inflation is far from being under control after the latest Producer Price Index figures for July rose to its highest levels in 22 years.

7.73

14.15

11.37

jhb
27°

pta
30°

ct
16°

dbn
27°

X - Kylie Minogue

Track Listing

1	2 Hearts
2	Like a Drug
3	In My Arms
4	Speakerphone
5	Sensitized
6	Heart Beat Rock
7	The One
8	No More Rain
9	All I See
10	Stars
11	Wow
12	Nu-di-ty
13	Cosmic

Overall, this album is great to listen to. However, many of the songs have been produced with so many effects on the vocals that you can hardly hear that it’s Kylie.

Review

Still as much a feast for the eye as she is for the ear, Kylie Minogue is turning 40 in May, been through cancer, and has just released her tenth studio album: X. Her unfailing combination of raw sex appeal and natural adorability, as well as her user-friendly music, has made her one of the biggest dance-pop stars of our time. She even received a special mention from Queen Elizabeth II in her 2008 New Years Honours List, with an OBE award for services to music. Funny, as I struggle to envision the Queen “getting down” to tracks entitled, amongst others, Nu-di-ty and Like a drug.

The very up-tempo album kicks off with the hit single 2 Hearts. The song is a cover version of a track originally recorded by Kish Mauve, who also produced Minogue's version. 2 Hearts was Minogue's first commercial single release since she was diagnosed with breast cancer in May 2005. Although the track received mixed reviews, it shot up in the charts, and effortlessly added itself to Kylie’s list of commercial success stories.

The second single released from the album internationally is entitled Wow. The song was written by Minogue, Greg Kurstin and Karen Poole during a song-writing session in Ibiza, and produced by Kurstin. Well, if you’re seeking inspiration for a song, I doubt you will find a better place to ‘inspire’ you than Spain’s hottest party island in the Mediterranean. The setting paid off: The song features Minogue’s typical comfortable breathy slides and seductive lyrics blending with deep bass lines.

Overall, this album is great to listen to. However, many of the songs have been produced with so many effects on the vocals that you can hardly hear that it’s Kylie. This will prove to be a problem for her if she wishes to keep her unique sound a selling-point for her music. It’s not as bad as some other artists’ recent stuff, but it’s getting very close. Still, there are enough tracks that are unmistakably Kylie to help pull this album through.

Another big track to look out for is In my Arms, co-written by Kylie Minogue, Paul Harris, Julian Peake, Richard Stannard and Adam Wiles. This track has clear connections to her earlier work, and resonates the spunk of Can’t get you out of My Head, the lead single from her 2001 album, Fever. As a little extra tit-bit, no doubt to prove she is still relevant in these modern times, pop the CD into your PC or Mac to view the interactive element. X is a modern album, produced for today’s market: It pushes the boundaries and delivers a deliciously fresh sound. Well done Kylie. Well done.