Albums

Kylie - X

Paul Cook 11/01/2008

Rating: 2.5/5

It seems that from the moment you switch Kylie's tenth studio album 'X' on you've accidentally put Britney or Fergie's album in instead. The similarities are uncannily clear with much of today's “revamped pop” with 'Nu-di-ty' and 'Like a Drug' in particular sounding like an offshoot from Britney's recent 'Blackout' album, with hints of Goldfrapp and LCD Soundsystem creeping in the mix too. 'All I See' is a strangely R 'n' B tinged track with little to distinguish it as a Kylie track and even less to make it rival the Ashanti's and Rihanna's of the world.

This is not to say that Kylie Minogue's new turn in the direction of an edgier, electro-pop is a bad move. Lately the genre has gone from strength to strength with everyone from LCD Soundsystem to Mylo making a big chart name for themselves. However, why follow the crowd Kylie? The better tracks on the album are those that stick to Kylie's disco-pop roots, like recent releases '2 Hearts' and 'Wow'. Both are more fun, more demonstrative of Kylie's still-superb voice and more likely to please the Kylie fan-base.

Unfortunately, much of the album goes for the electro, beat-heavy style which feels a little uncomfortable and out of place with one of the world's greatest female pop-stars. The Minogue invasion of the UK is still in full swing although it's hard to see how 'X' is going to stack up against more anticipated pop comebacks like that of the Spice Girls and Britney Spears. An eagerly anticipated album that has just fell short of the mark.