Dallas Voice (Dallas, Tex.), Vol. 29, No. 6, Ed. 1 Friday, June 22, 2012 Page: 40 of 80
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KYLIE ELEISON | Minogue's longevity cements her as one of the
world's (if not U.S.'s) major divas.
RICH LOPEZ I Staff Writer
lopez@dallasvoice.com
Aussie pop goddess Kylie Minogue has lamented that the U.S.
market has been tough for her to break : nto. But after a quarter
century, she's done fine without it. With 11 albums under her belt,
Kylie Minogue may play second (or even third or fourth) to her
superstar contemporaries Madonna and Janet Jackson in the U.S.,
but she's on equal footing everywhere else in the known universe,
and The Best of Kylie Minogue reminds fans that she's deserving
of that recognition.
Can't get her outta our heads
Kylie Minogue celebrates 25 years with (another) greatest hits CD
As part of her "K25," Minogue is unabashedly celebrating her
tenure as a pop diva with her An: Tour, the badass single "Time-
bomb" (strangely, not among this compilation) and another
greatest hits collection (her fifth) that includes a DVD of her
music videos. Her fans selected the 21 tracks on this CD, which
doesn't leave much room for surprises. For diehards,
Minogue hasn't delivered much that's exciting, but
this disc serves as a primer for newer converts or the
curious.
With no extra remastering or remixing, the CD
plays as its intended : A spectrum of her big hits from
the 25 years. But what does it say about the singer?
Later songs, 1 ke "Can't Get You Outta of My Head"
and "All the Lovers," are light-years away from her
early singles, yet she's kept throughout a simple pop
approach. Sometimes her lyrics are silly, even elemen-
tary, but they are also playful and enjoyable — and
that's really what pop music should be.
Famously tied to the Stock Aitken Waterman songwriting team,
Minogue struck big early on with "I Should Be So Lucky" and
"Better the Devil You Know." With SAW on her side, those tunes
were radio-friendly, blending in nicely with fellow SAW contem-
poraries Rick Astley and Donna Summer. The squeaky-clean
dance beats and abundance of synthed-out drums was formula for
a mid-'80s hit. But they sound here like the original tracks with
production muted against her more recent singles.
THE BEST OF KYLIE
Kylie Minogue
Astralwerks Records
The album isn't compiled chronologically — "Can't Get You
Outta of My Head" opens the set — so Minogue's progression is
hard to keep track of. Also, it doesn't do justice to some of her hits.
Pitting the nostalgic sound of "Devil" against the edgier "Kids"
duet with Robbie Williams is a schizo choice. Her teen-bop songs
dull the excitement of her more mature releases.
The better parts come when songs like "I Believe In
You" and "In My Arms" play and don't immed iately
register as her signature hits: Jake Shears and Baby daddy
helped Minogue garner a Grammy nod for the former
while trendy producer Calvin Harris was already work-
ing with the singer before moving on to Rihanna.
Then there are those other (ahem) "hits." Her covers of
"Tears on My Pillow" is sweet, but reminds me more of
Tracey Ullman's attempt at nostalgic happy days. And
Kool and the Gang's "Celebration"? If there's ever a
song not to cover, this is it — not because it is a classic
that should remain untouched, but because it's like re-
making a meh song to begin with. Her version even tames it down
a bit. Just pass on the cheese.
The Best of Kylie proves that her longevity and perseverance are
nothing to balk at. Yes, the U.S. can be fickle, and it can make or
break a young artist. Kylie didn't get that leg-up. Instead, she
wrangled the rest of the world around her and has made her own
history of chart-toppers and CD sales with enough American fans
(read: gay boys) to keep her well afloat on these shores. ■
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40 dallasvoice.com
06.22.12
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Wright, John. Dallas Voice (Dallas, Tex.), Vol. 29, No. 6, Ed. 1 Friday, June 22, 2012, newspaper, June 22, 2012; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth308872/m1/40/: accessed April 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.