Kylie Minogue - Aphrodite

Take a deep breath, readers, because today's a big day - it's a Kylie Minogue album release date. If you've been counting down the days to July 5th, you shouldn't be disappointed. Aphrodite continues the anthemic dance-pop resurgence that the antipodean pixie has enjoyed in recent years, and it's a pleasure to hear more from one of music's most inventive and persistent performers.

Unsurprisingly, Aphrodite opens with a powerhouse performance in the form of All The Lovers, which was released as a single on June 11th. If you didn't pick it up then, this is a good second chance to do so, as it fairly well sets the tone for the entire album. If you like All The Lovers, you'll like Aphrodite. That's my opinion, anyway.

High Points

All The Lovers lifts this album right out of the starting blocks. It would be harsh to argue that anything is lost from that point onwards - there's no tailing off of the quality or anything like that - but it's nice to see a strong opener, rather than saving the single for track three as so often seems to happen.

Title track Aphrodite is a little less dance and a little more of the bubblegum pop that made Kylie a star in the first place. Kittenish delivery of the verses and a sassy, catchy chorus make this one a worthy title track and just shy of four minutes of pure enjoyment. Nice one, Kylie.



The Verdict

Let's be honest, Aphrodite was never likely to disappoint. Much like its performer, this album has experience behind it, combined with excellent production. Possible single releases abound, and the fillers, while noticeable, are still good to listen to.

Kylie's voice is distinctive and works well with the electronic dance-style backing tracks, and the anthemic quality of most of the tunes here helps to hide the fact that she's getting on a bit (sorry Kylie) - this is a good thing, as Aphrodite doesn't have the same desperation to sound young that occasionally creeps into, for example, Madonna's music.

Overall, this album would have been fairly predictable ahead of its release but, now that it's here, that does little to detract from it being well written, well produced and, thanks to the effortlessly talented Ms Minogue, particularly well sung.

Final Score: 88%

Click here to buy Aphrodite from Amazon