X

by Kylie Minogue

Overview

By the time of 2004's Body Language, Kylie Minogue was seemingly unassailable, with three hit albums, a number of hit singles, and a recharged career that only a few years before had seemed precarious at best. She backed up the new material with a collection (Ultimate Kylie) that boasted excellent new material as well. All things seemed to be destined for further glory. And then, unfortunately, cancer hit. While she did recover fully from her illness, there was speculation on how she would deal with this event, and how her music and choice of collaborators would be affected. Many artists have come back from a potentially life-threatening disease with work that is a flat-out declaration of victory, songs and images that are thinly shrouded metaphors for rebirth or newfound strength. Therefore, it must have surprised many that the leadoff from Kylie's new record would be "2 Hearts," a '70s-style Roxy Music-esque glam jam that clocks in at under three minutes, and is -- seemingly -- devoid of any sort of "I'm back from the brink" anthemizing. Couple this pop gem with the gaudy early-'80s artwork, and the buzz was that Kylie was not only back, but back with a Me Decade swagger and ready to take back the momentum she'd been building since 2000. But to call X an '80s record is really only getting halfway there. Sure, the cover art is vintage 1982, and the majority of the record calls on production tricks and techniques that are of the same time, but much of the record calls on different eras -- not generalized decades as such, but eras in Kylie's own career. Most of the tracks could have fit in on earlier work, answering the question: what does a pop artist do when she's come full circle? She's been influenced as of late by '70s disco and '80s electro, but with X, it feels like Kylie has decided to take inspiration from Kylie herself. But there's more here than just that. From a musical standpoint, X is all over the map. If that's due in part or in whole to reassessing one's career, that's all well and good, but after the last three albums, it is not what her fans have really come to expect. To break it all down: after the nod to the days of Roxy and Bowie and Bolan in the aforementioned lead single (and fantastic album opener) -- which has a very warm, organic feel to it, almost conjuring up the heart musically -- the electronics kick in and an icy chill fills the room. From then on the album bounces back and forth from cold, calculated dance-pop that is more indicative of her recent work ("Like a Drug," "In My Arms," "Heart Beat Rock," "The One") and more personal, expansive work a la 1997's Impossible Princess and 1994's Kylie Minogue ("Sensitized," "Stars," "Cosmic"). While some of it is very very good (Guy Chambers' "Sensitized" is arguably the best track on the album, so much so that it's disappointing that she didn't work with him more on X), most of it lacks -- when all presented as a whole -- what the last few collections really had: consistency. X isn't a "piece" as, say, Light Years was. It feels more like an artist trying to make sure she has all her bases covered. She even touches -- for the most part -- on her recent illness with the admittedly strong "No More Rain." But while tracks like "Nu-di-ty" and "Speakerphone" would have sounded better on the last Robbie Williams record and working with Bloodshy & Avant is questionable from time to time, the majority of X is exactly what it's meant to be: a collection of songs by a pop artist who is aware of her past achievements and doubly aware of her need to stay relevant in the face of unwanted diversion. ~ Christopher M. True

Product Details

Release Date:	11/15/2024
Label:	Parlophone
UPC:	5099951547301

Tracks

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
14. [CD-ROM Track]

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Kylie Minogue   Primary Artist,Vocals
MC Spank Rock   Primary Artist
Jolin Esai   Primary Artist
Jolin Tsai   Primary Artist
Eg   Primary Artist
Greg Kurstin   Primary Artist
Eg White   Primary Artist
Jim Eliot   Theremin,Percussion,Handclapping,Moog Synthesizer,Drums,Piano,Guitar
Spank Rock   Featured Artist
Richard Flack   Vocals
Paul Harris   Keyboards
Steve Anderson   Piano
Mima Stilwell   Vocals
Edwin "Lil Eddie" Serrano   Vocals
Moray McLaren   Bass
Engelina Andrina   Vocals
Amanda Wilson   Vocals
Paul "Blind Man" Harris   Keyboards
Mich Hansen   Percussion
Paul Stanborough   Guitar (Electric),Guitar
Guy Chambers   Keyboards
Ian Kirkham   Woodwind,Saxophone,Sax (Alto),Electronic Winds
James Wiltshire   Keyboards
Julian Peake   Bass,Keyboards
Cathy Dennis   Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Henrik Jonback   Bass,Guitar
Bloodshy & Avant   Bass,Guitar,Keyboards
Karen Ann Poole   Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Mims   Vocals,Featured Artist
Russell Small   Percussion
Richard "Biff" Stannard   Bass,Keyboards
Jonas Jeberg   Keyboards
Seton Daunt   Guitar

Technical Credits

Eddie Miller   Engineer
John Andersson   Composer
Ben Jackson   Engineer,Assistant
Rob Davis   Composer
Kish Mauve   Engineer,Producer,Recording
Jonas Quant   Composer,Programming
Tony Salter   Engineer,Recording
Eg White   Instrumentation,Composer,Musician,Producer
Spank Rock   Musician
Richard Flack   Mixing,Engineer,Recording
Paul Harris   Composer
Steve Anderson   String Arrangements
Mima Stilwell   Composer
Edwin "Lil Eddie" Serrano   Arranger,Composer
John Lipsey   Composer
Engelina Andrina   Composer
Greg Kurstin   Musician,Producer,Performer,Recording,Mixing,Composer,Engineer
Amanda Wilson   Producer
Paul "Blind Man" Harris   Producer
Ben Jackson Group   Assistant Engineer
Mads Nilsson   Mixing,Engineer
Mich Hansen   Composer
Paul Stanborough   Engineer,Programming
Guy Chambers   Composer,Producer
Jake Shears   Composer
Klas Ahlund   Composer
Kylie Minogue   Composer,Interviewee
Benny Blanco   Producer
Eg   Composer,Musician,Producer
Freemasons   Producer
James Wiltshire   Composer
Julian Peake   Composer,Producer
Ash Howes   Mixing,Engineer,Recording,Programming
Calvin Harris   Mixing,Composer,Engineer,Producer
Cathy Dennis   Composer,Producer
Christian Karlsson   Composer
Niklas Flyckt   Mixing,Engineer
Pontus Winnberg   Composer
Geoff Pesche   Mastering,Mastering Engineer
Matz Nilsson   Mixing
Adam Powers   Arranger,Composer,Vocal Arrangement
Ken McKay   Photography
Emma Holmgren   Composer
Babydaddy   Composer
Matt Prime   Producer
Johan Emmoth   Composer
Jim Eliot   Composer
Henrik Jonback   Composer
Cutfather   Mixing,Engineer,Producer
Bloodshy & Avant   Engineer,Producer,Programming
Serge Gainsbourg   Composer
Karen Ann Poole   Composer,Producer,Vocal Producer
Raymond Calhoun   Composer
Dan Grech-Marguerat   Engineer,Recording
Mims   Producer
Russell Small   Composer
Richard "Biff" Stannard   Composer,Producer
Jonas Jeberg   Mixing,Arranger,Composer,Engineer,Producer,Recording,Programming,Vocal Arrangement
Dave Bascombe   Mixing,Engineer
Cesar Gimeno Lavin   Engineer,Recording