The golden goddess Aphrodite, whose rituals were all acts of love and pleasure, lends her name to Kylie’s latest offering – and how fitting!
Kylie collaborated with some pretty big names in the pop-dance scene, including Jake Shears of the Scissor Sisters, Calvin Harris, and Tim Rice-Oxley, to bless her fans with a seamless album of glittery, gorgeous and graceful pop, guaranteed to ignite dancefloors around the world, whether those dancefloors are in clubs, at the poolside, or in the lounge.
Aphrodite captures all the euphoria and frivolity of its namesake, and yet Kylie never allows it to degenerate into bubblegum pop. It’s uplifting, it’s sonic sunshine, it’s happy, and it’s not going to change the world, but Kylie doesn’t need to change the world – she just wants the world to dance, and has given us 12 brilliant tracks to do it to. The opener (and first single) “All the Lovers” sets the tone with its 80’s-inspired synth, but the tempo quickly changes with the infectious “Get Outta My Way”, a track that very quickly finds its way into your hips – and gets you ready for the stylishly clubby “Put Your Hands Up”.
Kylie takes things down a notch with “Closer”, an understated disco track that could be the love-child of Donna Summer and ABBA’sThe Visitors; breathy, sexy, and hypnotic. “Everything is Beautiful” is our moment to catch our breath, dreamy and steady and the softest track on this album, and it brings us to the title track. “Aphrodite” is fierce and fiesty, with a delicious edginess reminiscent of girl-power-pop, and leads into my favourite track, the bittersweet “Illusion”, which sounds as though Timbaland could have had a hand in production. Following “Illusion” comes a sing-along headbopper of a track, “Better Than Today”, which asks the eternal question: What’s the point in living, if you don’t wanna dance?
“Too Much” is the incandescent dance number penned by Jake Shears and Calvin Harris, with Kylie’s vocals more than doing justice to their electro-brilliance. The remainder of the album maintains the good mood and catchy beats, and at the end of the last track, “Can’t Beat the Feeling”, the only thing the listener is left wanting, is more.
Aphrodite is frivolous and froufrou, it glitters and sparkles and twinkles, and it’s all about love and pleasure – but that’s what Kylie does best, and I think that this is the come-back album that Xwasn’t. Welcome back, Kylie. Aphrodite would be proud.
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