CD Review: Body Language

With the international explosion that was Fever, a lesser artist would try and replicate its success, but no one ever said that Australian singer Kylie Minogue was your average performer...

In fact for her newest album, Kylie dived deeper into the realm of techno, with more complex sounds compared to Fever's simplistic synth work. But it's Kylie who's the real treat. Her voice is smooth, sweet, and playful. In other words, she's in top form.

The album starts with the single, "Slow," a dance-inducing song that compliments Kylie's alluring voice. It's very radio-friendly, though I've yet to hear it on U.S. radio stations. It then goes through some fun songs exhibiting Kylie's versatility, like "Still Standing" and "Promises." "Secret (Take You Home)" slowly won me over despite the pseudo-rapping.

The next single from the album is "Red Blooded Woman." This is a hit-or-miss song, from what I've read. People either like or hate this song. I personally like it, but I can see how the "la la la" in the middle and the repetiton of the refrain may annoy people.

But the real highlight of this album is "Chocolate," one of the best songs Kylie's ever done. Its smooth rhythm and Kylie's sly voice melt together creating something sweet for your ears. (Sorry about that. Couldn't resist.) You'll want to keep coming back to this jem.

Unfortunately, after "Chocolate," I felt there were some of the weaker songs. I'm not saying that they aren't good. They just don't have the same repeat value as the earlier ones. Marooned near the end of the album is "Loving Days," a song that grew to be one of my favorite songs. While its composition is more straightfoward than the three singles, I could see this one have a home on the radio, but it seems destined to be ignored.

For U.S. listeners, we get two bonus tracks: "Cruise Control" and "You Make Me Feel." "Cruise Control" is a fun song that I enjoy listening to, but it doesn't break any new ground that "Secret" didn't already cover. (Hence it being a B-Side.) There's also a better version of the song on the "Red Blooded Woman" single. "You Make Me Feel" is about the only song that I tend to skip over. It just doesn't click with me.

There's also some enhanced CD material, with the music video for "Slow" and the live performace of "Can't Get You Out Of My Head" from Kylie's "Money Can't Buy" concert. (Now out on DVD.)

This is easily Kylie's best album since Light Years, my second favorite album. Not that there's anything wrong with Fever. I was surprised to find out that singer Emiliana Torrini helped write two songs. I had only recently heard of Torrini, thanks to the LOTR: Two Towers soundtrack. Anyway, if you consider yourself a Kylie fan, then you should already own this. B+