Light Years
Kylie Minogue
(EMI)
There were high hopes for Minogue's latest dance disc when it was released last fall.
The Australian pop strumpet had just hooked up with British bad boy Robbie Williams for a fun duet called Kids, which was also on his latest album, Sing When You're Winning.
While Williams and his writing-producing partner Guy Chambers contribute two other cheekily-titled tracks here, neither is as good as Kids. They are Your Disco Needs You, and Loveboat, which includes the line: "Have a Havana, pass me a peach, rub on some lotion, the places I can't reach."
While Minogue is huge in England -- maybe you caught Madonna wearing one of her tour T-shirts during The Material Girl's recent performance at the MTV Europe Awards? -- she has yet to translate across the pond.
On this disco-oriented collection, she hooks up with an A-list production and writing team that includes Johnny Douglas (George Michael, All Saints), Bif (Spice Girls), Brian Rawling (Cher, Ricky) and Mark Picchiotti (Madonna, Paula Abdul).
But the goods just aren't there in terms of songs.
You get the sense you're listening to the aural equivalent of the disco film classic, Xanadu; it's so bad, it's almost good.
The only memorable tracks are the pulsating Disco Down (as in, "when you burn this disco down,") the Latin rhythm-fuelled Please Stay and the hip-shaking Butterfly.
Track Listing
1. Spinning Around
2. On A Night Like This
3. So Now Goodbye
4. Disco Down
5. Loveboat
6. Koocachoo
7. Your Disco Needs You
8. Please Stay
9. Bittersweet Goodbye
10. Butterfly
11. Under The Influence Of Love
12. I'm So High
13. Kids
14. Light Years