Spinning Around

A snappy album that grows on you.

Kylie Minogue has twenty-one Top 10 hits under her hat, and is second only to Madonna in creating hit solo tracks in the last two decades.

In this, her seventh album, the tracks are primarily disco in style. The album starts off with "Spinning Around", a number one single in Europe and Australia that speaks of self-empowerment, set to steady drums. "I'm So High" celebrates being in love to music generated by an electric sitar, among other instruments. "Koocachoo" fuses rhythm and tune successfully.

"Loveboat" written by Robbie Williams and Guy Chambers, resembles '60s movie music, with a full-blown orchestra, and plenty of French phrases. It invokes the high life, with beaches, bikinis and martinis combining to form "007 heaven". "Disco Down" and "So Now Goodbye" both have good beats, while "Please Stay" is tuneful, and different from the rest of the album with its Latin feel (achieved by a flexible guitar and hand claps).

"Butterfly", mixed by Mark Picchiotti is a typical disco track (as is "Under The Influence Of Love"), with guitar, flute, strings, and fast, heavy drums creating the music. "Bittersweet Goodbye" gives us a taste of Minogue's sweet, youthful voice, in the one slow track in the collection; it's hymn-like in its treatment of the lyrics. The musical accompaniment here is provided by the London Session Orchestra.

The album is snappy with music that grows on you. To paraphrase the lyrics to one of the tracks - "you're a slave to the rhythm/do your part".

This article was first published on12 Dec 2000.