Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Having substantially re-aligned her career trajectory by lending a much needed soupçon of charm to The Voice, Kylie attempts to shift her international profile up a gear or two with Kiss Me Once, the first fruit of her new alliance with Jay Z’s Roc Nation management.
It must be considered at least a partial success, being both more engaging and more characterful than either X or Aphrodite; but it remains nevertheless an incremental improvement, rather than a substantial overhaul.
With America belatedly in thrall to what it calls EDM (electronic dance music), Kylie barely needs break step at all to handle standard disco pumpers like “Million Miles” and the single “Into the Blue”, both efficient but uninspiring club fodder.
As so often nowadays, Pharrell Williams comes to the rescue with “I Was Gonna Cancel”. A typically light, frothy pop syllabub in Pharrell’s signature style, it sprinkles chimes over staccato synth burbles that hark back to The Commodores – a bang-up-to-date retro touch, as is the ensuing “Sexy Love”, one of two productions by the Danish Wallevik/Davidsen/Cutfather team.
Featuring Daniel Davidsen’s nimble guitar motif over slick rhythm chording and understated slap-bass, it’s immaculately buttoned-down pop-funk.
Elsewhere, “Sexercise” is an American take on dubstep by The Monsters & The Strangerz, while “Les Sex” – is there a theme developing here? –pleasingly runs a tinkling music-box motif over a chunky, pulsing groove.
But lumbering drums weigh down the erotic anticipation of “Kiss Me Once”, and “If Only” is a bit of a mess, although at least here the swaddling, densely layered synth arrangement does offer an apt musical metaphor for the theme of inextricable entanglement.
As for the pallid duet with Enrique Iglesias, “Beautiful” seems too desperate to touch the same melodic nerve as Robbie Williams’ “Angels”, but is too earthbound.
Still, this isn’t a bad collection overall, if less than the expected redesign.
Download: I Was Gonna Cancel; Sexy Love; Les Sex
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments