Track Listing

1. 2 Hearts
2. Like a Drug
3. In My Arms
4. Speakerphone
5. Sensitized
6. Heart Beat Rock
7. One
8. No More Rain
9. All I See
10. Stars
11. Wow
12. Nu-di-ty
13. Cosmic
14. [CD-ROM Track]

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #95504 in Music
• Released on: 2007-12-11
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Enhanced, Import
• Dimensions: .20 pounds

Album Description
2007 13-track CD album, the 10th longplayer from the Australian pop princess. The album features the lead-off single, '2 Hearts', produced by London based electro band Kish Mauve. Among the other musicians contributing to the album are Cutfather & Jonas (Jamelia - "Superstar", Mercedes - "Get Rich"), Richard 'Biff' Stannard (Spice Girls, Holly Valance), Bloodshy & Avant: Christian Karlsson & Pontus Winnberg (Christina Milian, Brooke Valentine), Guy Chambers (Beverley Knight, Delta Goodrem), Cathy Dennis (Janet Jackson, Kelly Clarkson), Karen Poole (Leona Lewis, Mutya Buena), Calvin Harris (Kelis, Roisin Murphy), Greg Kurstin (Jessica Simpson, Lily Allen) and Eg White (Natalie Imbruglia, Maria Lawson). EMI. 2007.

Amazon.co.uk
Traditionally, Kylie Minogue has been at her best attempting pure pop, not chasing credibility, but X--her 10th studio album, and the first since 2003’s Body Language--somehow pulls off the trick of being both. With production credits split between old hands like Richard Stannard and Guy Chambers and new faces like Calvin Harris, the Freemasons and Bloodshy & Avant, the Swedish team behind Britney’s "Toxic", X does a neat job of matching big hooks with forward-thinking production tricks. The poptimistic Kylie fan will head straight for "2 Hearts," a sassy falling-for-you number with a glammy beat and a chorus poised to fill a thousand Karaoke rooms, and "Wow"--a thumping disco number with a lot of love to give. Scattered alongside these, however, are some slightly more adventurous productions that demonstrate that despite a few years off the stage, Kylie is well up to speed with 21st-century pop: the excellent "Speakerphone" begins with the sound of a strummed harp before diffusing into a shimmering, Scandinvian-tinged electro-pop number reminiscent of Robyn or the Knife, all snapping, sassy beats and vocodered vocal; meanwhile, the ghetto-pop bounce of "Nu-di-ty" proves raunch is still by no means beyond her. A very welcome return. --Louis Pattison

Customer Reviews

Put the kids to bed, lock the door and put THIS on. . .
I'm an old-fart, stuck-in-the-80's metal head and a jazz nut, but every now and then a pop record comes along that makes me go "WOW! That's good!". "Fever" was one of those for me. Body Language was sensual, but just ok for me. I listened to this on Yahoo and I can't wait to get the CD/DVD. The lyrics are a little risque for my little ones to go around repeating, but I'm quite okay with the idea of my wife giving me a wink and singing one of these songs to me at night:-)

This CD crosses a slew of pop sounds but somehow maintains a very strong continuity.

The opening track saunters across your ears like a stripper walking across the stage ready to seduce you.

The next three songs(Like a drug, In My Arms and my favorite, Speakerphone) and a few other tracks are sexually charged throwbacks to 80's synth bands like Stacey Q (and SSQ) that keep the mood going.

Songs like Sensitized, Nu-Di-Ty, and Heart Beat Rock make sure that there is only one thing on your mind while listening, and it ain't world peace.

In between, there are songs with cool lilting hooks and trademake sweet, soft, sexy vocals like "All I see", which could be a Janet Jackson, Brandy or Tony Braxton song from the mid 90's, and "No More Rain" with a beautiful melody line and a beat that makes me close my eyes think of the days when I used to drive my convertible along the beach at sunset with my beautiful blonde girlfriend (now wife) at my side. Kylie knowns and shows it's good to throw a little love into the lovin'.

The CD closes with the vocally-centric Cosmic, kind of like having a sweet nightcap after all of that energy expended for the first 13 tracks.

Sometimes I like to put on Sade or Basia or even Enya for "night love" music. But every now and then you want something just a little funkier and sweet and smooth and cool and this CD pulls it off perfectly.

I love it.

Celebration
****1/2

After beating cancer, as well as surviving long enough in the youth-obsessed world of pop music to have reached the milestone of 10 albums (hence the title X) Kylie Minogue is clearly in the mood to celebrate. And it's a celebratory mood that permeates this album. Like her mentor/rival Madonna, Kylie has, at this point in her career, clearly resigned herself to being a pop star, and instead of fighting it, vowed instead to take pop music about as far as it can go. So although the songs are all catchy, glittery and fun, and mostly about the standard themes of romantic love and lust, the production is truly cutting edge. Instead of the standard current pop music sound created by producers like the Neptunes or Timbaland, groups like Goldfrapp or Ladytron come to mind when listening to the crisp, percolating retro-futuristic sounds on the album.

Although Kylie coos and sweats and flirts throughout most the album, there are a couple of tunes where Kylie's post-cancer perspective clearly shine through; "No More Rain" and "Stars" are practically dance-floor gospel songs. And although the rest of the album is state-of-the-art fun, they may very well be the album's finest moments.

Thank goodness! - Another Stellar Kylie Confection
After Body Language, I was left a little disenchanted by the direction that Kylie had chosen to take with her music. "Body Language" was a little too "Americanized" for my taste - I live in America and prefer the sound of Europe! Kylie's newest endeavor, "X" is just what I have been waiting for. It's everything I was hoping it would be; more glittery, sugar coated dance pop. The tracks on this album remind me of her "Fever" album, which is my favorite Kylie album (and yes, I live in Oklahoma and I have her entire catalog beginning with her debut "Kylie". ) My love affair with Kylie started back in 87 when I first heard her version of "Locomotion" and I knew I was hooked with "Got to be Certain." For all of you newbies to Kylie's catalog, I strongly suggest starting with "Ultimate Kylie." and "Confide in Me - The Irresistable Kylie Minogue." If you want modern Kylie, go with "X." It's like Kylie's "Fever" meets Madonna's "Confessions on a Dance Floor." It's danceable, listenable and just plain, pure, sugar coated pop-perfection. I can't wait for the release of "White Diamond/Showgirl Homecoming!"