Search - Kylie Minogue :: Enjoy Yourself

Simply the Best

Rn Oliver | South Africa | 06/10/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"To me this is Kylie's best CD out of the lot. While I love every CD she has ever produced this would be the one I couldn't live without. Songs like "Nothing To Lose" & "I'm Over Dreaming Over You", although never making it to the charts, are superb examples of Kylie unique 80's sound and showcase her talent. Every track is very catchy as well so if you dont have this CD in your collection and you are a n 80's or Kylie fan then I would suggest purchasing it now!!! I am glad to see it has been re-released as it had been discontinued before Kylie's rise to fame again."

Aces high, even though the middle of this CD is a bit weak

Phil Rogers | Ann Arbor, Michigan | 01/12/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is Kylie's 2nd album; it's a radical departure from the first one (titled simply `Kylie') which used exceedingly well-played and arranged island-inflected beats on more than half of the songs. (The other tracks had included a finely mastered assortment: a strong remake of "The Locomotion", an extremely well-done jazz-inflected R & B song, another where R & B and the island sound are melded in an uncannily expressive fashion, and so on.)



For this second CD, all that is left behind; the same writing and production team totally sells out to the idea of making a great disco album, and succeeds to a large degree in doing just that.



1. "Hand On Your Heart": Kylie's first (of many) bona fide disco excursions. Great little musical bridges popping up here and there - it really hangs it out for all to hear and see. Lyrics tell their story with punch and verve.

5++++ stars

[video on `Ultimate Kylie' DVD: 5+ stars]



2. "Wouldn't Change a Thing": similar high quality structure/form but different in almost every detail (melodic, emotional: almost mournful at times, lyrical, etc.); and maybe even better.

5+++++ stars



3. "Never Too Late": bouncy type disco tune - very colorful, emotionally upbeat - still, it tells another story, maps a situation, as perfectly as the two previous songs. The video is to die for: Kylie dancing with 1 or two terrific male dancers wearing a series of terrific costumes depicting 6 different eras, going back to the Twenties.

5+++ stars

[video 5++++ stars]



4. "Nothing to Lose": emotionally wrenching exhortation - brilliantly blistering disco track. Starts and ends with wonderful multi-part harmonies, more or less a capella.

5++++ stars



5. "Tell Tale Signs": a serious change of pace, but a good segue into this stripped-down-to-strings 30's or 40's style ballad. A showcase of Kylie's burgeoning vocal versatility.

5++++ stars



6. "My Secret Heart": stylistically similar in tone to the previous track; but this falls flat in terms of its sequence and/or its very placement/existence within the track list. Also the string articulations sound a little clumsy, like maybe they were from a synth or sampler, but not a very good patch at all. It's probably not Kylie's fault that this one doesn't quite catch fire.

3½ stars at best, though probably much less - I doubt repeated listening will glean any further inspiration here.



7. "I'm Over Dreaming (Over You)": lighter, emotionally upbeat, happy-melody-type disco tune. Though not quite as interesting formally or melodically as tracks 1-4 or 10; still, it perfectly produces its aimed-at emotional/lyrical affect. Reminds me a bit of CD #1's "I Should Be So Lucky", but the current song is melodically more colorful than its predecessor; and it continues to grow on you.

4½ stars.



8. "Tears On My Pillow": like the majority of Kylie's covers, this is an excellent rendition.

5 stars.



9. "Heaven and Earth": is a garden-variety pop ballad - since I don't usually care for this type of thing, it would be unfair to give it a low rating. Still, its place in the sequence of songs is inopportune, bunched up against the previous song, also a ballad.

Unrated.



10. "Enjoy Yourself": the title cut brings forth another passionate, blistering disco groove (also in a minor key), and presents further intense exhortations from the singer, in tandem with her backing tracks. Undoubtedly the best non-single on the album.

5++++



It's a little sad that the bottom sort of drops out in the middle of this otherwise stellar set (at least in spots), and doesn't really get totally back on track until the extremely energized and convincing track #10.



But stay tuned for Kylie's CD #3, `Rhythm of Love', where the "team" continues their fruitful, beat-laden excursion into the high heavens of disco wonderland.

"

Kylie Minouge Enjoy Yourself

John Jay | Boston | 10/04/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a great CD for fans and collectors to buy,this is Kylie Minouges 2nd album,it sounds great."