Let me make it perfectly clear that I know virtually nothing by Kylie Minogue prior to this album. My interest in it was piqued awhile ago when I heard that she was supposedly inspired somewhat by country and that this record would be country-tinged. I respect that, the ability to differ between country–influenced music that you still identify and market as pop or some other genre versus just exploiting the country genre with pop music by slapping it with an arbitrary label. It seemed like a good thing to check out for one of these non-country spotlights, and honestly, after hearing it, I wouldn’t really call any of it country pop, although some songs are more acoustic and perhaps rootsy. But she’s not marketing it as country, so I can certainly live with that, and what I did find was actually some pretty cool, energetic pop music along the way.
Perhaps the most “country” thing about this, or at least the thing that makes it stand out above many pop projects, is that while energetic and lighthearted, a lot of these tracks do carry a message. There’s not some life-affirming moment like Kesha’s “Praying,” but equally, there’s a lot more to most of this than just shallow background music. There’s a theme of getting back up after life and love knock us down in “A Lifetime to Repair” and of living to the fullest in “Dancing.” “Sincerely Yours” carries the importance of taking time for ourselves and not letting the ones we love change us; she says that she’s saying goodbye because she has to work through her own issues, but it doesn’t change her feelings and that she’ll be back eventually. Pop music has a bad reputation of being shallow and superfluous, and let’s be fair, that’s because most of it is these days, so it’s good to hear music like this actually have something to say.
And yet, it keeps the energy that’s vital to a good pop record. While mainstream country continues to recycle the same mid-tempo drumbeat, and Americana struggles with itself to relax, it’s refreshing to hear an album like this, where the majority remains up-tempo and fun. Tracks like “Rollin'” and “Low Blow” are just infectious, and Kylie Minogue delivers it all with a good amount of personality. It sounds like she’s enjoying herself when she’s singing these songs, and that comes out and in turn makes you smile as a listener.
This was a fun little interlude in between all the country projects coming out over the past several weeks. I definitely wouldn’t say there’s much, if any, country to it, so don’t let that mislead you. But if you’re looking for some refreshing pop music with a slightly rootsy feel, or you enjoy pop music that still has something intelligent to say, you might find a lot to enjoy here.
Standout Tracks: “A Lifetime to Repair,” “Radio On,” “Love,” “Rollin’,” “Music’s too Sad Without You” (ft. Jack Savoretti)