She’s the pint-sized Aussie who has been putting out hits since she started her music career back in 1988.
And now, Kylie Minogue’s latest offering, Tension, is being hailed in early reviews as one of her best albums in years.
The singer smashed her way into the UK top 10 for the first time in over a decade with the summer hit, Padam Padam – which gained her a whole new legion of fans in what has since been dubbed the “padam-ic”.
With the album finally released on Friday, here’s a selection of what critics of Tension have had to say so far…
“As Tension’s predecessor, the glittering Disco, was the soundtrack to pandemic kitchen discos and Zoom parties, it’s a joy to know that we’ll be able to experience Tension outside the confines of our homes. This is a record for late nights with old pals and new romances, for dancing — and crying — in the club. Ultimately, it’s brilliantly good fun. It’s soaring pop music with a huge amount of heart that brings big emotions to the dancefloor — much like its creator.”
“At its best, Kylie’s music possesses an intense physicality; energising in a way that bypasses the head and appeals directly to the heart and body. This is also true of the best of Tension, and when the romantic urgency of her lyrics and the bracing runner’s high of her music commingle it reminds you that what is most glamorous and definitive about the singer is not only her sustained self-belief but her capacity for making it felt.”
“It’s been suggested Tension is more a promo album for More Than Just a Residency - Kylie’s Las Vegas run later this year - than a fully fledged creative project, but that’s not the case. There’s no sign of cash-grab radio pop; it has more perspective than that. But even if so, there’s enough originality pumped throughout each track that Tension will undoubtedly stand as one of the most favoured contemporary Kylie eras. There’s no pretension to its greatness, just our Kylie, once again, humbly proving how easily she can forge gold and transform into a pop culture phenomenon.”
“Golden, Minogue’s 2018 foray into country-pop, was a left turn that hardly anyone saw coming, but the singer has otherwise largely played it safe in recent years by sticking to EDM and its adjacent subgenres. Only Tension’s title track, with its digitally enhanced vocal hook, veers into territory that could be described as ‘experimental.’ Which is to say, for better or worse, Tension is another Kylie Minogue album.”
“Spearheaded by the global phenomenon that is lead single Padam Padam, the 11-track LP is an unashamed celebration of pop that transcends genre boundaries and chart trends and sees the Aussie icon let loose like never before.
“The strength of ‘Tension’ is in its diversity; just when you think you know where things are heading, Kylie throws a curveball and flips the album on its head, the effect of which is a collection that invariably exudes joy and sees the pop legend not only genuinely energised, but delivering her strongest vocals in a long time.”
“Tension is quintessential Kylie. As deep or surface-level as you need it to be, it offers both a carefree escape from reality while also remaining emotionally available. It’s an album packed full of gleaming choruses, gold-plated melodies and Kylie’s uncanny ability to make love and loss shimmer with possibilities.”
Tension by Kylie Minogue is released on Friday 22 September.