Kylie Minogue Delivers Sweet "Kiss"

There aren't that many pop-musical acts left that can generate that much excitement anymore, except for Kylie Minogue, who still has the appeal to mark as an event the release of any new material. With her latest project, her twelfth studio album "Kiss Me Once" the 'Pop-Goddess of Love' has delivered to her fans perhaps her most commercial collected work yet, and that's saying a lot for an artist who has endured the career in which the Melbourne maven has mustered and continues to relish.

Fashion muse; pop-goddess; dance music sensation; entrepreneur; icon -�Kylie Minogue has worn so many posh labels, she can hardly keep up with herself, but mainstream success -�at least here in the States -�has eluded the talented triple threat, who has been pulling double-duty as a judge on the UK version of the hit reality competition show "The Voice" all the while preparing to release her new album. The truly devoted, who worship on the altar of the all-mighty Aphrodite, sold out (several times over) small scale venues when Minogue toured North America. This time around, perhaps Kylie should consider hitting arenas instead.

Just a suggestion, especially after only a "first listen" of her latest work on "Kiss Me Once" and the sheer presence of its first single "Into the Blue" which is winning praise from sea to shining sea. "Making this album was quite a journey but I loved it," Minogue commented on her press release on the process of putting this latest compilation together.

Several month's ago when Kylie came on the scene with the hard-driving club-thumper "Skirt" and the announcement that the artist had signed up to be managed by Mr. Beyonce Jay-Z's Roc Nation imprint -�this news coming as a major statement on the label's confidence that Minogue's solid super-stardom is solidly rising -�fans were awaiting just another set of same electro-ladened standard fare she had successfully spoon-fed the faithful. Co-produced by Sia "Kiss Me Once" is a much more heightened experience than anyone may have been anticipating from Minogue.

Certainly "Into the Blue" has an arrangement and lyrical quality that displays a new confidence that Kylie has proven she can command on stage, but to get that emotive performance out and into a studio track -�that's another story. The song is unlike anything she has delivered before, a welcome departure that sits above the heavy-handed pop currently on the radio.

If the album's debut single didn't ignite that confidence in the dance-floor dedicated that follow Minogue, after her last offering 2010's "Aphrodite" produced by Stuart Price which was a club-goers dream, there are more than a handful of hip-shaking tracks on "Kiss Me Once" to remind us all of Kylie's "loco-motion". Track 2, for instance, instantly transports the listener (pardon the pun) a "Million Miles." This is easily Minogue's best dance song in a while...at least since the 25th Anniversary release of "Timebomb" (which was only about two years ago).

The Grammy-Winning producer du jour Pharrell Williams finally got his mitts on Minogue, and the "Happy" hit-maker delivers on the ostentatious "I Was Gonna Cancel," which only sounds for about a minute like a throw away from the Madonna "Hard Candy" era. Minogue very easily - and very quickly -�puts her own stamp on Pharrell's inescapable rhythms. Keeping to the party feel the next single is the sumptuous "Sexy Love" -� a relentlessly catchy confection that will make for the perfect "Song of the Summer".

For one of the album's ballads, Kylie teamed up with Latin crooner Enrique Iglesias who brought the song "Beautiful" to her. It's a contemporary love-affair between the pair on the electrified performance which is cooly warm and precious. The album wraps things up with the danceable "Fine" which is wildly optimistic enlightening and very in line with what her audience has come to love about Kylie Minogue. With a total of 11 new hits (2 additional songs if you prefer the Special Edition which also comes packed with video content) many kisses are sure to follow. "Once" is just not enough.

Kylie Minogue is set to unleash "Kiss Me Once" on Tuesday, March 18. Remixes for the first single "Into the Blue" feature rewordings from Vanilla Ace, Roger Sanchez and Patrick Hagenaar.

You can sample the album here...