Kylie Minogue built her career on pop hooks and bigger-than-life charisma. Kiss Me Once leans harder into both. The album wants to sound like a summer blockbuster, glossy and unapologetic about it. It mostly gets there, even when the songs underneath don’t quite live up to the ambition.
Into the Blue Opens the Record
The opener sets the tone immediately. It’s a big, bright track that announces the album’s intent without wasting a second. The production is full of light and energy, and Minogue’s delivery matches it. It’s the strongest moment on the record, and it earns that title.
Million Miles follows closely behind. It’s slower and more reflective, a rare quiet moment in a record that otherwise runs hot. The song works because it trusts the melody to carry the weight. It doesn’t need to shout to make its point.
I Was Gonna Cancel Through Feels So Good
I Was Gonna Cancel is a joke dressed as a pop song, and it plays the joke well. The track is loose and playful, and Minogue sells the deadpan humor without losing the rhythm. It’s a fun listen, even if it doesn’t ask for much depth.
Sexy Love is exactly what it says on the tin. It’s a straightforward sex song with a hook that lands. There’s nothing subtle about it, and that’s the point. It doesn’t overstay its welcome.
Sexercize is the shortest track on the record, and it feels like it. It’s a quick burst of energy that gets in and gets out, and it doesn’t leave much of an impression beyond that. It’s competent, but forgettable.
Feels So Good is a return to form. The track has a strong hook and a confident delivery, and it’s one of the more memorable moments on the back half of the album. It doesn’t reach the heights of the front half, but it holds its own.
If Only, Les Sex and Kiss Me Once
If Only is a mid-tempo ballad that tries to slow things down. It doesn’t quite land. The sentiment is there, but the execution feels thin next to the sharper songs around it.
Les Sex is a bold title for a bold song. It’s a dance track that doesn’t hide its intent, and it’s one of the more interesting cuts on the album. The production is sharp, and Minogue sounds committed to the material. It’s a standout, even if it doesn’t top the record’s best moments.
Kiss Me Once is the title track, and it’s a solid centerpiece. It’s not the best song on the album, but it carries the weight of the title well. It’s a reliable, if unspectacular, entry in the sequence.
Beautiful and Fine Close It Out
Beautiful is a gentle closer, and it works better than it has any right to. The track slows things down again, and it finds a soft spot in a record that spends most of its runtime at full volume. It’s a nice way to wind down.
Fine ends the record on a high note. It’s a confident, upbeat closer that doesn’t waste the final stretch. It’s a strong way to finish, even if the album itself isn’t perfect.
The Verdict
Kiss Me Once is a mixed bag. The best tracks are genuinely excellent, and the worst are merely competent. The record’s ambition is clear from start to finish, and it mostly delivers on that promise. It’s a pop record that knows what it wants to be, and it rarely pretends otherwise.
The problem is that the ambition isn’t evenly distributed across the track list. The front half is packed with strong material, while the back half thins out. That unevenness keeps the album from being essential listening, even when its peaks are truly memorable.
The album’s best moments are as good as anything Minogue has released. Its weakest moments are merely serviceable. The difference between those two extremes is the whole story of this record.
Key Facts Box
- Artist: Kylie Minogue
- Album: Kiss Me Once
- Release type: Album
- Tracks: 11
- Total running time: 38 minutes
- Metacritic score: 66/100
The Running Order
- Into the Blue (4:11)
- Million Miles (3:31)
- I Was Gonna Cancel (3:34)
- Sexy Love (3:33)
- Sexercize (2:49)
- Feels So Good (3:38)
- If Only (3:23)
- Les Sex (3:49)
- Kiss Me Once (3:19)
- Beautiful (3:25)
- Fine (3:37)
Final Score
Kiss Me Once is a good pop record with a great front half and a weaker back half. It’s a record that rewards attention on its best tracks and asks for patience on its worst. The highs are high, and the lows are merely adequate. It’s a fair effort from a performer who knows how to deliver a hook.
- Into the Blue4:11
- Million Miles3:31
- I Was Gonna Cancel3:34
- Sexy Love3:33
- Sexercize2:49
- Feels So Good3:38
- If Only3:23
- Les Sex3:49
- Kiss Me Once3:19
- Beautiful3:25
- Fine3:37
