Kylie Minogue - Sexercise

This is the erotic dubstep influenced second single from her new album Kiss Me Once. It is written by Sia Furler who is known for her unique writing style. The song is about a different kind of exercise that can't be done in most gyms. While it is catchy and playful, the lyrics are a tad lackluster. The song works well when coupled with the raunchy music video.

Grade: B

Kylie Minogue - Into The Blue (Country Club Martini Crew Mix)

The new single is off to a great start all over the world in its original version. The first remix package with mixes by Patrick Hagenaar, Roger Sanchez, and Vanilla Ace has been released. Patrick's mixes are in a similar vein as the original, whereas Roger Sanchez switches things up with a Deep House mix, however, he opts to pitch shift the majority of the vocals making Kylie sound strange. Vanilla Ace's dubby treatment has a 90s Rave sound to it.

Country Club Martini Crew has produced the definitive remix of the song keeping the main vibe of the song intact, but at a higher tempo. This works in every way.

-Listen to the Country Club Martini Crew remix here (Soundcloud)

Grade: A

Kylie Minogue - Into The Blue

After unleashing the sexy single "Skirt" over the Summer, the adorable diva is back with the first proper single from her new album due out later this Spring. The uplifting track has a distinct 80s synthpop feel coupled with contemporary electro/pop. It is at a lower tempo than many of her recent singles. Everything about the song is gorgeous from the soaring vocals to the cool production. This is another global smash waiting to happen.

The single will be released on January 27.

Grade: A

Kylie Minogue - Skirt

This new song purported to be from her upcoming album surfaced a few hours ago. Produced by Nom De Strip and written with The Dream, the erotically-charged, Dubstep influenced Dance track has Kylie delving into territory she has never really gone into before. Her cute signature vocals are there, however, the parts with her moaning in sexual ecstasy might be a bit too much for some. The chorus is super catchy though. It is unknown whether this might be a single, but this has the potential to reinvent Kylie yet again.

Listen to the song here:


Grade: A-

Kylie Minogue - Time Bomb

This is a brand new single from the dancefloor princess. There is no word on whether this is from a new album or upcoming greatest hits collection, or it's a standalone release. Kylie sings in her trademark breathy, sexy voice on this aggressive electropop track. The hook is super catchy. The song's lyrics have an end of the world theme (2012 Mayan Prophecy?) that has come up in other songs during the last couple of years. Overall, this is a perfect release just in time for the summer.

Listen to the song here (DailyMotion)

Grade: A-

Kylie Minogue - Get Outta My Way

This is the second single off of Aphrodite. Already a favorite by fans, this one is a cute modern disco/house song co-produced by Stuart Price. The original is simply perfect. There are remixes of this by Stuart Price, 7th Heaven, Bimbo Jones, Paul Harris, Sidney Sampson, Daddy's Groove, Mat Zo and Kris Menace. Stuart's mix is basically an extended version of the original. The 7th Heaven mix is in a similar direction as the original and plays up the disco elements. The Bimbo Jones mix is a tad darker. Paul Harris' mix is sort of the 'in-between' of the original and Bimbo mixes. Sidney Samson's mix is a bit more big room-ish. The Daddy's Groove mix has less vocals, however the instrumental production is really nice. It's hard but keeps the disco vibe of the original. Mat Zo's mix is a bit of everything but also keeps the uplifting vibe intact. Kris Menace's mix feels like a watered down, mild version of the original. Overall, the 7th Heaven and Daddy's Groove mixes are the best of the bunch.

Grade: A

Kylie Minogue - All The Lovers

This is the lead single off of her much-awaited new album Aphrodite. Produced by Stuart Price, this song has that retro sounds he is known for. This has a really nice 80's synthpop feel. Kylie's vocals are chilled and smooth. Her voice has an almost fluid feel which meshes well with the production. The song does immediately call to mind Erasure's classic "A Little Respect" when it gets to the chorus. Nothing wrong with that. This is a great start to her next album era.

Listen to a full preview here (YouTube)

Grade: A-

Paula Abdul - (I'm Just) Here For The Music

After the club success of "Dance Like There's No Tomorrow" last year, Paula is back with another single. Given the significant gap between the last time she released an album (back in the mid '90s) and her last single, any new material is welcome. A clip of "Boombox" which was a cover of a Kylie Minogue song was previewed earlier this year. "(I'm Just) Here For The Music" also has a connection to Kylie as this was reportedly a song that was intended for the Body Language era. This one does immediately call to mind her 80's and 90's uptempos. Paula's vocals are decent. There's plenty of vocoding effects just as on "Dance..." While this song is nothing groundbreaking, it's fun. With some remixes, this could be a club hit.

Listen and buy it on Paula's website here

Grade: A-

Kylie and Dannii Minogue - The Winner Takes It All

For years, fans of the Minogues have been hoping for a proper duet to be released. It is finally happening. They are covering ABBA's "The Winner Takes It All." This is for the soundtrack of the British television program Beautiful People. Although the song was originally a ballad, the Minogues have maintained a similar vibe while turning it into an uptempo. The overall emotion is still there though. Kylie and Dannii's vocals are quite good on this one. While nothing will compare to the original, they have done a fairly good job. Over the years, there have been dozens of covers of this song, however, this one is quite memorable. The soundtrack will be released in the UK on October 20.

Listen to the original ABBA song here (YouTube)

Listen to Kylie & Dannii's version here (YouTube)


Grade: B+

Kylie Minogue - Wow

This is the second UK single off of her comeback album X. The heavy electro-pop track is much catchier than the previous single "2 Hearts", however, it may take several listens to get into it. A watered-down version has been made as the radio edit. It's just okay. The really noteworthy mix of this is by CSS (Cansei De Ser Sexy). Some of the extra electro edge has been shaved off in favor of a more subdued production. They give the song a nice 80's synth-pop feel. This takes the song up several notches. Additional mixes by David Guetta with Joachim Garraud and MSTRKRFT make the song a bit clubbier. The instrumental hook from the original is kept to some degree in all the mixes.

Original
Grade: B

CSS Remix
Grade: A+

Guetta & Garraud Mix
Grade: A-

MSTRKRFT Mix
Grade: B+