Album Review: Kylie Minogue – Tension II
3 min read
Kylie Minogue is a household name. An icon of the stage and silver screen. Her career almost feels like common knowledge, even more so after her recent successes. There has been a wave of artists rising back to the top after years away from the limelight – Kate Bush, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, and Natasha Bedingfield to name a few – thanks to ingenious uses of their songs in other media. Kylie, however, has seen this resurgence but though pure perseverance. Her 2023 smash hit Padam Padam showed everyone why she is one of, if not the most, versatile and resilient pop stars in the world. Tension II seems fit to capitalise on the success of its predecessor, but also continue Kylie’s march into the cutting edge.
Lights Camera Action feels like an apt beginning to an album seemingly made to ride the wave. A gritty, groovy dance track with an excellent vocal performance and catchy melody. Taboo instrumentally is more of a throwback, with sampled strings and a disco inspired beat. It bridges the gap nicely between the former and Someone For Me, which couldn’t be more contemporary in aesthetic. Sassy lyrics about asking for love mix wonderfully with the choral backing vocals in the chorus, as well as the picky synth line. Good As Gone, Kiss Bang Bang, and Diamonds all follow a similar snappy dance pop pattern, the latter having hints of 90s euro-pop. Hello runs with the Padam Padam melodic inflections, while Dance To The Music brings the disco back, vocoder and slap-bass aplenty.
Shoulda Left Ya acts as the end of Tension II, despite their being four songs to follow. It’s the first ballad-esc tune, a mid-tempo beat and acoustic centrepiece acting as the core of what is a satisfying ‘closer’. What follows are Minogue’s most recent collaborations, the first and biggest highlight of these being Edge Of Saturday Night with The Blessed Madonna. It’s a solid house-tinted dance track with a Funky Town-esc bass drop and a captivating lead vocal. Orville Peck’s Midnight Ride, despite sticking out like a soar thumb in the track list, is another highlight, Kylie sitting perfectly in the country-pop fusion. Dance Alone with Sia and My Oh My suit the album’s overall sound better, but it’s the aforementioned two tracks that really hit the hardest.
Tension II is a fine continuation of Kylie’s newest wave of success. Even though it is a sequel, there is no sign of this simply being a money-spinner. Well produced tracks, stellar vocal performances, and a host of well chosen features give this album something for anyone to enjoy, and the first bunch of tracks especially make this a cohesive listen. Another grand slam for this global megastar.
Related posts:
Writer and Musician, Ryan Bulbeck has been published with a number of online publications, and has worked with a myriad of great artists, both as a performer, and as a producer. His most recent band The 295 are still active, playing shows around the UK.
