KYLIE: Tension
PAUL RODGERS: Midnight Rose
When a new single from Kylie Minogue was announced in May, all indications were that the Australian pop goddess would stick to the style of her 2020 album Disco – one of many dance albums made during lockdown.
And indeed, Padam Padam ticked all the right boxes for a kitchen disco without being particularly memorable on first listen. Then something happened… Despite being sidelined by youth-oriented radio stations that didn’t want to champion a 55-year-old woman, Padam Padam took off.
With its onomatopoeic chorus modeled on the human heartbeat, it became a TikTok sensation and became the pop catchy tune of 2023. The song – written by Norwegian singer Ina Wroldsen and British producer Pete “Lostboy” Rycroft – gave Kylie her first solo top ten hit since 2010’s All The Lovers. The single sets the perfect tone for Tension, an album about seizing the day that is Minogue’s reputation as a consummate showgirl while adding nuance to her signature sound.
“It’s a mix of personal reflection, clubbing and melancholic exhilaration,” says Kylie. The singer cites her 2003 mid-tempo single “Slow” as a key reference, and that’s a good indication of what to expect.
“You look like fun to me, you look a bit like someone I know,” she teases Padam Padam, and the first half of the album is dominated by dancefloor celebrations.
Padam Padam gave Kylie her first top ten single since 2010 after she became a TikTok sensation
Padam Padam’s title track is a house banger with its breathy vocals and haunting piano
While there aren’t any detours as daring as the overland detours on 2018’s “Golden,” Kylie does take a few unexpected steps as the album progresses.
The title track is a house banger with its breathless vocals and haunting piano. “Hold On To Now” encourages us to live in the moment.
There are also allusions to the past. The catchy “One More Time” easily fits in with their 1990 hits “Better The Devil You Know” and “Step Back In Time.”
“10 Out Of 10,” created with Dutch DJ Oliver Heldens, draws inspiration from Euro-pop. “When we’re done, we’re going in the shower,” Kylie sings, indulging in the sexual innuendo but leaving just enough to the imagination.
There are no detours as daring as the land detours on 2018’s Golden, but she does take a few unexpected steps as the album progresses. “Hands,” all handclaps and funky bass, leans more toward 1990s R&B than 1970s disco, and “Green Light” is a sadly tepid exercise in jazz-funk.
The story begins with delicate guitars before evolving into conventional floor filler. “I had a one-way ticket and wasn’t going anywhere,” Kylie admits of the latter. She finds solace in dancing on “Tension,” and it’s her most compelling release in decades.
As frontman of Free and Bad Company, Paul Rodgers was one of the leading lights of the British blues rock boom of the 1960s and 1970s. The Rolling Stones, Jeff Beck and Led Zeppelin were on the same page, but many saw the Middlesbrough-born rocker as the best singer of the era.
Among them was Queen guitarist Brian May. May recruited Rodgers as Freddie Mercury’s replacement for Queen, but the singer’s earthy style was never flashy enough and he left after four years, to be replaced by the more theatrical Adam Lambert.
Now, in his first new solo songs in 24 years, the 73-year-old has returned to what he does best: singing the blues with a meaty, rock-solid edge.
Paul Rodgers was one of the leading lights of the British blues rock boom of the 1960s and 1970s
In his first batch of new solo songs in 24 years, Paul Rodgers has returned to what he does best
Paul Rodgers, far left, was the frontman of Free, who were one of Britain’s hard rock pioneers
Attempts to recreate past successes fail, although that’s no surprise: “Free” sets the bar unrealistically high for classics like “All Right Now,” and “Midnight Rose” feels overproduced in comparison.
However, this voice is still in great shape. Now living in Canada, Rodgers explains his decision to move across the Atlantic in “Living It Up” by saying that he left “Steeltown” to be closer to the spirit of Otis Redding and Aretha Franklin.
Elsewhere, his vocals are wasted on “Photo Shooter,” a trite tirade against celebrity culture, and “Highway Robber.” He feels better when he softens the mood. The folky title track shows his mastery of romantic and melting dips in classic Americana. The material is uneven, but Rodgers can still sing the blues as well as anyone.
Shania turns London into Twain Town
Live: Shania Twain
Shania Twain slowly rose from a trapdoor in the middle of The O2 and was greeted by a sea of sequined Stetsons and cowgirl jackets as she brought her Queen Of Me tour to London.
For the first time in five years, she transformed a packed arena in Britain into Twain Town – and the rhinestone-decked faithful were thrilled.
The Canadian country-pop singer powered through 26 songs in two hours, polishing it off with tried-and-true crowd-pleasing tricks as she switched between violin-driven hoedowns and guitar-driven rockers.
“I’m having the time of my life,” she said, before disarmingly admitting that her chatter can be cheesy.
For the first time in five years, Shania Twain transformed a crowded O2 in Britain into Twain Town
The Canadian country-pop singer sang through 26 songs in two hours
Despite all the usual bells and whistles, this wasn’t the most sophisticated arena show
Despite all the usual bells and whistles – space age visuals on Up!; a silver motorcycle during I’m Gonna Getcha Good!; a western-style saloon bar for Giddy Up! – That wasn’t exactly the fanciest arena show. Trying to guide fans through the intricate harmonies of “Honey, I’m Home” took up too much time. Twain missed a vocal cue on “Giddy Up!” But it was an evening full of heart and humor. Shania’s voice has taken on a harsher tone since her vocal cords were damaged by Lyme disease, but she still showed her affinity for Nashville tradition on an impromptu cover of Hank Williams’ Jambalaya (On The Bayou) and eventually dove into Come On Over , the 1997 album that made her a superstar.
The finale was their mega hits That Don’t Impress Me Much and Man! “I Feel Like A Woman!”, she delighted her fans by donning her iconic leopard print hooded bodysuit – a winning nostalgic finale.
The Queen Of Me tour continues tonight at OVO Hydro, Glasgow (livenation.co.uk).