'A fantasy electric blanket': Critics praise Kylie Minogue's euphoric 'Disco' album
Kylie Minogue isn't letting a pandemic and the subsequent lack of open clubs stop her from dropping an unapologetically disco-embracing, dance-your-pants-off album.
“It’s... escapism and euphoria,” Minogue told "Esquire". “People need that.”
The Australian singer's 15th studio album, aptly titled "Disco," drops today — and the reviews so far are largely positive. Several singles – including "Say Something," "Magic" and "I Love It" – came out before the full album.
While disco has been Minogue's jam of choice for years now, a number of other performers have sampled the retro sound recently including Dua Lipa on her acclaimed "Future Nostalgia" and Lady Gaga's chart-topping "Chromatica".
Here are snippets from reviews of "Disco":
The Associated Press
"It’s always a sure thing with Kylie Minogue — fun and great grooves that is. What's more admirable is that even though she released one of the greatest pop albums of the century nearly 20 years ago (“Fever” for those pop heathens out there), she keeps trying to outdo herself. Her 15th album moves her closer to that goal post than ever before. The 12-track set, simply titled “Disco,” is a cohesive playlist for an exceptional dance-heavy experience... 'Disco' feels a bit like a fantasy electric blanket on a cold night — it will bring comfort but also shock you into joy from time to time."
November music preview: Garth Brooks, Miley Cyrus, BTS, Smashing Pumpkins and more
NME
"Current single ‘Magic’ is an exuberant, horn-fueled romp that deserves to soundtrack a post-Covid roller disco, while the funky strut of ‘Real Groove’ wouldn’t sound out of place on Dua Lipa’s recent ‘Future Nostalgia’ album. The lyrics are generally as introspective as a pair of hotpants – gold, naturally – but definitely capture the giddy thrill of dancefloor abandon."
Entertainment Weekly
"Amid global strife, Minogue is well aware that the album’s euphoric soundscape lands at a 'slightly odd' time when dancing together at a club remains a far-off dream, but she hopes listeners will work out the ethos of the moment through the art of the groove. And she’s made it easy on 'Disco,' tracing the genre’s evolution from the ’70s through the 2000s, with ethereal piano keys melting into brass ('Magic'), talk box effects ('Miss a Thing'), slithering ’80s strings ('Real Groove'), and even self-referencing sounds that nod to her own hand in shaping disco's modern revival on albums like 'Light Years' and 'Fever.' "
The Independent
"'Disco' comes with that glow guaranteed, as Kylie channels the sounds of the original American disco scene, born in the underground clubs of New York in the years after her own birth in 1968. Those spaces offered moments of fleeting escapism to those otherwise oppressed by mainstream society. Gay men (banned from dancing together in New York until 1971) did the hustle, while Black women like Donna Summer, Gloria Gaynor and Grace Jones took the mic and sang songs celebrating their strength and sexuality. Spaces like Studio 54 and The Loft offered nights of giddy hedonism during which all dancers were encouraged to feel like stars until the lights came back up in 1980 when the former’s massive financial fraud was revealed and the first AIDS cases were reported."
Dua Lipa's 'Future Nostalgia': Throw a quarantine dance party with 2020's best album
Follow Gary Dinges on Twitter @gdinges