CD REVIEW
Kylie Minogue
"Body Language"
(Capitol)

Entertainment
Art

By LUKAS SZYMANEK

Don’t hate her because she’s beautiful, world famous, dates Olivier Martinez, and sings shallow love songs for more than a decent living. Australia-born pop princess and recent American dance sensation Kylie Minogue has long ago earned the title of the "European Madonna". You may remember her from the late 80’s, simulating a corny "Locomotion" in a bad perm, but unless you’ve been summering in London or Berlin for the past few years, your reaction to her 2001 hit "Can’t get you out of my head" was probably "Who’s that girl?"

At that time, with Fever, her first album released in the U.S. for over a decade, Kylie has made a fierce and confident re-entrance into the American airwaves and club rotation lists. The album, due to its irresistible mix of cheesy lyrics, good disco beats, and the performer’s enormous sex appeal shot to the top of music charts and made the 5something feet short Kylie quite a big name nationwide. Her new LP, Body Language released on Feb. 10 will very likely decide whether she can hold her own against the likes of Ashanti and Britney Spears or stay aside in her artistically native Europe.

"Come down and dance with me/ Yea, slow/ Skip a beat and move with my body/ Yea, slow", Kylie sings on the opening track and first single, "Slow." And if you still have her last disc stuck somewhere in your CD tower, you know she really means it. While Fever musically never really went beyond the throbbing dance beat scaffolding, Body Language offers a more toned down and audibly fulfilling pop experience. Don’t expect her to channel Tori Amos’ vulnerability though. The lyrics are still airy romantic scenarios, from the horny purrings of "Slow" to the larger-than-life infatuation in "Chocolate", but surprisingly, coming from her, the otherwise revolting kitsch sounds suddenly very digestible.

Kylie has always been unpretentious in defining her art. While never as versatile as Madonna, she has stayed true to her calling of being nothing more than a musical entertainer and gained respect of music critics who panned Jewel for publishing a book of hollow poetry alongside her failed CD’s. Body Language is a well-crafted and melodically engaging album that grabs your inner Studio 54 regular wannabe and does not let go. Looking more like Brigitte Bardot on the album’s dark cover art, Kylie has gone back in time to discover her new acoustic reincarnation. The album’s sound does not feel very modern at first. Tracks like "Still standing" and "I feel for you" with their retro use of a synthesizer’s plastic sound could be 80’s covers of anything from Prince to Madonna, to even Kylie herself. And yet the songs refuse to come off outdated.

"Secret (Take you home)" contains a familiar Debbie Harry-like rap experimentation of "Rapture", merged with a simplistic electro-dance thumping creating a definite hit, which may not reach the gimmicky heights of anything from Fever, but definitely holds its own in terms of musical sophistication. On a catchy "Promises" she slows down the rhythm and adds multiple layers to her vocals evoking a "Midnight at the oasis"-like skating rink party, while "Obsession" makes good use of the hip-hop mixing table. Fever failed to produce anything you could sensually dance with your lover to, which Body Language makes up for with ballads, "Chocolate" and "Loving days". The former can make you giggle at Kylie’s high-pitched croonings, but the song’s beautiful relationship between all of its sound layers is nothing short of breathtaking. The latter balances the rather unfriendly beat with a line of powerful strings to enchanting effect.

On the album’s standout track and already a second single in Europe, "Red blooded woman" Kylie makes a relative mistake of wanting to win over the American audience, as if unconfident in her own producers and past success, by copying Britney Spears’ recipe for a generic pop song. The track’s wonderful vocal line however, tells a story of a woman who repeats her pattern of engaging in dangerous liaisons and always ends up emotionally shattered. If honesty be Kylie’s redeeming quality, then she is forgiven.

The album may not sell as well as its disco bland predecessor but it should definitely secure her reputation as a diva, gay icon, queen of dance, take your pick. And if you still wish to argue Kylie is all cheese, I say, she may very well be, but it is the best kind.