| {{{album_name}}} | ||
|---|---|---|
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| {{{type}}} by Kylie Minogue | ||
| Released | 19 September 1994 | |
| Recorded | 1993–1994 | |
| Length | 57:12 | |
| Label | Deconstruction Mushroom Arista | |
| Producer(s) | Steve Anderson Dave Seaman M People Pete Heller Terry Farley Jimmy Harry | |
| Kylie Minogue chronology | ||
| "Let's Get to It" (1991) |
"Impossible Princess" (1997) | |
Kylie Minogue is the self-titled fifth studio album by Australian pop singer Kylie Minogue, which was first released on 19 September 1994. The album was first released by Deconstruction Records/BMG throughout much of the world while in Australia and New Zealand the album was released by Mushroom. Plans for an American release by Imago Records (who issued lead single there) fell through, and the release never took place. With the new deal with her record label, Minogue worked with new producers including Dave Ball, Ingo Vauk, Brothers in Rhythm, Manic Street Preachers and Rob Dougan, which eventually produced her then-future album Impossible Princess (1997).
Musically, the album varies with many musical genres but stays in the pop music field. The album represented a new change in Minogue's music, working with more new jack swing, jazz, house and techno music, similar to the musical tones of her previous album. It became the second album by Minogue to consist songs written by her. Originally, the album consisted all songs written by Minogue but A&R Pete Hadfield decided they were heading into the wrong direction, so another seventeen new songs were recorded. The main themes of the album involves with love, with many of the sub-themes heading towards infidelity, putting someone in their own place, sexual intercourse and lust. Examples of the themes come from singles "Confide in Me" and "Put Yourself In My Place", both surrounding the theme of love.
Upon release, Kylie Minogue received favorable reviews from most music critics. Many critics praised the direction of the album, who thought the midtempo songs were pleasable and praised Minogue's vocals and production. Kylie Minogue was a chart success, peaing at number three on the Australian Albums Chart in October 1995 and was certified Gold for shipments of 70,000 copies. It was equally successful in the UK, peaking at number four and was certified Gold for shipments of 100,000 copies. Three singles were released; "Confide in Me", the lead single from the album, became one of Minogue's most successful single releases, reaching number one for five weeks in Australia, number two in the United Kingdom and reaching number one in Israel. The second single "Put Yourself in My Place" reached number eleven in both Australia and the UK. The song featured a popular music video directed by Kier McFarlane. "Where Is the Feeling?" became the third release and reached number 16 in the UK and number 31 in Australia.
Minogue did not do an initial world tour or headlining tour to support the album and only based promotion on gigs and TV appearances. To date, the album has sold 2,000,000 copies worldwide.
Background and development
When Minogue was at the brink of signing with Deconstruction Records, she released her two singles "What Kind of Fool (Heard All That Before)" and "Celebration". According to tabloids back then, they noticed that Minogue or her label PWL progressed no musical direction or development over the years. Although signed for three albums, she recorded four in total, with Let's Get to It being her first album to feature songwriting credits by Minogue. The album became her lowest charting studio album in both Australia and the UK, just peaking inside the top twenty and did not manage to achieve a certification from either industries. She left PWL and signed with Deconstruction to create the eponymous album. Her first album not being yielded by production team Stock Aitken Waterman, it included a variety of new producers and songwriters including Steve Anderson, Dave Seaman and Brothers in Rhythm, all who helped out with the album.
Kylie Minogue was Minogue's first release outside of the production team of Stock Aitken Waterman. In an attempt to broaden her fan base and extend herself as an artist, she took an active role in planning the album and sought out a diverse group of artists for her to collaborate with. The first recording sessions took place in 1993 and resulted in two songs recorded with Saint Etienne ("Nothing Can Stop Us" and "When Are You Coming Home?") and eight Minogue co-written songs with The Rapino Brothers ("Aston Martin", "For All I’m Worth", "Gotta Move On", "Difficult By Design", "Love Is on the Line", "Light That I Was Looking For", "Living For Your Loving" and "Automatic Love").
But Deconstruction's A&R office decided they were heading into the wrong direction, so another seventeen new songs were recorded. These included eight with Brothers in Rhythm ("Confide in Me", "Where Is The Feeling?", "Dangerous Game", "If You Don’t Love Me", "Love Is Waiting", "At The End of the Day" with reproduction on "Automatic Love" and "Love Is on the Line"), four with Jimmy Harry ("If I Was Your Lover", "Put Yourself in My Place", "Intuition", "The World Needs Love"), two with singer-songwriter Gerry DeVeaux ("Surrender" and "No Turning Back"), two with Pete Heller and Terry Farley ("Where Has The Love Gone?" and "Falling") and one with M People ("Time Will Pass You By").
Composition
Allmusic described the album as "still dance-pop, there's atmosphere and style in the songs that wasn't there on Let's Get to It. Definitely the start of the second phase of her career." According to Nick Levine from Digital Spy, "The Singing Budgie stretching her wings and finding she could soar. Kylie Minogue is a sophisticated, stylish dance record that tips its cap – oh-so-elegantly, of course - to everything from midtempo R&B to classic balladry to ambient chill-out to Middle Eastern pop to... erm... M People-produced piano house."
Taking on a more house music vibe, "Where Has the Love Gone?" features an effected keyboard over a nineties club beat. Lyrically, the song tells of Minogue seeking an answer for why her relationship failed. The next song, "Falling", features a dance-pop production with a synthesized and bass-heavy backing while Minogue’s vocals are breathy with large amounts of echo. The song tells of how you can overcome your past and fall in love again. The closing track on the album is "Time Will Pass You By". This track revisits the acid jazz style with a prominent brass section over a rhythmic disco drumbeat. Lyrically, the song is about not taking life for granted and enjoying it to its fullest. For the album's Canadian release, Minogue recorded a franglais version of "Confide in Me", known as "Fie-toi à moi". It was released exclusively on the Canadian edition of the album which features different cover artwork.
Reception
Critical response
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | 3/5 Stars |
| Digital Spy | 4/5 Stars |
Kylie Minogue had received generally positive reviews from music critics, many praising the slow dance music. Chris True fromAllmusic gave it a positive review. He said "Kylie Minogue's fifth album no longer featured the Stock-Aitken-Waterman production gloss and found the diminutive singer working with hip dance producers like David Seaman. From the first notes of the opener "Confide in Me", you know this is not the teen pop queen of old. Kylie Minogue (also note the use of her last name on the cover) wanted to sound grown up, and she pulls it off with ease. While it is still dance-pop, there's atmosphere and style in the songs that wasn't there on Let's Get to It. Definitely the start of the second phase of her career." He had highlighted "Confide in Me", "If I Was Your Lover" and "Automatic Love" as the album picks. Nick Levine from Digital Spy awarded the album four stars out of five. He wrote in his retrospective review;
| “ | Cohesive, classy and – much like KM herself – remarkably unmarked by the passing years, this album seduced us like the high-end escort who knocked on our bedroom door bearing champagne, strawberries and an impressive selection of novelty condoms. On a more serious note, we can't end this Revisited without mentioning the quality of Kylie's vocals here – her early critics will have spat out their cappuccinos when they heard the way she grandstands on 'Automatic Love'. | ” |
Chart performance
"Kylie Minogue" had debuted at number three in her native Australia and in the United Kingdom at number four; resulting in the album being certified Gold. The Remastered version, also get a Gold certification by BPI. The album debuted at number thirty-nine on the Swedish Albums Chart.[10]
Singles
"Confide in Me", the lead single from the album, became one of Minogue's most successful single releases, reaching number one for five weeks in Australia, number two in the United Kingdom and reaching number one in Israel. The song was accompanied by an infomercial-like video. The slow tempo dance track, written and produced by Brothers in Rhythm, featured Minogue's vocals over layers of strings and drumbeats. The second single "Put Yourself in My Place" reached number eleven in both Australia and the UK. The song featured a popular music video directed by Kier McFarlane. Minogue recreated the opening sequence of the classic Jane Fonda film, "Barbarella" (1968) in the video, performing a slow strip tease inside a spacecraft.
The follow-up single to "Put Yourself in My Place" was initially planned to be "If I Was Your Lover". Originally mixed by Jimmy Harry, the track was remixed to give it a more urban appeal. The single was supposed to be released in the US first and then in the UK if the US release was successful. After the record contract for the US fell through, the UK single release was scrapped. Instead, "Where Is the Feeling?" became the third release and reached number 16 in the UK and number 31 in Australia. "Time Will Pass You By" was planned to be the final single from the album and remixes were commissioned; the Paul Masterson Mix being one of them. Instead, the collaboration with Nick Cave, "Where the Wild Roses Grow", was released in late 1995.