X by Kylie Minogue

When Kylie Minogue does her music right, it can be an enjoyable distraction, something fun to have in the background at a party or on the radio on a quick drive. That's missing from X, her latest album.

X is a very consistent combination of disco styling, synthesizers, and pithy lyrics about being in love and being in lust -- and it's not a good mixture. There are sound effects, background noises, and mixing effects that could have come from the worst club singles of the 1980s. The lyrics are painful ("To your head bone/ Temple bone/ Through your jaw bone/ To your neck bone/ Collar bone/ Medic go on/To your back bone/ Moving on/Through your hip bone When you Play it on your speakerphone") and pure fluff. There are only two decent songs on this album -- "2 Hearts" and "Sensitized" -- but even these are just passable. Since Kylie Minogue has been making music since the 1980s, one would have hoped she'd try for something a little more than overproduced club tunes.

Kylie Minogue has enjoyed more popularity overseas than in the United States, so it's no surprise that X hasn't been released in America. This isn't a loss for America. If you really miss the sound of Stacey Q or wish today's top 40 had more of a disco feel, you may find something good here. Otherwise, steer very clear of X.

Overall grade: D-

Reviewed by James Lynch