The only reason that the sales of a well-promoted album by a global superstar should be underwhelming is because the material on the album is substandard and uninspired. The worst reason for an album to underperform is because some of the best material recorded for it was left OFF the album. Unfortunately, Aussie pop princess Kylie Minogue might have become a victim of the latter. Almost 4 years after her last studio album “Aphrodite”, it was imperative that her new album “Kiss Me Once” come at least close to matching up the pop masterpiece that “Aphrodite” was – especially at the juncture at which Kylie Minogue is in her career. She is walking that fine line that separates yesteryear’s pop stars from today’s popstars. “Kiss Me Once” probably moved her closer to the former bucket than it did to the latter with none of the singles cracking the top 10 in any of the top 5 music markets besides Japan (“Into The Blue” peaked at #8 on the Japanese charts). One cannot blame the lackluster performance on poor promotion. Kylie benefits from a huge and loyal global fanbase so obscurity is clearly not the issue. We have most certainly identified one of (might not be the most important one) the reasons that Kylie’s “Kiss Me Once” did not serve the punch that it was supposed to. The best track recorded for it was left off the album. Not only was this track the best song on the album, it is also a key ingredient in Kylie Minogue’s artistic legacy (if not her commercial legacy). This song is called “Waiting For The Sun”.
This synth-ballad is both dramatic and sonically ornate. The track’s production marries the best elements of American R&B stylings and European synth sensitivities. We have often criticized Kylie Minogue for her vocals but not on this track. Kylie more than delivers on “Waiting for the sun”. The song opens with Kylie singing the two-line verse in a dreamy soundscape. The mid-tempo R&B beats mark the beginning of the song’s “goosebump inducing” pre-chorus in which the magic truly begins. On the radiant and fiercely sexy chorus, Kylie Minogue’s sings:
Call on me and I’ll be standing by your side
I’ll be here waiting for the sun to rise
Call on me and I’ll be standing by your side
I’ll be here waiting for the sun to rise…
This just might be one of Kylie Minogue’s best downtempo tracks. I can just about imagine how electrifying this would sound live in concert. There is an element of curiosity about the conversation that ensued between the folks putting together the final tracklist for “Kiss Me Once”. I am not sure which genius in this “esteemed circle of music industry professionals” thought that “Beautiful” (Kylie’s beyond horrendous duet with Enrique Iglesias) was a better candidate for the album than “Waiting for the sun” was. My heart goes out to Kylie as she is undoubtedly a victim of an appalling lack of judgment by the stakeholders of this musical project. One can only hope that this song gets its much deserved release and is not relegated to a musical vault indefinitely. It would be a tragic shame for fans and more importantly for Kylie. Do not take our word for it. Here is a full-length clip of “Waiting For The Sun”:
STAR RATING: 4.5 out of 5 Stars
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Really nice song and I don’t usually like Kylie. It reminds me of some of Madonna’s music around the Bedtime Stories era with its mix of electronics and R&B beats.
I was surprised that Kiss Me Once got mostly positive reviews from the media and Kylie’s fans. I heard some of it and it was boring to me but then I don’t usually like her stuff. I thought part of the point of her going to a different label was to have more of an R&B sound but it was typical Kylie.
I don’t know though if Kylie really has such a huge fan base as it may seem from the amount of press she gets. She has her hard core fans, but are there really that many anymore? When was the last time she had a really big hit? For me, she is not an exciting artist to follow because her music is so similiar and she doesn’t have a personality or do interviews that are interesting or compelling to me.
@Frannie: So glad you like the track. It absolutely reminds me of “Bedtime stories” era Madonna music. Very classy period for Madonna. “Kiss Me Once” was a mind-numbingly dull album – which is a shame since I actually like Kylie Minogue. I don’t think she is the most consistent artist but she definitely has some stellar moments. I do not think her label changed – just her management. I think she is still under the Parlophone sub-label. She is still huge overseas – and not just Europe. She is supremely popular even in the less mature music markets. She is massive in Asia and Australia too. I think her last big hit was “All the lovers” (2010). As far as her interviews are concerned, I have seen some great ones and some lousy ones but for the most part, it has depended on the quality of the interviewer’s questions. In most cases, the questions are quite frivolous – but give Kylie some heavier questions and she is great with the responses. Thank you as always for your active participation on this blog.
What does it matter? You think she’s got problems? She’s been pouring the same old candyfloss conveyor-belt workmanlike nothing for years, she peaked with the “Fever” album, and she’ll never get it back. Considering how she started, it’s a wonder she ever stuck around, but then again, when you see the kind of trash like Mariah Carey and soppy old warblers like Celine Dion that people hang on to, despite the fact even one decent song seems beyond them (certainly with Carey), no wonder Ms Minogue is still here. Is she really flopping? She’s bleeding almost 50, she’s lucky to be still here and talked about. What about Kim Wilde, who’s struggle with label interference and marketing stuck to her as soon as she appeared, but she, unlike Minogue, and crap like Madonna (who we NEVER hear the end of, despite her never having it, never mind being passed it, the nasty old lush), has great songs and albums, and smething always individual and different to give and doesn’t need machines to help her sing like Madogga and Kylie, yet she gets no attention, no praise, not even those remembering her as a legacy to be proud of, despite her still going. Boo for you all.
Kylie is middling, not hateful, just middling, and damn lucky she still sells at all, but it’s all marketing, and Europe and Asia, and the UK are just to easy to please. I want to hear about her hitting Top 50 placings and lower and not charting. That’s the mark of people finally saying, “go away, you’ve had long enough.
Frannie’s right about her not being “exciting” but it’s worse, Frannie, as I’m not all surprised at the album response. Elitism and favouritism have always reigned supreme in music, and Kylie, like Sadonna, has always been praised just for breathing, while great artists like Kim Wilde get sneered at it, barely even considered for a review, and it’s wrong when it’s given anyway, and then forgotten completely, and Duran Duran get loads of boring hate, despite being way better than the overrated Depeche Mode and bombastic Simple Minds and U2. As for Sandra and Alphaville, being German and coming from the 90s mean they don’t even count to get considered. I hope Minogue’s albums flops. If you all here think it underwhelms (well done) treat it as such and don’t lay anything from it. Minogue’s best singles were from 1995-2004, with a few here and there since, but there’s more important things to worry about.
Which brings me back to Kim. FINALLY she’s able to release a new album actually in her own country before she gets any older early next year, and I fully expect you to spport it here, right?!
… and I hope Kim’s albums will flop until the end of time. WTF? There’s no need to be so aggressive.
So, dear Mark, do us a favour:
-take your useless opinion
-disappear with your useless opinion
I’m a huge Kylie fan, I’m not the happiest people on earth in this Kiss Me Once era, but I know she can do better things.
Songs like “Finer Feelings” “Stay This Way” “Falling” “Confide In Me” “Jump” “Take Me With You” “Loving Days” “I Believe In You” “White Diamond” “All The Lovers” are just examples.
Classy, Sexy, Emotional POP.
@Mark: My sincere apologies for the delayed acknowledgment. If Kim’s new stuff is anything at all like “Lights down low”. or “Perfect Girl” or even the cover of “It’s alright”, you bet we will spin the living daylights out of it. It goes without saying that we prefer the modern reinvented Kim Wilde to the 80s pin-up girl Kim Wilde. We’re still mad about songs like “Addicted to you” and “Carry me home” not getting proper releases.
@Dunneee Doom: I was looking forward to “Kiss Me Once”. Obviously, “Aphrodite” put my expectations probably unrealistically high but we liked it. “Falling” is groovy – wish there was a single mix for it though. “Loving days” is great but I wish she sang it differently – maybe in the same way that she sang on “Dangerous Game” (which I think is a brilliant track that we often feature on our station). Just out of curiosity, how did you discover our radio station/blog?