SHE DID IT AGAIN

Kylie’s first single, "The Locomotion", sat at #1 on the Australian singles chart for seven weeks. Her self-titled debut album was a #1 hit in the UK. The European press dubbed her a "Pop Princess" and within a few years she was a genuine world-class diva. It sounds like the perfect pop music fantasy, doesn’t it? But one wonders what it was really like to inhabit that highly polished, ultra-planned bubble. Sing this, wear that, go there. Choreography, production, glamour. Smile now.

No surprise, then, that by the late 90s the diminutive singer was restless and ready for change. It was time to leave the safe confines of her well-ordered musical world and strike out into new territory. In 1997 the Pop Princess released Impossible Princess.

Impossible Princess was a significant departure from Kylie Minogue's previous albums in terms of style and sound. The album showcased a more experimental side of her music, with influences from trip-hop, electronica, and indie rock. She worked with a number of different producers and songwriters, including James Dean Bradfield of the Manic Street Preachers, Dave Ball of Soft Cell, and Brothers in Rhythm. The album's sound was so different from her earlier pop-oriented work it was initially met with mixed reviews. However, over time, it has become a cult classic amongst Kylie's fans, and has been praised for its innovative sound and bold artistic direction. Despite a level of commercial disappointment at the time of release, Impossible Princess remains a significant and influential album in Kylie's discography. Let’s look a little closer at a few standout cuts.

There is no better place to begin a deep dive into this album than "Too Far", the first track.

One of only two songs credited solely to the singer, "Too Far" is an attention-grabbing starter. After a spooky horror soundtrack opening, a spoken word intro leads into a swirling world. Over a feverish drum’n’bass foundation, Kylie lays it out.

Can I smash all of this open

Can I pass the hurt with a little pain

I wanna see all of it crumble and start afresh

It’s a powerful statement of intent.

"Cowboy Style" is next. The song has a vague country & western feel that the pop diva manages to pull off. With lots of reverb on her light voice, there is a swaying, languid groove that gathers momentum as the African drumming kicks in for the coda.

"Some Kind of Bliss" was the lead single from the album, a guitar-driven track co-written with James Dean Bradfield. There is a Britpop hue here, accentuated by the string section and a guitar solo. It just missed out on the top twenty in Aus and the UK, which seems kind of unfair.

A favourite of this hitherto non-Kylie fan is "Did It Again". Using a straight-ahead rock format to explore the whispering inner demons so many struggle with, Kylie sounds authentic and a bit fed up with the on-going battle. In the accompanying film clip she is seen mixing it with various personas dubbed 'Cute Kylie', 'Dance Kylie', 'Sex Kylie' and 'Indie Kylie'. Ripper of a song.

Really, you could dive into almost every song on this varied and well-made album. The atmospheric "Breathe", the rave-up "Drunk"… it’s all solid.

Kylie Minogue has sold over 70 million records and is rightly considered a national treasure. On Impossible Princess she broke the mould and was caned for her effrontery. But if you bring fresh ears you will be well rewarded. This is an album worth re-visiting for established Minogue fans, while for those who have historically resisted the lure of her dance pop hits it is absolutely worth checking out. Impossible Princess isn’t production line Chardonnay, it’s a unique and very drinkable Rosé Prosecco.

© Bruce Jenkins - March 2023