slowdown and dance with.me.uk

Reviews of new CDs by Kylie Minogue, Etheridge, others

Published February 13, 2004

POP/ROCK

Kylie Minogue, "Body Language" (Capitol)

With beats stiffer than Al Gore at a hula-hoop convention, Minogue's new record has a handful of giddy, puppeteerish club tracks. But a handful ain't enough: Dance music is about sustained energy, about keeping the party alive. And the Australian dance queen's "Body Language," after its halfway point, undergoes an unfortunate sagging.

The turning point comes at the sixth track, "Red Blooded Woman." With a beat that could be Timbaland's and a voice that could be Gwen Stefani's, this might be the most American track on the record, and also the best. Unfortunately, "Woman" gives way to a trebly thing called "Obsession," and a number of dull pop songs thereafter.

Nick Marino, Atlanta Journal-Constitution