Kylie Minogue
Impossible Princess

THE REVIEW

Unfortunate, that’s how it should be defined. A single, simple word. Unfortunate.

Impossible Princess was released in 1997, and already the chosen temporal placement for the album's release nurtures an unfair destiny: it coincides with the period following the death of Princess Diana Spencer and Dodi Al-Fayed. The title, controversial if that tragic event comes to mind, was changed to Kylie Minogue, despite the previous release already bearing that name. But the success was scarce and scant: few top-ten placements, few certifications, destined for mental oblivion and removal from the shelves of great achievements. A blow for poor Kylie, who made the serious decision to abandon the sound experimentation applied to this album to dedicate herself to dance floor music, a choice certainly more profitable commercially (just mention Can’t Get You Out Of My Head and Spinning Around to get even a mild idea).

But there was talk of experimentation. What distinguishes this work? A richness and vastness of sounds, of musical styles, united and fused together in a great union: Pop, Hip-Hop, Rock, Electronic, Indie, Trip-Hop, sounds that, in a few tracks, summarize a good part of the experiments that, after a long underground maturation, and not only, were pushing towards the mainstream world. And Mrs. Minogue grabbed the opportunity, perhaps a little too early, anticipating by a few months the electronic-commercial revolution of Ray Of Light, a masterpiece made by Madonna.

The album opens with the unsettling Too Far, where a dark classical-electronic background engages with Kylie’s tone, the same tone that immerses in voluptuous and ecstatic vocal orgasms. An experimental track, an authentic alternation of a pulsating and energetic Trip-Hop rhythm and dark, ambient sounds, all seasoned with the aforementioned kylian orgasms. Electronic, decisive beats, synthesizers, expressions of certain and sure inspiration by Prodigy and Chemical Brothers, just to mention two important names in the underground electronic-Trip-Hop scene, are the perfect ingredients for Say Hey, Jump and Limbo, tracks in which these sounds and Kylie’s seductive voice meet, marry, elevate.

In a more rock context are Through The Years and Breathe, while the final Dreams worthily concludes the dances with an unrepeatable mix of ambient, natural sounds, electronic and Trip-Hop, in a sinusoidal wave of calm, moderate and peaceful moments alternated with stretches of uneasiness and darkness.

Unfortunately, some attempts to open up to more rock sounds did not have noteworthy positive effects: the overly country Cowboy Style and the “Cranberries inspired” (which recalls some melodies by the "Cranberries") Some Kind Of Bliss slightly diminish the work, albeit making it even more heterogeneous.

I am sure that many know and appreciate Minogue for her various dance tracks, for the tasty and sensual gyrations of Spinning Around and Can’t Get You Out Of My Head & co., yet I believe that the undisputed talent of this performer, small (in stature) but with a great and sweet voice, can also be encapsulated within melodies that are less "dance-floor addicted", but not for this reason devoid of appreciations and recognitions.

Kylie Minogue, Impossible Princess

1 Too Far

2 Cowboy Style

3 Some Kind Of Bliss

4 Did It Again

5 Breathe

6 Say Hey

7 Drunk

8 I Don’t Need Anyone

9 Jump

10 Limbo

11 Through The Years