Rating – 4 stars out of 5
For those who might have missed it, Kylie Minogue’s Tension was probably my favorite album of 2023. It had a generational hit in Padam Padam and had so many wonderful songs such as 10 out of 10, Hands, One More Time, and of course the title track which I’m still jamming out to. It was with a lot of surprise that while looking up new albums for the rest of the calendar year, I was quite taken aback by Tension II coming out a mere calendar year after the previous album. While I was expecting some kind of release since Disco had an extended edition, live edition, etc, I thought it would be along those lines not brand new music. Furthermore, I really did not expect that Tension II would be almost as good as its predecessor. Let’s take a listen.
Tension was a fantastic album both commercially as well as raking in the awards. Originally, Kylie was just going to do an expanded edition of Tension I (presumably with mixes and maybe a song or two that was left off the original album). However, the music left over from the previous album needed to be re-worked and arranged to the point where they almost became new songs. Then the collaborations came. Sia, Orville Peck, and Bebe Rexha among others all jumped at the chance to make music with the pop legend. After a while, an expanded edition was completely scrapped (though I hope it comes back eventually), and Tension II was born.
Track 1: Lights Camera Action (2:43) – The lead in track is the song that’s become a mega hit already as I’ve seen it smattered across BPM on SiriusXM. Ina Wroldsen who helped to write Padam Padam returns here and does again a stellar job in creating something that is ultra-catchy with a clever hook. I’m a sucker for anything that references the glitz and glamour of Hollywood and this fits the bill.
As someone who still respects the art of music video making, we get a very fun production from Kylie. It plays up to the idea of Kylie as a Hollywood starlet. For those who might only be familiar with Kylie’s musical career, she has done a number of films including Holy Motors, San Andreas, and of course playing Cammy in Street Fighter. Don’t forget her three year stint in an Australian soap-opera named Neighbours either.
Track 2: Taboo (2:48) – This song was worked with Steve Mac who has been paired with Ed Sheeran and P!nk among others. It’s an excellent, completely underrated song that has hints of Erasure and ABBA in its disco rhythms. Minogue herself references the arrangement akin to Toxic by Britney Spears and Hung Up by Madonna which is in pretty elite company. This song is “electric energy” and a strong follow up to the 1st track.
Track 3: Somebody for Me (2:35) – This song has the help of Peter Rycroft also known as Lostboy who was also on Padam Padam. The theme of this song is essentially admiring someone who is in a happy relationship and asking if they have someone for them as well. Unfortunately, this song doesn’t really work for me. It’s all over the place with inconsistent beats and disjointed. Kylie’s voice is great, the song not so much.
Track 4: Good as Gone (3:09) – This one is much better thanks to the help from TMS, or Tom Barnes, Benjamin Kohn, and Pete Kelleher, a production group that’s worked with Maroon 5, John Legend and so forth. The house and disco elements are on the forefront with a Spanish feel. It has an excellent groove and is the right length to feel complete with a breakdown in this breakup song. I wish I had this song when I got divorced the first time around once I stopped feeling sorry for myself.
Track 5: Kiss Bang Bang (2:27) – As I mentioned in Lights Camera Action, Kylie has had a very respectable acting career. This song right away feels like it belongs in a film, akin to the those late 80’s/early 90’s thrillers I love so much. It’s sharp beats and unforgettable chorus snap at the listener as you expect to see Kylie with a loaded pistol in some dark and seedy noir about relationships and P.I.’s gone awry.
Track 6: Diamonds (2:42) – More disco inspiration here, with a song style that could be compared to Dua Lipa or any number of current pop stars of today. The talking portion where it says “I see the diamonds in your eyes” could certainly compare to 10 out of 10 from the original Tension. To me, this song is not as strong as some of the other singles on the album but it’s fun in its own right. This has help from Jennifer Decilveo, Vaughn Oliver, and Jesse St. John who has worked with Britney Spears and Charlie XCX. The influence is very plain to see.
Track 7: Hello (2:44) – Punctual or John Morgan and William Lansley lead the writing team of this song which is basically saying that Kylie is at your door and wants to make a bad mistake with you. Sunshine, that’s not a mistake. I kid, I kid (sorta…) The beat is again on point and is an example of a leftover from Tension that has been reworked to positive results on a different album. It makes you wonder what else is sitting in the Kylie vault of unused songs.
Track 8: Dance to the Music (2:31) – Again with the same help that was featured on Diamonds, this disco song has Kylie’s name all over it. With inspiration from what seems to be Daft Punk, I swear this came from Kylie’s Disco album or was a remnant. It is a bit short and sweet but could serve as a wonderful interlude at a Kylie concert where she’s changing outfits to get into her next tune.
Track 9: Shoulda Left Ya (2:20) – The last song before we get into the major collaborations section of the album. This one unfortunately is what I consider second tier, it’s too short to really be fleshed out and is not memorable. Much like the song’s intended target, maybe this one should have been left on the dancefloor. I don’t hate it, but I do feel more could have done with it.
Track 10: Edge of Saturday Night (3:40) – An amazing tune done with the help of The Blessed Madonna that was released prior to Tension II and describes The Blessed one’s being on the cusp of being more than a DJ and transforming into a very well known name in the music business. Fantastic beat, and this is also part of Blessed Madonna’s Godspeed album which was released on Vinyl and streaming on the same week as Kylie’s. It is also available on CD as an import and I might try to snag a copy because this song has certainly made me curious.
The video is directed by the legend of video directors, Sophie Muller who has done probably close to 300 videos by this point. It’s a fun pre, during and post going to the club raver video. The song has charted pretty well (I’m also hearing it regularly on BPM) and hopefully leads to a successful career for the Blessed one. By the way, I’m having a hard time believing Kylie is mid-fifties now, just saying. I do moves like that, you better hook me up to life support.
Track 11: My Oh My (3:01) – Bebe Rexha and Tove Lo (this girl is showing up everywhere lately I swear) provide backing vocals to this one. Basically, each of the ladies introduce themselves, say their sign and other details before singing the catchy chorus of My Oh My. The “Hi” prior to the chorus has such a charm to it making the song destined to stick in your head as much as Lights or Edge.
This one has a video too, and is probably what you would expect. It was shot at Syon House in Brentford over in London and features the three singers in very glitzy dresses along with dancers. Another exciting video, and got a lot of airplay during the summer months. This is a knockout, maybe this album is better than the first Tension.
Track 12: Midnight Ride (3:31) – Proving that Kylie isn’t just a pop princess, we get a very interesting male/female duet in Midnight Ride with Orville Peck. (Yes that flamboyant country singer who wears a mask) Part country, and part disco, this song is very much a welcome unicorn of sorts. Orville’s thick and deep voice compliments perfectly with Kylie’s and this is probably the best male/Kylie duet since the amazing Kids with Robbie Williams. It’s that good. It is a real shame that this one did not have a video but probably had more to do with Peck than Kylie.
Track 13: Dance Alone (2:53) – This song also appears on Sia‘s Reasonable Woman album. This is an energetic closer to this album and probably as expected, feels more like an eclectic Sia song with Kylie hanging out in the background providing some vocals. Even the video features dancers in Sia’s trademark of blonde and black wigs. The music video is trippy and maybe you aren’t exactly sure what you watched but had fun doing it at the same time. What an album.
I purchased the cd as I do usually, but if you go to the Kylie store site (http://music.kylie.com), you will notice the vinyl, different editions of the cd including a Gemini and Island version which include three art cards a piece. There is even a pink (I’m sorry, Coral) cassette if you are feeling retro. Also of note is the Lights Camera Action CD single which is $5.99(also available in vinyl and a black and yellow cassette). I will be picking that up along with the digital edition of the expanded Tension II (a steal at $4.99) which apparently as I’m reading is only available until midnight tonight (October 24th, 2024). Shipping is a bit much at $9.00 for the states but I imagine these become hard to find months from now.
Additional purchases aside, this is a stellar follow-up to the original smash. Lights Camera Action will probably be a #1 hit, the same with Edge of Saturday Night. Midnight Ride and My Oh My are also quality singles and Kylie solo efforts such as Taboo and Kiss Bang Bang should not be missed. If I had one criticism in the entire length of the album is that all of the collaborations should not be placed between tracks 10 and 13. Those certainly should have been spread around but maybe then some of the solo songs would have gotten lost in the shuffle. It is hard to believe that Tension II is in some ways better than its predecessor but it is completely true. Recommended for anyone into classic pop music with a modern feel. Enjoy.
