24 Nov 2004

Ultimate Kylie

Fridae's disco diva, Ms Mariah Scary, reviews Ultimate Kylie and froths at the mouth at this definitive collection of Kylie Minogue's greatest hits.

Artist: Kylie Minogue

Released: 2004

It is a well-known fact that many listeners with good taste, such as Ms Scary herself, worship at the Temple of Kylie and with good reason!

Her sidesplitting turn as Cammy White in Van Damme's Streetfighter notwithstanding, the divine Ms Kylie Minogue deserves praise for providing gays and lesbians everywhere with endless hours of dancefloor delirium.

In addition to her immense popularity with the GBLT community, the 36-year-old Australian singer has also earned the respect of music fans worldwide for her chart longevity and her ability to perform while prancing around in even less clothing than Ms Britney Spears.

Now, with the release of the highly anticipated Ultimate Kylie, the pop pixie's brand of feel good dance music has been deliciously distilled into a double CD retrospective comprising a jaw dropping 31 old hits and 2 brand new singles ("I Believe In You" and "Giving You Up").

But before you put your limp wrist to your forehead and exclaim "Not another Greatest Hits from Kylie!" (yes yes, there were Greatest Hits (1992), Kylie's Remixes Vols 1 and 2 (1993) and Greatest Remix Hits (1997 and 1998)), Ms Scary would have you know that Ultimate Kylie is the only compilation to cover her stints with all three different record labels.

The extensive collection backtracks with hits from her start as former Stock, Aiken and Waterman pop puppet with an atomic cloud for hair ("Got To Be Certain," "The Locomotion" and "Je Ne Sais Pas Pourquoi," etc.); her sex kitten incarnation ("Better The Devil You Know", "What Do I Have To Do" and "Step Back In Time," etc.); and her Indie Kylie phase ("Confide In Me," "Did It Again" and "Where The Wild Roses Grow," etc.).

Ultimate Kylie also showcases the can't-get-you-out-of-my-head dance tunes responsible for resurrecting the bonkable babe's pop career as futuristic disco diva ("Love At First Sight," "Spinning Around" and "On A Night Like This," etc.); as well as tracks from her misguided 2003 album Body Language ("Slow," "Red Blooded Woman" and "Chocolate").

Most importantly, Ultimate Kylie marks Ms Minogue's triumphant return to sparkling pop form with the release of the stunning "I Believe In You" as the first single. Produced by the ultra-camp Scissor Sisters and featuring buoyant grooves, the new single should catapult the singer once affectionately nicknamed "The Bottom" right to the top of the charts where she will deservedly rule all she surveys.

Truly a Pop Princess without peer.