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Kylie: Tension II review – more of the same is much, much less
Kylie Minogue’s follow-up to 2023’s euphoric Tension – and smash hit Padam Padam – fluctuates between sparkle and self-doubt, generic pap and two stone-cold bangers
Her wine brand is pretty good, and while her 2010s and 2020s output rarely holds a candle to her unimpeachable 90s and 00s run, she has continually released enough great singles, and mounted enough fantastic tours, to keep fans interested (and stay in high rotation at drag bars). Her 17th album, Tension II, isn’t a deluxe reissue of last year’s set but an entirely new record featuring nine new tracks plus four previously released collaborations with the Blessed Madonna, Diplo and Orville Peck, Bebe Rexha and Tove Lo, and Sia. It’s casual but effortlessly glamorous, silly but steadfast in its commitment to the bit; when Minogue speak-sings the lines “I see the diamonds in your eyes/ We’re getting close to paradise”, she issues them like commands, and you can instantly imagine tens of thousands screaming along, ready to submit.
Or read this on The Guardian