Light Years (Kylie Minogue album)
Labels
Light Years is the seventh studio album by Australian pop singer Kylie Minogue. It was released in September 2000.
History
After the comparatively less successful album Impossible Princess Minogue's recording contract had expired with the label Deconstruction Records, after which she moved to Parlophone and 1999 began working on new songs. In Lightyears they would combine dance-pop with disco and house music. In addition, Europop bonds were used.
The album was typical for Kylie Minogue's return to the mainstream and led a comeback and its rise to world-renowned artist. Instrumental in was the lead single Spinning Around, which also uses disco elements. The song was, inter alia, written by Paula Abdul, who wanted to record it himself for a comeback album. Since this album never came about, Parlophone eventually offered the song to Kylie Minogue. Although Minogue had neither co-wrote the song, yet the song was written especially for them, the text was true on the course of her career. Supported by a video that the singer continued media attention in scene, the first single immediately became a success, reaching the UK number 1 on the charts. Kylie Minogue moved back into the media.
The second single, On a Night Like This, was a success, reaching number 2 in the UK. Minogue played the song live during the closing ceremony of the 2000 Summer Olympics in her native Australia.
Just one month after the publication of On a Night Like This was released the third single Kids, a duet with the then hugely successful singer Robbie Williams. She was also the second release off Williams studio album Sing When You're Winning. Williams wrote the song together with Guy Chambers for Kylie Minogue. The result pleased him so much that he rewrote the song to a duet, the song recorded together with Minogue and also published it on his own next album. The text contains several allusions to the careers of the two singers. Williams album Sing when you're winning contains, in contrast to Lightyears a slightly modified version that includes a rap by Williams.
Together with Kylie Minogue Robbie Williams and Guy Chambers wrote two more songs, Loveboat and Your Disco Needs You, which was released on the album. Your Disco Needs You was released only in Germany and Australia as a single and is considered a great success in the gay scene. In the German version of Light Years is an additional version of Your Disco Needs You, on the Minogue says some phrases in German.
In addition to the compositions, first published on this album Kylie Minogue took to the cover version of the song Under The Influence Of Love by Barry White. Other notable songs are Please Stay, contains the Latin elements and Bittersweet Goodbye, which contained only ballad on the album, as well as Butterfly, with a clear influence by techno music.
Success and criticism
The album received very good reviews in general. Chris True of Allmusic described the album as " one of the best disco records since the 1970s ." He forgave four out of five stars. The page Digital Spy awarded five out of five stars. It is not a failure on the album. The album reached number two in the UK, number 35 in Germany. In the U.S., it could not place itself.