The 26 Best Albums Of 2010: #11. Kylie Minogue – Aphrodite

Released June 30, 2010

1. All The Lovers
2. Get Outta My Way
3. Put Your Hands Up (If You Feel Love)
4. Closer
5. Everything Is Beautiful
6. Aphrodite
7. Illusion
8. Better Than Today
9. Too Much
10. Cupid Boy
11. Looking For An Angel
12. Can’t Beat The Feeling
Japan bonus track
13. Heartstrings
iTunes bonus track
13. Mighty Rivers
Amazon/Bigpond bonus track
13. Go Hard Or Go Home

Remember when we all had a giant Kylie moment back in the first half of this year? The teaser for ‘All The Lovers’ had just been released, and that thirty seconds of absolute joy seemed to bring the entire pop fan community together in a way that few artists can. After the ridiculously underrated X in 2007, Kylie had been busy doing shows in what felt like every single city in the world except the one I live in, and by mid-2010 a new album was overdue.

‘All The Lovers’ lived up to the promise of that thirty seconds, ‘Get Outta My Way’ had one of the best choruses in living memory, ‘Put Your Hands Up (If You Feel Love)’ was also up there in the chorus department, and the world rejoiced because Aphrodite was one of the best Kylie albums ever. In the past there have been times when amazing singles on albums like Fever or Body Language have made otherwise passable songs seem like awful filler, but Aphrodite is a consistent, exciting listen from start to finish. It’s not a comeback because she never went anywhere and it’s not technically a better album than the last, but for the first time since about 2003, it feels like Kylie Minogue has a clear direction, and knows exactly where her music is headed. And it makes me even more excited to find out where she’ll go next.