Kylie Minogue – Aphrodite (EMI)
Move over Lady, the Princess is back!
Aphrodite is the album that every gay must own by the end of the summer — a triumph of feel-good bubble-gum dance pop and easily the best dance album since Madonna’s Confessions on a Dance Floor. Is it a coincidence that both albums were produced by Stuart Price?

I’m still reeling from Kylie’s amazing concert in Toronto last summer and am praying for more live brilliance to come our way. That’s a possibility, even in this summer of failed concert tours and poor ticket sales, since Aphrodite looks to be Kylie’s biggest success since 2001’s Fever. With Aphrodite already a top-10 iTunes smash in Canada and dozens of other countries, mostly favourable reviews and a gorgeous first single, “All the Lovers,” Kylie would be insane not to tour North America again very soon.

At 42, the Princess of Europop continues to gain fans worldwide for one simple reason: where Madonna can seem snarky and cold, Kylie comes across as sweet and down to earth. A host of producers and songwriters appear on the liner notes of Aphrodite, including Jake Shears from the Scissor Sisters. In fact, the Sisters have recently been performing a country version of “All the Lovers,” as that track is the worldwide Gay Pride anthem for 2010.
Rating: 9.5/10

Scissor Sisters – Night Life
(Downtown Records)
Is there any original music being made today? This is a great album but, like the latest from Goldfrapp, it’s heavily influenced by the ’80s. Night Life could easily have been recorded 25 years ago. Sadly, I’ve used that line a number of times over the last year in CD reviews. Why is it all still about the ’80s? I’m not entirely complaining, as the ’80s were probably the last great decade of truly original music. The difference with the Scissor Sisters’ latest, produced and co-written by the ubiquitous Stuart Price, is that the band has given their own creative spin to the works of masters like Giorgio Moroder, Frankie Goes to Hollywood and Sylvester. In doing so, the Sisters have created a brilliant album.

It’s been nearly four years since the release of Ta-Dah, which didn’t sell as well as their 2004 debut, but spawned “I Don’t Feel like Dancin,” their only number-one single and biggest chart success to date. The first Night Life single, “Fire with Fire,” failed to make the UK top 10 recently, which is shocking, considering its Brit-pop feel. It is easily the most commercial — and my least favourite — track on the new album. The rest of the album uses their now-standard Bee Gees-style harmonies and retro dance grooves, but the lyrics take it up a notch compared to previous efforts. This is the dirtiest, smuttiest, sexiest album the Sisters have done and includes some hilarious lyrics. Gay singer Jake Shears appears to have been heavily influenced by his recent stay in Berlin. He may also have been influenced by a quantity of drugs and some amazing sex. Night Life’s lyrical themes can be summed up in three categories: dancing, getting high and having raunchy sex.

Night Life goes against the recent trend of putting out single after single: this is a concept album. The more I listen to it in its entirety, the more I love the way the tracks blend to create a great night out at the coolest gay afterhours club/orgy.

Favourites include “Skin This Cat” with vocals by Ana Matronic, “Harder You Get,” the Talking Heads–influenced “Running Out” and the anthemic fi nale, “Invisible Light,” with a guest monologue by actor Sir Ian McKellen that is pure bliss. Rating: 9/10