'Language' is provocative
Kylie Minogue's immodesty generally extends no further than the racy cover photographs of her albums. Not so on "Body Language" (Capitol). "I'm still standing, keeping you dancing. You know you want it," she purrs like a cocksure electroclash kitten. And by the time Minogue sings these words, she's entirely correct. She can even get away with whispering, "Guess who's back on top?" (Hint: She's not talking about Madonna.)
"Body Language," Minogue's ninth proper album (number three in the United States), is a case study in creating the perfect, sexy dance record. It kicks off with the electro-sleaze of her current hit "Slow" -- think "Love to Love You Baby" for the attention-deficit disorder set -- and liberally revisits Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam on "Secret (Take You Home)." In fact, much of "Body Language" has a familiar vibe about it because Minogue has traded the slick polish of her multiplatinum "Fever" for the gurgle of light 1980s electroclash.
But while bands such as Ladytron and Fischerspooner prefer the icy mechanics of emulating singing robots, Minogue announces in song that she's purely a red-blooded woman. By the end of "Body Language," we're hard-pressed to disagree. 