Albums: Kylie Tension II

Kylie Tension II

Lights, Camera, Action; Taboo; Good As One; Kiss Bang Bang; Diamonds; Hello; Dance To The Music; Shoulda Left Ya; Edge of Saturday Night (with The Blessed Madonna); My Oh My (with Tove Lo and Bebe Rexha); MidnightRide (with Orville Pecki & Diplo); Dance Alone (with Sia)

Label: Darenote / BMG

Tension II was an inevitable release. Following the viral success of Padam Padam, which put Kylie firmly back at the top of the pop pedestal (a place it could be argued she has never truly fallen from), the accompanying album, Tension has seen her enjoy some of the finest commercial and critical acclaim of her career. While her last studio album, Disco, was then accompanied by the Guest List edition, Tension II borrows slightly from the format but saw Kylie not just wanting to offer some of the songs that did not quite make the initial cut.

Having teased the collection with a series of striking collaborations, the dropping of the official lead single for the album, Lights, Camera, Action, silenced any doubters (if there were any...) immediately as it effortlessly showed that the standard of the record would not be any less than the original.

While there is no denying that Lights, Camera, Action is the most obvious lead single from the collection, this is a record that does not have a lowlight. It does, however, have some clear highlights. The dance-tastic Kiss Bang Bang is destined to become a dancefloor classic, while there is little doubt that Good As Gone is destined to be a future single. Hello follows the formula of the lead album most closely, which may see it somewhat overlooked within the set. When it comes to the collaborations, there is no denying that teaming up with Diplo and Orville Peck for Midnight Ride was the finest decision made, but the summer jam My Oh My has proved itself a grower over the time since it's release.

Tension II is definitely an album that takes its lead from Tension, but in many ways is a stonger set. The collaborations are bold and diverse, while the songs themselves feel like they are full of their own identity, whereas Tension felt at times a little over cohesive. A strong set from one of the world's most precious pop gems.