Aphrodite is the eleventh studio album by Australian singer Kylie Minogue. It was released on 30 June 2010 by Parlophone. In 2009, Minogue began working with British electronic music producer Stuart Price, who served as the executive producer of the album. The two collaborated with various producers and writers on the album, including Jake Shears, Calvin Harris, Sebastian Ingrosso and Pascal Gabriel. Aphrodite follows a musical approach similar to Minogue's previous albums and is primarily a dance-pop and disco-pop record. It draws influences from various dance-based genres including electropop, club and rave music.
Aphrodite received generally positive reviews from music critics, many of whom complimented it as a return to form for Minogue, however, some critics were divided on its production. In Australia, Aphrodite peaked at number two on the Australian Albums Chart and was certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). In the United Kingdom, the album debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart, earning Minogue the Guinness World Record for achieving the most consecutive decades with top five albums in the country. Additionally, it reached the top five in Belgium, Canada, France, Greece, Spain, and, Switzerland, among others.
Four singles were released from Aphrodite. The lead single, "All the Lovers", peaked at number three in the United Kingdom and reached the top 10 in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy and Spain. Subsequent singles "Get Outta My Way", "Better than Today", and "Put Your Hands Up (If You Feel Love)" generally underperformed on the charts, causing Minogue to express disappointment in her label. In the United States, all four singles released from the album peaked atop the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart. To further promote the album, Minogue embarked on the Aphrodite: Les Folies Tour in 2011.
Background and production Following her recovery from breast cancer, Minogue released her tenth studio album, X, in 2007. Slated to be released as Minogue's comeback album, X was certified platinum in Australia after it debuted at number one on the Australian Albums Chart. In the United Kingdom, the album peaked at number four on the UK Albums Chart and was eventually certified platinum. Critical reception towards X was generally favourable, although many critics felt that it lacked introspection from Minogue's side due to its lack of consistency and high number of "filler" tracks. In retrospect, critics argued that the album did not serve as a worthy comeback for Minogue.
The initial recording sessions for Aphrodite began in April 2009 when Minogue met with British singer-songwriter Nerina Pallot, with whom she wrote the track "Better than Today". Its live instrumentation, along with the fact that X had been burdened by contributions from too many producers, prompted Minogue's record label Parlophone to decide on a more natural and less convoluted production style for Aphrodite. Later sessions with Pallot proved to be less successful, as her suggested songs were "rapidly supplemented with tracks from a wide range" of contributors. Minogue felt her sessions with Pallot did not yield any dance-pop tracks; fearing that she was "going down the same road, doing the rounds of all the pop dynamos but lacking any cohesive quality," she approached her close friend Jake Shears, male lead singer of American pop group Scissor Sisters, for advice.
Shears encouraged her to work with Stuart Price, a Grammy Award-winning British electronic music producer who had collaborated with Scissor Sisters on their third studio album Night Work (2010). Miles Leonard, chairman of Parlophone, enlisted Price as the executive producer of the album. He had previously served as the executive producer of American recording artist Madonna's tenth studio album Confessions on a Dance Floor (2005), and international news agency Reuters regarded him as "one of the most in-demand pop producers". In an interview with Popjustice, Price revealed that he got involved in the production of Aphrodite after he met Minogue for a writing session in October 2009. As executive producer, Price was responsible for "shaping the album's sound", deciding its track listing, and mixing the songs in order to ensure that they "feel like they're part of the same album." Popjustice commented that every song on the album has "gone through a bit of a Stuart Price filter so that it doesn't sound like some dickhead [sic] A&R has just aimlessly scooped a load of tracks off a shelf."
Aphrodite marked the first time Minogue enlisted an executive producer; discussing the process, she said "It was just the best experience, and funnily enough I think it's the most cohesive album I've had since the beginning of my career, back in the PWL days, whereby its very nature made it cohesive. There's a lot to be said for working with different producers and trying different stuff which has worked really well for me in the past but I definitely wanted someone to tie this together as Stuart has done so beautifully [...] so that it existed as a real body of work." Minogue and Price subjected songs on Aphrodite to a "Parton Test", as they "knew a song would work if it made sense when sung in the style of Dolly Parton." Shears also contributed to the album, while two of Pallot's collaborations with Minogue were kept. Additional collaborators on the album include Scottish disc jockey Calvin Harris, Swedish disc jockey Sebastian Ingrosso and Belgian musician Pascal Gabriel.
Composition Billed by her record label Parlophone as her comeback album, Aphrodite is a celebration of Minogue's "dance-floor roots", and is primarily a dance-pop and disco-pop album. Its title alludes to the Greek goddess of love, beauty, pleasure, and procreation. "All the Lovers", one of the last tracks to be recorded for the album, is a "squiggly" electro-disco song written by Jim Eliot and Mima Stilwell, who had previously collaborated with Minogue on "2 Hearts", the lead single from X. It is similar to Minogue's 2004 single "I Believe in You", but has a "more danceable edge", and features a "gauzy, heartbeat rhythm" and "'80s-era synth lines". The song was met with critical acclaim from music critics and was frequently commended for its production and chorus. The second track "Get Outta My Way" was described as a "flamboyant explosion of pop, synth and dance" that "[s]tick[s] faithfully to [Minogue's] roots in bubblegum pop". The song focuses on a "frustrated and furious" Minogue delivering "wispy" vocals in a form of a warning to her uncaring partner, indicating that she may leave him and start "grinding away with another chap". Its lyrical content is suggestive in nature. The song received generally favourable reviews from music critics and was complimented for its musical composition and subject matter. "Put Your Hands Up (If You Feel Love)" is a "club anthem". Receiving mixed critical reviews, its lyrics were criticised for being clichéd, although one critic named it a "concert hit waiting to happen." "Closer" takes a darker and more atmospheric approach, featuring "sighing background vocals and spiralling harpsichord-esque synths." Critics felt that it was one of the more interesting and experimental songs of the album.
Although Price said that no ballads were included in the album, critics opined that the downtempo pop song "Everything Is Beautiful" was penned like one. "Aphrodite", the title track of the album, features a "foot-stomping" beat and "military drummed" instrumentation, similar to that of a marching band. Price likened the song to Janet Jackson for its "'Rhythm Nation'-esque qualities." The song, one of Minogue's two collaborations with Pallot that were kept on the track list, is penned like a dance anthem through which Minogue "brags" about her sexual prowess. It was met with critical acclaim by most music critics, and was declared to be one of the strongest tracks on the album. Minogue wrote the melancholic seventh track "Illusion" with Price. "Better than Today", the first track to be recorded for the album and the second collaboration with Pallot, is a dance-pop song with influences of country music. It was complimented as likeable and a stand-out, but criticised for its monotony.
Written by Minogue, Jake Shears and Calvin Harris, "Too Much" was described as a "rave monster" and is built on a "fugue of synths and disco-rific sampled strings". Critics were divided on the track, with its energy being praised but Harris' production being disapproved of. "Cupid Boy" drew comparisons to the music of English alternative dance band New Order and features Minogue delivering "lusty" vocals over a "retro, throbbing bass line". Its intro, New Order-influenced bass line, and rock guitar instrumentation positively surprised critics. "Looking for an Angel", one of the first songs Minogue and Price wrote together, is composed of "celestial synth strings" and contains an extended breakdown. Price's production of the song received mixed opinions from critic. The set closes with the electropop track "Can't Beat the Feeling", which is similar to the work of French electronic music duo Daft Punk. Its energetic composition and placement as the closing track was appreciated by critics.
The Japanese and digital editions of the album feature Xenomania-produced bonus tracks "Heartstrings" and "Mighty Rivers", respectively. The former was described as a "jaunty, electro-guitar track that feels like it could've been a Light Years B-side", while the latter was said to have a "similar vibe to 'Heartstrings' but ... more impact."
Release and promotion
Aphrodite was released in Australia on 2 July 2010 in digital download, standard CD, and LP formats. In the United Kingdom, it was released on 5 July 2010. A special Experience Edition CD, which contains a 28-page booklet, unseen footage from Minogue's 2009 For You, for Me tour, behind-the-scenes footage of the promotional photo, video shoots of the album and an exclusive online interview was also released on the same day. The artwork of the album captures Minogue "transformed into a goddess" as she is dressed in a dark blue, metal-adorned, silk muslin gown, taken from French fashion designer Jean Paul Gaultier's spring-summer 2010 haute couture collection. Gaultier had previously designed the costumes for Minogue's KylieX2008 and For You, for Me tours.
A three-disc edition of Aphrodite, subtitled the Les Folies Tour Edition, was released on 3 June 2011. In addition to the standard version of the album, the Tour Edition contains a second disc with remixes of the original songs by producers such as Pete Hammond, Denzal Park, Muscles and Bimbo Jones, as well as a third disc featuring a 20-minute party mix. On 11 November 2011, The Goddess Edition of Aphrodite was released exclusively in Australia, containing the standard album and a hardback book featuring pop-up sculptures, costume sketches and never-before-seen photographs; it is limited to 1,000 copies.