By Atiba Rogers

Fiery-Australian feline, Kylie Minogue tries to keep it cool and consistent after 27 years in the music industry.  With the release her 12th studio collection, Kiss Me Once, since 2010’s Aphrodite under the management of Jay Z’s Roc Nation, she stays true to her dance-pop roots while incorporating a dash of electronic dance music (EDM) throughout her album.

Kylie releases her inhibitions on the first track, “Into the Blue.” The catchy EDM song composed of strings and synthesizers will have everyone dancing, but Kiss Me Once is filled with generic tunes and just a few head boppers. Sia Furler and Pharrell Williams among others, make contributions to the album, which helps give the brit-pop veteran some depth. Sure, it has Kylie’s DNA written all over it with a tinge of EDM, but songs like “If Only,” “Beautiful” and “Fine” are bordering mediocre 90s house music.

Then of course Pharrell Williams brings out the eccentric side of Kylie that we all know in the funky synth-pop track, “I Was Gonna Cancel.”

Speaking of Pharell, “I Was Gonna Cancel” is followed by the Daft Punk-esque song, “Sexy Love.” Kylie indiscreetly sings, “You look so sexy in my head, you look so sexy in my bed.” She gets even raunchier on “Sexercise” where she gets it in, bouncing non-stop.

On a lighter note, literally, “Feels So Good” has hints of the airy vocals from Kylie’s 2007 single, “2 Hearts” off her album X and gets inventive and quirky with “Les Sex,” very Cyndi Lauper-ish.

Kylie’s got some loving to do. She pleads “Kiss Me Once” on her romantic title track and slows it down even more on the duet “Beautiful” featuring Enrique Iglesias. The song could’ve had a more memorable effect if it weren’t for the auto-tune.Or perhaps it was needed to supplement the monotone sounds.

Kiss Me Once was definitely a great stab, a little more bubblegum pop songs would’ve hit the spot, so let’s see what happens on her 13th score. Will it be the “Kiss of Exuberance” or the “Kiss of Death?”