Showgirl: Homecoming Live

by

Kylie Minogue

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Being a Kylie fan in the US is hard since, unless you have money to spare to fly to see Kylie, there is no chance of seeing Kylie in concert. Having this CD and her concert DVDs is the next best thing. This CD brings Kylie's triumphant return to the stage after beating breast cancer. The CD is so awesome!! It has many elements of the the "Showgirl: the Greatest hits tour" but she took out some songs, put in new ones, and redid the mixes a few songs. I got chills listening to the Intro and the seconds where there is nothing but applause when Kylie has clearly ascended the stage in her pink feathers.

"Better the devil you know" and "In your eyes" are the same as the 2005 Showgirl tour. Next comes "White Diamond". That song is amazing!! The lyrics are so good: "Like a pure white diamond, I'll shine on and on and on..." Beautiful. This would make a wonderful first single for the studio album that is expected to come out sometime this year.

Everything taboo section:

This is the same as the 2005 Showgirl version. I love how they mix in samples of some older Kylie songs. This medly is a blast to listen to.

Samsara section:

Probably my favorite section of the show. The whole section has a Middle Eastern sound to it.The Temple Prequel gave me goosebumps when I first heard it. I liked the version of "Confide in me" in the previous Showgirl but the new mix is amazing as well. "Cowboy style" is one of my favorites and fits perfectly with the theme. There is a small part of "Finer feelings". That song is one of my many favorite Kylie songs and I'm happy it made a small appearance in this show. "Too far" hasn't been performed since Kylie's 1998 "Intimate and Live" tour and I'm glad it's made a comeback. I think fans are finally beginning to realise the greatness of the songs from the Impossible Princess era and that's fabulous.

Atheltica section:

Great mixes of Red blooded woman (I'm happy she kept the "Where the wild roses grow" part in it) and "Slow". "Kids" makes a comeback and on this recording, Bono does the duet with Kylie. Some fans on Kylie's official forum don't like the duet of them but I think it's great. On the tour, Kylie has also duetted on this song with her sister, Dannii, and hopefully that will appear on the upcoming DVD

Dreams:

"Somewhere over the rainbow" is beautifully performed. "Come into my world" is still in the ballad form as in the 2005 version. "Chocolate" also sounds the same. "I believe in you" sounds mostly the same as well. Going into "Dreams", there is a small part of "When you wish upon a star". "Dreams" got a 2006 makeover. It sounds more laid-back, kind of like an acoustic performance. It's still really beautful sounding though.

Pop Paradiso:

Burnng up/Vogue-I love it. The "Vogue" part is just the rap but Kylie really does sound great doing it. "The Loco-motion" sounds almost the same as the 2005 version. I kind of like this version better. "I should be so lucky" starts with a little bit of a song called "The only way is up" and ISBSL is still the 80's orginal. I loved the orginal version of "Hand on your heart"(I still get goosebumps when I watch the DVD) but the new version is fantastic as well. You can't help but feel good while listening to it.

Dance of the Cybermen:

"Can't get you out of my head" is an all-new mix. Parts of it sound like when Kylie first performed it on the On a night like this tour in early 2001. I love that Kylie brought back "Light Years". That song is pop perfection. After the second chorus, Kylie sings an oldie-"Turn it into love" before returning to "Light years". The two songs mix perfectly together. Kylie then talks about what she thought she might say and how she thought about the moment for a long time. She gets a little emotional and it's hard not to feel for her. She also talks about how she is officially fashionably late for her Australian dates. She then dedicates "Especially for you" to her father. "Love at first sight" is the last song and sounds like the first Showgirl tour version.

It's so great to have Kylie back on the stage. Even though I'm not able to see the Showgirl Homecoming tour, this CD and the upcoming DVD will be enough. I know this CD will be played non-stop in my CD player for a long time. If you buy this CD of this amazing show, I guarantee you won't regret it.

I love Kylie Minogue, but inexplicably this live album is a bit of a disappointment. For one, the original Showgirl concert has went through some changes; "Giving You Up", "Je Ne Sais Pas Pourquoi", "Put Yourself in My Place" and "Your Disco Needs You" have been dropped, and they're missed. In their place we get "Too Far", "Cowboy Style", "Light Years/Turn It Into Love" and a new track, "White Diamond". While I like the new track, I would have preferred to hear in its studio version first. "Light Years" and "Turn It Into Love" are not suited for each other, so it's an awkward mash-up. Another strange mash-up is Kylie's own "Burning Up" with Madonna's "Vogue". I realize mash-ups have become the rage, but they have to have something in common to work; in this case, it doesn't. And while I love hearing tracks from Impossible Princess, they don't seem to work in this show. I loved the campy, over-the-top style which can be seen on the DVD, but is significantly muted on this audio release. Kylie sings well, but this revamped production of Showgirl seems all over the place.

I recommend the 2005 DVD release of Showgirl. It's lots of fun, and you get the visuals, too.