A Double Dose Of Kylie

Now that I've sobered up after the craziest weekend in recent memory and finally got Pop Panel out of the way for another week, I can get down to the important stuff - like two new Kylie videos in two days! Christmas really has come early! Let's get "Better Than Today" out of the way first. It's no secret that I wouldn't have picked this as the third single from "Aphrodite" and pretty much expect it to kill the album but that doesn't mean I hate it. In fact, the song has grown on me. A lot. The remixes are fun and there is something irresistibly light hearted and fun about this perky jam. I just don't think it's a hit. And the video isn't going to help its cause. Directed by Kylie herself (with a bit of help from Willie Baker), "Better Than Today" is a cheap as chips re-hash of the live performances she has been using to promote the song in Europe. Think of this as a slightly less trashtastic "All I See". And you know what, that's ok by me. I found the "Get Outta My Way" video a horribly over-stylised and ultimately stillborn affair, so I'm kind of glad this is a bit more organic and exuberant. It's just clear that Parlophone has pretty much pulled the plug on "Aphrodite" if Kylie's video budget is any indication.

Now on to "Higher" - Kylie's collaboration with UK pop sensation Taio Cruz. I loved the original version of this on Taio's album and I think the addition of the elderly Minogue works a treat. With the right promotion, this could really kickstart Kylie's Australian chart campaign. Her duet partner is so hot right now and "Higher" reminds people born after 1970 that the pop diva is still alive. Happily, the song is already gathering momentum. It's top 40 on iTunes and radio airplay - a feat that "Get Outta My Way" never managed. I really hope this takes off. It would be nice to see Kylie's name in the top 10 again. The video is pretty tacky but it pushes all my buttons. I just love ridiculous it is. Why is Kylie being driven around an abandoned carpark in the back of BMW? Has she turned to hooning in middle age? And who thought that stripper outfit was a good idea? Perhaps these mysteries will never be solved but at least we'll always be able to look back on the diva's latest desperate attempt to jump on the urban pop bandwagon. Now Kylie just has to re-release that infamous version of "Chocolate" with Ludacris and my life will be complete. Please buy this shit so my favourite singer doesn't give up on her homeland all together!