Neon Nights

"Put the Needle on It" utilises the funkier end of 1980s disco, with a contemporary edge that removes the cheese and dispels any notion that she be may be hanging on the coattails of her big sister. As the opening song it sets a precedent for the rest of the album which too drips with sleazy synth-funk and production risks unheard of in polished pop music, like the distorted digital mess used to great effect in "On the Loop". In addition to the music, Dannii's wry, suggestive lyrics would be removed from the vocabulary of any child-friendly popstrel like the deliberately sledge-hammer metaphors of "Vibe On". However, nothing's perfect--on the odd occasion it becomes difficult to tell the difference between 80s pastiche and dated 80s dirge with "Mystified" sounding like an offshoot from Kylie's debut all those years ago, but nevertheless, Neon Nights is for the most part a consistently good album, another unusual thing in pop music. --David Trueman