A compelling testament to Kylie Minogue’s penchant for musical adventurism, her sixth studio album Impossible Princess (1997) found her embracing and experimenting with a broader sonic and stylistic palette relative to the pure dance-pop that defined her previous recordings. Inspired in part by the Princess of Pop’s gravitation toward the indie rock, Britpop and electronica movements that came to prominence in the mid-1990s, Impossible Princess’ gestation was guided by her collaborations with co-conspirators like Brothers in Rhythm, Rob Dougan and Manic Street Preachers’ frontman James Dean Bradfield, among others.
But arguably the most notable development that informed the project’s crystallization was the more prominent role Minogue seized in both writing and producing the album. Her deeper engagement with crafting the material proved to be a creative pivot that suited her musical instincts well, while offering a stark—and refreshing—contrast to the more deferential, Stock Aitken Waterman-dependent years of her early career.
A woefully disjointed rollout strategy for the album in various territories—coupled with mixed critical reception—undermined Impossible Princess’ commercial stamina and it remains one of Minogue’s lowest-selling studio LPs among her fifteen released to date. However, in recent years, the album has deservedly commanded increasing favor and fascination among her loyal legion of fans, which makes the forthcoming limited-edition orange, violet and marble-colored vinyl releases such a welcome surprise.
Due in stores October 21st just in time for Impossible Princess’ 25th anniversary and available to order here, the vinyl releases mark the first time that the album has been officially available on this much-coveted format, much to the delight of fans worldwide who are sure to find some kind of bliss when they drop the needle on it.
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