Over the years, Dannii Minogue has earned a reputation for being Kylie's lesser known sister; something that isn't really either of their faults. It's actually a bit ironic actually, when you take into consideration how Dannii has been singing for far longer than Kylie, as she had her beginnings with Young Talent Time in Australia in the 70s. Nevertheless, despite earning a substantial amount of popularity for herself in the 90s with her first 3 albums, she was never really able to match Kylie's meteoric global success which has perdured even to this day. None of that is the fault of the music itself, however, and 2003's Neon Nights is definitely evidence of that. In fact, this album brought Dannii to bigger heights in her career even after 13 years since her record debut in 1990. The 3rd single, "I Begin to Wonder" became the highest-charting single of her career in the UK when it made it to the second position on the country's Official Charts, with only Christina Aguilera's mega-hit "Beautiful" blocking it from the #1 spot. On top of that, Neon Nights became Dannii's first album since 1991's Love and Kisses to be certified Gold there. But enough about the numbers, let's see what about the material in question helped propel Dannii to new peaks over a decade into her recording career.
Even towards the beginning of her music career, Dannii has always described herself as the more "raunchy" Minogue sister, and if you're familiar with Kylie then you know that that says a lot. With Neon Nights, Dannii provides evidence to back that claim up; with just the first song you're already invited to "put the needle on it" and that she'll "tell you where she wants it"... oh, Dannii! You'll make me blush! "Put the Needle on It" is equally catchy as it is sexy, it's one of those songs that you'll randomly catch yourself singing throughout the day. The pounding bass, paired with Dannii's sultry vocals literally makes you feel like you're having sex with the song when you listen to it... I love it! And it's a pretty good summary for what's to come with the rest of the album. I kinda had a different idea of how "Creep" was gonna be like when I first saw the title... I thought she was gonna be singing about a stalker or something but once again Dannii is just in heat! It works as a segue of sorts between "Put the Needle on It" and the following track, the hit single "I Begin to Wonder," especially since it transitions into the latter towards the end of the song. "I Begin to Wonder" is iconic. It's a song that when you hear it you know why it was such a big hit. So, to my surprise, and maybe to yours as well, it turns out that "I Begin to Wonder" is a cover! Kinda. It was originally a song by the producer/DJ JCA credited under his name that had essentially the same lyrics and production but a different, albeit uncredited singer. So it's kind of a cover but also not really since JCA is credited as a producer on Dannii's version. It's more of a Dannii jumping on Stringer to make "Who Do You Love Now?" kinda thing, a song which is featured later on on this album!
Neon Nights is deliciously sensual and futuristic. It's honestly a little hard to believe sometimes that this album came out in 2003 when some of the songs on it could've easily came out at any point during the past 21 years, especially now with the resurgence in early-2000s sounds and aesthetics (or "Y2K" as some people may feel inclined to describe it as... whether that term accurately describes it is still a subject of debate online). Sometimes, the songs may be so forward in their production to the point of being almost strange... delightfully of course! This is perfectly encapsulated in the track "Mighty Fine", where the melody of the lyrics doesn't fully match up with the instrumental, but not in a way that makes the song unlistenable, but in one where it's so intriguing that it's actually become one of my favorites from the album. It makes sense for Dannii to have experimented so much with her sound while still remaining unabashedly pop, considering (at least from what I've gathered from watching interviews and BTS videos from this era) she signed with London Records specifically to record this album, meaning there wasn't much at stake by releasing it. In fact, everything worked out so well with this album that it ended up getting a 20th anniversary reissue last year (which I hope to own at least one of the versions of at some point)! Some other examples of more out-of-the-box production on this album include distorted and oddly timed fade-outs, stretched out and cut-up vocals, 8-bit and glitchy sounds, etc. These aren't elements that are only found on certain songs either, they can be found throughout the record which makes for a cohesive but never boring listen. The production isn't the only forward thing about this album. Lyrically, Dannii very openly sings about different aspects of female sexuality from attraction to infidelity to (and this is my favorite one) her vibrator!!. "Vibe On" is a proud and campy ode to sex toys complete with rapping, moaning, and someone asking "what's she got in her bag". I want what she's got!
If there is one thing this album lacks it's duds. There's not one song on here I can point out and say "yeah I don't really care for that one." Even the "weaker" tracks are still amazing. Though, I will say, I do wish the mashup version of "Don't Wanna Lose This Feeling" with Madonna's 1985 mega-hit "Into the Groove" was the official version of the song on the album. Thankfully, it's included on later editions of the album, but as for the original album version, it's still a fun song for the summer. Actually, now that I think about it... my only real gripe with this album is the amount of different editions of it that exist of it. The 2007 deluxe edition of the album replaces the original version of "It Won't Work Out" with an acoustic one but then adds several B-sides and rare tracks into the album's tracklist, while some of the physical copies of the 2023 edition replace "I Begin to Wonder" and "Don't Wanna Lose This Feeling" with their "bootleg" mashup mixes. It can all be a bit confusing, so if you're listening to this album for the first time, I do recommend just starting with the original 2003 edition, since most of the editions released afterwards are 2 discs long and often have a bunch of extra bonus tracks and remixes that end up weighing the album down just a tad. Shoutout to "Hide and Seek," though, originally released as a B-side to "I Begin to Wonder" and later included on the 2007 and 2023 versions of the album. If you're gonna listen to any bonus track, listen to that and the mashups.
Neon Nights only has one song which can be considered a ballad, and that's "It Won't Work Out." Like I previously mentioned, depending on what version of the album you're listening to you will either get the original or the acoustic version. The original version is SOOOOOO much better honestly which is why I'm a little miffed as to them replacing it with an acoustic version on the 2007 edition, which has the most recognizable (and frankly best) cover out of all the issues with Dannii laying on the floor, taking off her heel, with pink and blue text and a pretty pink border to round it all off. Back to "It Won't Work Out," Dannii doesn't ditch the sonic motif she's committed to throughout this album just because this is a ballad, and instead she manages to incorporate it in a way which is beautiful and almost haunting, and in stark contrast to the upbeat, almost irreverent feel of the rest of the album. But you're quickly taken right back to that vibe with the REAL last track, the Sebastian Krieg remix of "Come and Get It." You may be wondering, "where the hell did this song come from?" And I wouldn't blame you because not only is the original version of this song not on the album, but it's also featured (originally) as a secret track with "It Won't Work Out." Turns out, it's another JCA song in which Dannii featured her vocals on that was released as a single, just not for this album specifically. Considering how that's essentially what she did with the Riva-produced "Who Do You Love Now?" (also known as "Stringer"), it then starts to make sense why this was included on the album. I do wish they had included the original mix instead, but the version that is included is a hidden track so it's still nice to have a little extra bonus before closing off the album + the original version is included on later editions of the album. So many editions... now we know where Taylor got her inspiration from!
Neon Nights is like a dance-pop masterclass. Every single released from this album was a club hit and every album cut could've been one had they gotten the single treatment. It's a little impossible not to compare her to Kylie, especially since around this time in the early-2000s she was also hopping on (or hopping back on, I should say) the dance-pop train with her smash-successes Light Years (2000) and Fever (2001). In my eyes (no pun intended), Neon Nights also deserves to be talked about in the same mythical light as those 2 records, because despite maybe not reaching the same levels of success as them internationally, quality-wise Neon Nights definitely proves itself, and I would even go as far as saying that it goes above and beyond Kylie's already-great output at the time. There is nothing shy about Neon Nights, everything about it is loud, proud, forward-thinking, and at times campy or even downright strange. Everything it does it does it in such a successful manner that if it was more popular than it already was, it would be in the same "Pop Bible" conversations as albums such as Britney Spears' Blackout (2007) or Madonna's Ray of Light (1998). So do yourself a favor and get your hands on a copy of this album (or you know... stream it. But I can guarantee you're gonna want the physical thing [word to Koda Kumi] afterwards!), you won't regret it!
