Neon Nights is the fourth studio album by Australian singer Dannii Minogue. It was released by London Records on 17 March 2003 and was primarily produced by Ian Masterson, Korpi & Blackcell, Neïmo and Terry Ronald. It was re-issued in November 2007 with a bonus disc of remixes and different artwork.
Background
It received a generally positive reception from music critics, some of whom complimented its mix of pop sophistication, club culture and accessibility,[1] and some of whom felt as though its 1980s retro sound was too dated. It was Dannii's first studio album in six years since 1997's Girl.[2]
In November 2001, Minogue released the single, "Who Do You Love Now?", a collaboration with Riva. Described by Sound Generator as a "nice serene and dreamy vocal on the dance floor anthem", the song peaked at number three on the UK singles chart, and reached number one on the dance charts.[3]The song is widely regarded as Minogue's Comeback Song. In Australia, the song peaked at number fifteen, while in the United States the song was released to dance clubs, and reached number twelve on the United States' BillboardDance Club chart.[4] In 2001, Minogue signed a six album deal with London Records, a subsidiary of Warner Music International.[5]
Neon Nights became Minogue's most successful album release, and reached number eight in the United Kingdom, where it was certified Gold.[4] In Australia the album was moderately successful, and reached number twenty-five on the albums chart, and it was nominated for "Best Pop Release" at the 2003 ARIA Music Awards making it Minogue's only ARIA nomination to date.
Neon Nights was met with generally positive reviews. John Lucas of Allmusic described it as a "varied collection, a veritable pick and mix of the European dance scene at the turn of the century" and felt that it "flows better than any of Dannii's albums have before."[7] Jack Smith of BBC Music called it "a pleasant cocktail of pop sophistication, club culture and accessibility" that "goes a long way to remind the world of Dannii's powerful vocals."[8] Alexis Kirke of MusicOMH praised the singles "Who Do You Love Now?", "Put the Needle on It" and "I Begin to Wonder" and stated that "if Dannii cannot win and hold a position of new popularity with this album [...], she may never get another chance."[9] Ron Slomowicz of About.com felt that Neon Nights is "good pop music," though "generic in some songs" with some "obvious filler."[6] In a retrospective for the album's 10th anniversary, Mike Wass of Idolator wrote that "it’s one thing to create an excellent three-and-a-half-minute dance-pop song, but another to sustain the appeal over an entire album. Kylie managed it with Fever, Madonna followed suit on Confessions on a Dance Floor. Dannii’s contribution to the genre is every bit as good as those classics."[10]
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