The Abbey Road Sessions (Kylie Minogue)

The Abbey Road Sessions is an orchestral compliation album by Kylie Minogue which was released on October 24, 2012 by Parlophone Records.
The album features sixteen tracks (all radically reworked) spanning Minogue's 25 years in the music industry. The album was recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London with Minogue's band and a full orchestra during November 2011.
==Album Background==
On November 11, 2011, Kylie Minogue made her live comeback at Abbey Road Studios in England as part of a special showcase for EMI. She was accompanied by a 22-piece orchestra to perform two of her hit songs, "All the Lovers" and "On a Night Like This."
That same night, Minogue announced that her forthcoming studio album would celebrate 25 years since the release of her debut single "Locomotion" and would contain reworkings of some of her best known songs.
Minogue revealed: "I've been at Abbey Road for about two weeks in total. Not just for this, I've been working on a project for next year. Next year's my 25th anniversary so we’ve been recording acoustic and orchestral versions of a number of my hits."
On October 21, 2012, she was interviewed on the production of the sessions saying: "It's exploring other avenues – but I don't think it takes me completely away from the dancefloor, because I'm still a sucker for that [...] But I think it just rounds things up, makes things more whole and satisfies a different place in me."
Before recording at Abbey Road, she had started rehearsals "somewhere cheaper."
One of the songs that was recorded for the album that didn't make the final cut, "Breathe" was uploaded on Minogue's official YouTube account on December 13, 2012.
==Tracklisting==
#All The Lovers 3:25
#On A Night Like This 3:02
#Better The Devil You Know 3:58
#Hand On Your Heart 2:50
#I Believe In You 3:33
#Come Into My World 3:36
#Finer Feelings 4:10
#Confide In Me 4:10
#Slow 4:10
#The Locomotion 2:35
#Can't Get You Out Of My Head 3:35
#Where The Wild Roses Grow (with Nick Cave) 4:08
#Flower 3:32
#I Should Be So Lucky 3:16
#Love At First Sight 3:36
#Never Too Late 3:03
==Chart Performance==
"The Abbey Road Sessions" debuted at two on the UK Albums Chart, selling 37,556 copies in its first week. 
The following week, the album slipped to number seven on sales of 17,395 copies. It was certified Gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) on November 16, 2012, denoting shipments in excess of 100,000 copies. 
The album entered at #7 on the Australian Albums Chart and #3 on the Australia Artist Albums Chart; however, it slipped out the top 40 in its third week at #44. The album entered at #39 on the New Zealand Albums Chart, but slipped off the chart the next week.
Elsewhere, the album generated moderate charting success. In Switzerland, it debuted at #17, until slipping out the top 50 in its third week. The album did not achieve better success in Austria, only peaking at #54 for a sole week, becoming her least successful album in her Austrian charting discography.
The album debuted at ##24 on the French Albums Chart, but fell out the top 100 in its third week. It also debuted at #19 on the Spanish Albums Chart, but descended the rest of the way after its final peak.
"The Abbey Road Sessions" had longer success in Belgium than other European markets, peaking at #22 and #31 on the Belgium Flanders and Belgium Wallonia charts.
==Critical Reception==
"The Abbey Road Sessions" received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, the album received an average score of 68 (based on 12 reviews) which indicates "generally favorable reviews".
The Guardian's Caroline Sullivan said the more older songs on the album "sculpts them into grownup love songs sung by a Kylie who sounds [...] like a fortysomething woman who has encountered a few slings and arrows along the way."
Matthew Horton of Virgin Media compared the album to Tori Amos and Pete Gabriel, writing that "[i]t's a brave gambit. Orchestral arrangements work well enough with the more expansive pop songs." He concluded: "Kylie's in warm, seductive voice. There's a touch of the nasal squeaks here and there, but that's just a hint of familiarity in an otherwise intriguing new adventure."
Andy Gill of The Independent said the album worked out "impressively", calling it "a more traditional makeover, an attempt to give a more elegant lustre to callow pop kitsch, usually by slowing the song down and loading on strings."
Jeff Katz from Idolator awarded the album four-and-a-half out of five, praising the reinvention of her collection stating "in terms of marketing, as the gorgeous orchestration sets great expectations for the album as a whole. And as weʼve come to expect from Kylie, she delivers."
Tim Sendra from AllMusic stated that the re-invention of the album consisted "class", that the reworked songs were "very effective" and that he'd enjoyed every song except "The Loco-Motion". He concluded: "(s)he's always been willing to take risks, and despite the initial thought that her music may not stand up to the orchestral treatment, The Abbey Road Sessions is another victory in a career full of them."
Cameron Adams of the Herald Sun declared the album her most vocal driven album to date. Scott Kara of The New Zealand Herald opined "the hit-and-miss quality of the album doesn't matter one bit for the simple reason this is one for the fans—who will no doubt absolutely adore it, darling."
Robert Copsey of Digital Spy wrote that "the whole record [...] shows a rarely-seen maturity in Kylie; and it suits her remarkably well", adding that the new reworks of the songs were "interesting."
Annie Zaleski from The A.V. Club graded the album B, stating the album "makes a solid case for her longevity [...] these songs are transformed into timeless, classy compositions."
Marc Hirsh from The Boston Globe stated the album fits in "neatly" to her K25 anniversary and "creates a palpable sense of physical space."
However, Simon Gage of the Daily Express stated that "[i]t's not that it's bad, just frankly a little daft" and also compared it to Tori Amos.
John Meager of The Irish Independent wrote that Kylie "isn't a good enough singer to be able to shoulder a project like this" and the album "sadly [...] the whole thing falls flat on its face."
Jon O'Brien of Yahoo! Music was more positive by writing "The Abbey Road Sessions doesn't always hit the mark. But it's an always intriguing and regularly enchanting concept which proves just how under-rated both Kylie's vocal ability and back catalogue is."
Jenny Stevens of the NME was more scathing, awarding it three out of ten, stating that "Confide in Me" is "worthwhile in an otherwise sorry array of pop bangers left soggy on the barbecue."
Category:2010s albums
Category:Pop
Category:Kylie Minogue albums