Dannii Minogue
The Hits And Beyond
Central Station/Shock

There is at least a dozen songs that come to mind when I think of Kylie Minogue, but as for younger sister Dannii, who has always stood in Kylie's shadow, hits don't come quite so easily to mind. But they do exist, as 'The Hits And Beyond' prove and some of them rival the best of Kylie's rŽsumŽ. Dannii Minogue, although with similar sounding vocals, has etched a distinctive style of her own. 'The Hits And Beyond' showcases a collection of gritty, house dance beats that hit you fast and instantly come back to you, leaving you pleasingly saying to yourself, "Oh, I remember this!"

This is such a good CD to whack on before you go out, sounding so effortlessly breezy and fun, Put The Needle On It (2002) Who Do You Love Now (2001) and All I Wanna Do (1997) being favourites of mine. Who can ever forget This Is It, Minogue's declaration of undying love to Julian McMahon ('Nip/Tuck'), who's marriage ultimately failed. It made for a good single, though, even I remember Minogue ecstatically kicking up sand on the beach in the clip, wearing some disastrous fluoro outfit that was acceptable in the early '90s. Other early releases include her 1991 debut single Love And Kisses and the bubble gum Success.

Compared to the 'Beyond' section of the album, Minogue's music has obviously grown and transformed, but she has always embraced that club vibe. There are five new electro-spicy tracks but, with the build up from the past releases, they are a little disappointing and simply seem hooked onto the end of the album. Sounding very similar to one another, the 'Beyond' tracks should've made more of an impact.

Nevertheless, 'The Hits And Beyond' is a surprisingly funky dance album, begging the question that if she had consistently released music, would she be as big as Kylie?

Sherree Woodmore