Kylie Minogue - Impossible Princess (1997)

Impossible Princess (retitled Kylie Minogue in Europe for a temporary period) is the sixth studio album by Australian singer Kylie Minogue, first released on 22 October 1997, by Deconstruction, BMG, and Mushroom Records. The singer asserted partial creative control over the project—taking part as a co-producer and composer to the material—and was assisted by various musicians and producers, namely Brothers in Rhythm, Manic Street Preachers, David Ball and Rob Dougan. Sonically, Impossible Princess is a departure from Minogue's previous music, having taken influence from the techno and Britpop revolution in the mid-to-late 1990s. Conceived as an experimental record, the material encompasses a variety of darker styles from the dance genre, including trip hop, electronica, rock, drum and bass and house. Additionally, selected recordings experiment with cultural elements like Middle Eastern and Celtic music. Lyrically, the album's central focus is Minogue's self-discovery after a series of trips around Asia, America and Australasia, and further delves into the freedom of expression, relationships and emotions. Upon its release, critical and public reception of Impossible Princess was divided by regions, particularly between the UK, and throughout Australasia and the Americas. In retrospect, the record has achieved critical acclaim for its status as an underrated release, and was highlighted for Minogue's creative input and mixture of genres. Commercially, the album reached the top 10 in Australia, Scotland and the United Kingdom, and was certified Platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for physical shipments of 70,000 units; however, its lack of success in Europe was further scrutinised by the British media. Five singles were released from the album: "Some Kind of Bliss", "Did It Again", "Breathe", "Too Far" (only as promotional single), and "Cowboy Style", all of which experienced moderate success. After a small promotional tour in 1997, Minogue embarked on the Intimate and Live tour in Australia and the UK the following year, which was a commercial and critical success. Since the album's release, Impossible Princess has been cited as Minogue's best work by various commentators, and achieved numerous nominations and recognition by best-ever lists. Despite this, Minogue has clearly stated that she would never create another studio album like Impossible Princess.