The long-awaited collaboration between Madonna and Kylie Minogue is now available, although the result leaves a bittersweet feeling. After its premiere at Club Confessions at WorldPride in Amsterdam, the ‘Afterhours’ remix of ‘Love Sensation’ has officially arrived on platforms in two versions: ‘Afterhours Mix’ and ‘Afterhours Radio Edit’.
‘Afterhours Radio Edit’ keeps Stuart Price’s original production for ‘Love Sensation’ virtually intact. The main difference is the incorporation of Kylie Minogue’s characteristic sensual voices, which intertwine with those of Madonna without hardly altering the sound of the song. ‘Afterhours Mix’, for its part, presents an extended version oriented towards the dance floor, much darker and with greater use of vocal effects.
The result of both versions is effective, although inelegant, and ends up sounding more dated even than the original ‘Confessions’. Between the dubbed vocals and the abundant reverb, the vocals border on cacophony at times. Kylie’s voice is perfectly recognizable, but it becomes so integrated into the mix that the collaboration ends up losing personality. The choice of repertoire is not entirely convincing either: ‘Love Sensation’ is one of the most commercial cuts on ‘Confessions II’, but it also sounded from the beginning like a clear bonus track due to its obvious resemblance to ‘Bring Your Love’.
The release, at least, is signed as Madonna & Kylie Minogue, rather than Madonna feat. Kylie Minogue, a detail that will allow the single to score for both artists on the British charts and on streaming platforms in general.
The collaboration extends the era of ‘Confessions II’, which seemed to have stopped after the latest news, and is also accompanied by a CD single edition available through Madonna’s official store.
Charging …
