I think I want to be Kylie Minogue when I grow up. When I was a teenager, I thought she was cool and made good, infectious pop music (back when she was sporting zippered parachute pants and the like), but now that time has passed, I see that she's not only transitioned her brand of dance-pop into her mid-40s, but retained a certain amount of class and grace while doing it.

"Kiss Me Once" is her first album in four years, and I haven't enjoyed Kylie like this since 2001's "Fever." The album's lead single, "Into The Blue" is a standout -- a dynamic mix of highs and lows, and lyrically interesting (something Kylie's music has struggled with in the past), tackling the subjects of regret and resilience. "Sexercize," the second single, is a tongue-in-cheek song that could pass for a fine R&B song if one overlooked the lyrics. Whatever the subject matter, the songs remain hopeful, upbeat in melody and beat, making "Kiss Me Once" a great dance, club and pop album.

Kylie Minogue's music has, at its roots, a timeless quality about it -- not that some of it doesn't sound dated, but that it can be difficult to pin down to one decade or another. There are '80s influences in some of the "Kiss Me Once" tracks, along with some that sound closer to the current decade. But it is all immutably grown-up Kylie -- sleek, Euro-leaning, consumable dance-pop. That her sound and image haven't really changed in the past 24 years just goes to show that it is possible to navigate the music business -- and life -- without latching onto every trend or having to constantly reinvent yourself.