Dannii Minogue - Unleashed Left-overs : 4-Track EP clips

After writing about Madonna & Kylie, I need an excuse to post about the Queen Of The Clubs, Dannii Minogue in order to round-up my top Trinity of  Icons.

She hasn't released any single recently to the dismay of her music fans. The last single she had, Touch Me Like That, failed on the UK Charts at # 48 despite her new-found X-Factor-related popularity back in 2007. The only other times she had sung again was with sister Kylie on a cover of the ABBA song The Winner Takes It All and twice (2008 & 2010) on the Hed Kandi compilation for her chilled version of  The Andrea True Connection's More More More.

The internet; however, works in mysterious ways. Sometime in late 2011, FOUR unheard songs of the Style Queen popped on streaming sites to the delight of all fans! These song were left-overs from her Unleashed compilation album which housed remixes and previously unreleased material of the early 2000s. All four leaked tracks were Dannii's collaborations with Korpi & Blackcell (Henrik Korpi & Mathias Johansson) who were behind her UK #7 hit Put The Needle On It in 2002. They never made it to Unleashed after not getting mastered by the deadline thus replaced by the ballad Undeniable.

Songs below never made it to this ^^^ compilation.

Dannii sings of some people's plights and their fears to confront them. "Chained to a desk, she's working 9-5. Can't recall the last time she felt alive." It's a rare instance that Fear Of Flying has some social insights as she has never sung about such topics in the past. This could have signalled a change of musical direction had similar sounds and lyrical content been pursued. Socially-relevant Dannii is good but loved-up-disco-Dannii is waaaay better!

Vocals: 2, Production: 1, Lyrics: 1.5, Chorus Strength: 2, Mainstream Appeal: 2 =  (8.5/10)

Healing On The Dancefloor puts Dannii on sexy mode. It has this erotic feeling when she coos "Give me some more, give me some more..." The sensual down-tempo treatment suits her sultry vocals which could be mistaken for her sister's; only that Dannii's are more clear-cut and less breathy which go to show who's the better singer. Though the song isn't downright R&B, it is just the perfect slow jam number to groove. This has to be my favourite from the lot and should have been included even just as a last-minute bonus track.   

Vocals: 2, Production: 2, Lyrics: 1, Chorus Strength: 2, Mainstream Appeal: 2 =  (9/10)



The chilly intro sets the mood for a dark and haunting ballad. Weak, as a demo-in-progress, is already impressive. The laid-back production even features a lovely piano piece on coda. Profound lyrics register very well: "I'm weak wounded by the truth. It cuts my skin like a gentle blade running through my veins." Dannii employs falsetto subtly on the chorus but flawlessly sings the rest with aplomb. Her heartrending delivery matches the passion evident in It Won't Work Out (Ross Cullum Single Mix). If the demo is this good, the final version should already be a masterpiece. Why do they always shelve the best ones?

Vocals: 1.5, Production: 1, Lyrics: 2, Chorus Strength: 2, Mainstream Appeal: 2 =  (8.5/10)



Intriguing titles don't always equate to wicked songs. This holds true for Karma Is A Bitch. Fans have been captivated by the title for years thinking it could be a kick-ass dance revelation that has Dannii as the queen diva bitch who puts tarts to shame of their Karmic debts. To the dismay of all, the indie-sounding-pop ditty is another socially percipient tune that follows the steps of Fear Of Flying lyrically. Vocals are intelligible on stanzas but get muted by the more dominant instrumentation in the chorus: "I wanna believe in you _ _ _ _ _ ..." Casual listeners may not figue out the rest of the chorus lyrics. As a whole, this song is nothing to crow about. The leak just (dis)satisfied the public's curiosity.

Vocals: 1, Production: 1, Lyrics: 1.5, Chorus Strength: 1, Mainstream Appeal: 2 =  (6.5/10)

More unreleased songs of Dannii have yet to leak or make it to a compilation like Unleashed. Perhaps she is just using the deafening lull to drum up interest for her eventual pop comeback which she has been cryptic about during interviews and random discussions. For now, her young son, Ethan, dominates her time and she splits the remaining slots on her hit fashion label Project D and judging chores for Australia's Got Talent. She almost made it back to the UK X-Factor 2012 but didn't push through, declining a rumoured million-dollar deal in the process.

Is this Dannii's sister ?

To reminisce Dannii's dance-pop prowess, we marvel at her low-budget yet scorching hot voyeuristic video for her underrated 2007 digital single, I Can't Sleep At Night.  Here's hoping she gives in to our pleas and makes that vengeful return to music!

Can't Get These Moves Out Of My Head !

Spin it Around