As X is Kylie Minogue’s first album since her recovery from cancer (she was diagnosed in the middle of her Showgirl tour in 2005), there has been some expectation that she would use the record to escape her dance-pop safety zone and plunge into dark emotional truths – possibly while wearing a velvet cloak and some smudged mascara. But if you have faced up to your own mortality the chances are that you will feel like nothing more than a bit of electro-fun.

X certainly delivers that. As the single 2 Hearts indicates, this is an impeccably designed album, snipping off bits from the hipper fringes of electronic music and restitching it into a pop context – the musical equivalent of the couture item filtering down and becoming a high-street knock-off.

There is no problem with that, and there are songs that work brilliantly on those terms. Speakerphone, co-written by Bloodshy and Avant, the Swedish duo who wrote Toxic for Britney Spears, brings Norwegian electronica to mind with its distorted vocals and robo-pulse. Nu_di_ty, too, has clearly twitched its antennae towards some pretty esoteric beats, all jittery glitches and synapse-snap synths. Two decades into her career, Kylie knows that there is no shame in pursuing the pop moment – it all depends on how effectively the songs allow her to give chase. When X becomes too earnest, however, it splutters and stalls. The mid-paced thud of Stars, Sensitised, which sounds like one of Madonna’s more regrettable cowgirl moments, and No More Rain could have been found in the pockets of All Saints’ old combat trousers.

It would be a lie to say that Kylie marks this record with the mighty force of her distinctive voice: in fact, the best tracks are often those where she hovers sweetly over the top – Heart Beat Rock, for example, the kind of insouciant pop-rap Groove Armada turned in for Mutya Buena, or the glossy disco-ball spin of Wow.

Kylie’s work ethic cannot be doubted, while her willingness to experiment is to be admired. But, ultimately, all that is needed is her presence imprinting on every song, allowing X to become another relic in the career of a modern pop saint.

Editor's choice

• The 100 Best Films of the Decade
• 70 facts you didn't know about Marvel
• The 50 Biggest Movies Of 2010