simon sez-CD

NEW ALBUM, SINGLE + LOGO ARTWORK : adele - 25 + hello

2015-10-26T23:40:00.001+00:00

Ms. Adkins is back! You won't have escaped the major Adele news the past few days, she's back with a follow up to her mammoth second album '21'. The third release is titled '25' and the lead single comes in the form of 'Hello'. Here's the album art...

While the artwork features no text, all across her social media Adele's new logo has appeared. Check it out below:

And here's the Cindy Sherman-esque single art for 'Hello'...

NEW ALBUM ARTWORK : kylie minogue - kylie christmas (standard + deluxe edition)

2015-10-20T21:06:00.002+01:00

Ms. Minogue is feeling festive :D So she's recorded a whole album worth of Christmas delights (if they're anything like her rendition of 'Santa Baby', we're in for a treat). Check out the standard edition cover below:

The album will also come in a CD/DVD deluxe edition - featuring more tracks as well. Below is the tinsel 'n' holly delight:

!!BONUS FEATURE!!

If you buy from Kylie's official store, your order will come with this fab, branded Kylie wrapping paper! Love seeing that "K" sprinkled all over this :)

NEW SINGLE ARTWORK : gwen stefani - i used to love you

2015-10-20T20:05:00.001+01:00

A still from the stripped back video is used for this single art. The song being used as take #2 for reigniting interest in Gwen's third album campaign - personally I liked 'Baby Don't Lie' and 'Spark the Fire', anything from Ms. Stefani is good with me!

NEW SINGLE ARTWORK : ariana grande - focus

2015-10-20T20:02:00.000+01:00

The first single from her third album ('Moonlight') has been teased mercilessly for what feels like an age (I think we have another week to go.. #7daystilFocus). One step in the announcement was the unveiling of the artwork, check out a blonde Ari below:

NEW ALBUM + BACK COVER ARTWORK : rihanna - anti

2015-10-08T20:25:00.002+01:00

WELL! October 8th. Remember the date. Today was the day Rihanna let #R8 go and announced... 'Anti' and began the new era of Robyn Rihanna "The Artist" Fenty. Along with the title announcement, Ms. Fenty also unveiled the cover art for her next release at the MAMA gallery in downtown Los Angeles - and it's a real doozy! Dive in to the visuals (front AND back cover!!) below and then we'll go into the bits 'n' pieces of it all:

Goodness. Something tells me this isn't going to be 'LOUD 2'.

Painted by Israeli-born Roy Nachum (in his signature style, lots of black and white imagery, with mirrored/blurred elements), he also created the artworks for 'FourFiveSeconds' and 'Bitch Better Have My Money'. It features a young Rihanna on her first day of daycare and has a poem written by Chloe Mitchell in braille laid overtop. “The whole idea behind the braille is people who have sight are sometimes the people who are blindest,” explained Riri. It has been stated that the braille will appear physically on the album artwork, which is exciting - five poems of Chloe Mitchell will be overlaid on images throughout the artwork.

Here's a video of Nachum painting the cover:

Painting the cover of Rihanna's 8th studio album "Anti" @BadGalRiri #R8 #RihxRoy #Rihanna #OfficialAlbumArtCover

A video posted by Roy Nachum / Artist (@roynachum) on Oct 7, 2015 at 8:51pm PDT

Check out some more images and a video from the artwork announcement:

! updated artwork ! NEW ALBUM + SINGLE + LIMITED EDITION ARTWORK : ellie goulding - delirium + on my mind

2015-10-06T21:39:00.000+01:00

This is an interesting one... So Ellie Goulding's star has been steadily rising over her last two albums and with her next release 'Delirium' she is going for all out Pop princess (especially if she carries on with songs like the Max Martin-penned 'On My Mind' - what a tune!).

The album was announced along with the single and some limited edition release options also, all with their cover artworks. But now, with a month left before release date, the artwork has been tweaked slightly to use a serif typeface, rather than the orignal sans serif. This may seem like a non-event to some, but actually for such a stripped down cover the change to the text actually has a strong visual effect. Let's have a look below:

The "new" version of the cover (this is the standard edition of the album):

And here is the "original" version (using the same typeface as the 'Halcyon' cover art):

Below is a comparison of the two logos:

Here is the new cover for the deluxe edition of the album, with the new typeface also:

Hmm... to me it seems an odd turn of events. This next release is highly anticipated for Ellie, with some asking if she can take it up a level and maintain the standard of "pop star" that she has cultivated? With this anticipation and level of popularity, I'm sure she has major backing by a record label. It seems odd to me that artwork would be approved, signed off and sent out publicly (across all platforms of her social media, website, official store etc), to then be tweaked and changed. It comes across as sloppy to me and doesn't bode well for the handling of the album roll out. Especially as now there are inconsistencies across her website with some pages still using the old logo and some pages featuring the updated one.

Here is the single artwork for 'On My Mind', featuring the sans serif typeface also, another level of inconsistency now that the main font used for the rest of the album era will be the serif type:

This leaves me wondering: why the change and why now, at this late stage of the album release? Was it to step her away from the 'Halcyon' visual, the still pop but slightly more experimental sounding last album? Was it to embrace the wave of serif fonts being seen used more and more recently - to reflect the potential change in fashion of graphic design?

Hmm... let's see how this one rolls out...and while we wait, check out the limited edition vinyl and boxset versions the album will be released in, featuring art cards and a black & white version of the album cover:

Positive note though, I'm loving the pastelly colour palette and images being used - so there's that :)

NEW SINGLE ARTWORK : tinashe - player (ft. chris brown) + party favors (ft. young thug)

2015-10-06T20:46:00.002+01:00

My fave, Tinashe, is back on the scene ready to drop her second album and has released a buzz single ('Party Favors') and now the lead single, alongside Chris Brown, titled 'Player'. The cover art is already iconic giving me vibes of Christina Aguilera's 'Stripped' album cover + snakeskin boxing gloves...amazing.

NEW ALBUM ARTWORK : anastacia - ultimate collection

2015-10-06T20:36:00.001+01:00

15 years since the release of her debut single 'I'm Outta Love' - Ana is back with her second Greatest Hits collection. The title and artwork are giving me some slight "meh" vibes, but I struggled to find this cover anywhere so thought I'd post so people knew what the official artwork was!

NEW SINGLE ARTWORK : fleur east - sax

2015-10-06T20:32:00.002+01:00

YES! My favourite from last year's X Factor UK - Fleur East - is ready to unleash her debut single and has teased the release with the cover art for single 'Sax'. Giving some big haired, brightly primary coloured yumness - I'm loving this. Graphic, bold and great use of 3D lettering. Here's hoping the song doesn't disappoint...

NEW ALBUM + SINGLE ARTWORK : sam smith - in the lonely hour (drowning shadows edition) + writing's on the wall ('spectre' theme)

2015-10-06T20:29:00.000+01:00

Just in time for the coveted Christmas season, Mr. Smith is re-releasing his multi-platinum debut album as a special 2-disc edition. Titled 'In The Lonely Hour (Drowning Shadows Edition)' - it will feature some of his well known covers, updated versions of his singles (including the Mary J. Blige version of 'Stay With Me' and John Legend version of 'Lay Me Down') and new songs also. For the cover art he has recreated the original album's art but now with his new slimmed down figure:

Check out the single cover for his Bond theme 'Writing's On The Wall' also (shout out to the shadow giving us throwbacks to Naughty Boy's 'La La La' cover art...)

NEW SINGLE ARTWORK : janet jackson - no sleeep + no sleeep (ft. j.cole) + burnitup (ft. missy elliott) + unbreakable

2015-10-06T20:15:00.003+01:00

So, I'm really bumping with Janet at the mo (I've missed her during her time away from music - I've been replaying the 'Discipline' album for the last 7 years, no material is very welcome!) so apols for the big posts about her...but she deserves our attention! Check out the artworks for the singles 'No Sleeep', 'BURNITUP!' and 'Unbreakable'.

NEW ALBUM ARTWORK: janet jackson - unbreakable

2015-10-06T20:07:00.002+01:00

Ms. Jackson if ya nasty is back y'all! I saw that her new album 'Unbreakable' had three different cover artworks so I had to get them all in one place for your viewing pleasure. Before we jump in, take a look at this video of photographer YuTsai shooting the imagery for the album art. Stylist Kim Bowen described the look of the shoot as “a whole conglomeration of different looks” for Jackson, including rock ‘n’ roll, ethnic, sexy, funky, “punky,” tribal and organic:

Cover 1: This is the official standard cover.

Cover 2: I've seen this billed as the "Eyes Closed" version on Amazon also, a limited edition version of the standard album with a different cover art featuring no type at all - just Jan closing her eyes and blocking out the haters.

Cover 3: This version I have seen is the "Target Edition" in the US or "HMV Exclusive cover" in the UK - it features two bonus songs and Ms. Jackson looking over your BS.

LIMITED EDITION : madonna - rebel heart (super deluxe edition)

2015-03-19T19:55:00.003+00:00

A well put together, if slightly mis-titled edition. The album comes in three releases: standard, deluxe and super deluxe. Now for me, "super deluxe" sounds like it'd be some majestic, designed for the heavens box set - what this actually is is a perfectly decent edition, just not enough for that kind of title! Don't get me wrong, I love the folding out format and glossy finish to the images but I want a little more. Two specific things that niggle at me... First: The second disc has "Disc 2" printed onto it (seen in the image above), so I nice touch would be to have "Disc 1" on the first CD. A little thing, but I noticed it:

The bigger annoyance to me was the exclusion of the album booklet... I can't tell you how much I hate that being overlooked. As a fan who wants all the bells and whistles of a physical album (and will pay more money for the 'top' version - as a super deluxe would have you believe), I want the booklet that would be included in the standard and deluxe editions. This version includes no linear notes and although has some great looking packaging, doesn't actually give you all the information about the album. Quite a large oversight in my opinion.. A nice edition, but not Madge's best designed piece.

LIMITED EDITION : kylie minogue - kylie (debut album) (reissue collector's edition)

2015-02-18T21:21:00.000+00:00

Now, long time readers of the simonsez blog will know I LOVE me a Kylie limited edition release (see here, here and here). So when it was announced that Ms. Minogue's first four albums would be re-released as special celebrations of her PWL years, I was more than overjoyed to hear there would be limited edition boxsets involved. So, to celebrate in my own special way I will be putting up four special posts to share the reissued albums - starting with her debut album "Kylie". ENJOY (YOURSELF)!!

The boxset is the size of a 12" vinyl and comes with the original album art emblazoned on the front. Let's be honest, that late 80s cover hasn't held up amazingly, once you get up close even the photo quality is really something to behold in all its fuzzy glory.. But somehow it adds into the feel of the piece. It's honouring the fashions and early looks of the pop princess, not trying to modernise and cover over the cheesier pictures etc. For that, it really feels like a celebration and a time capsule to be delved into.

For anyone who has the CD (or even the cassette) version of the album, you will see how true this has kept to the original artwork - from cover to logos to spine design.

That hair hat she's rocking is truly iconic! :D

Now lets lift the lid and dive in..

Click "Read More" to see the rest of the post...

Now, this really made me stop and take a breath. A simple touch, but well thought out and executed all the same. The original logo from the first album has been used as the cover to the vinyl. It gets even better with a closer look...

The logo has been CUT OUT of the slipcase, and the wallet holding the vinyl is what colours it. GORGEOUS!

Again, in keeping with the original back cover tracklisting, that black on white realness!

The vinyl is the album on picture disc, an exclusive for this release.

Lets take another look at that cut out logo on the slipcase cover...I love it so bloody much!

Whoo, now onto the next piece. Below the vinyl is a gigantic, A2 size fold out poster. So big simonsez struggled to get a decent picture of the whole thing! But it's a great touch to the set

And now the next thing to squeal over (another beautifully designed part) - beneath the poster, you are greated by the album cover again, this time it is a 40 page picture book.

Using the the ribbon tag to pull the book out, you see how snugly it fits into that slot. No rolling around inside of this box set, everything has it's place!

Inside is a little note added in from Kylie herself talking about the reissued versions of the albums and her thoughts on the beginning of her career (I'll let you buy the set to read it properly...don't want to give the whole jig up!)

Included are extensive notes and stats about the album and all subsequent single releases (including chart positions, track lists and formats they originally came in!)

Lyrics for the album tracks:

And a whole host of images from that era, not just album artwork but single covers, video stills and even live performance shots. So comprehensive and so much to enjoy.

And below that we have the stuff we all came for - more design and the music!

It really did blow my design appreciation mind to see how well the picture book and album fit into the base of the box. Another simple note, but adds to the elegance and overall feel.

And for those who want to see the very bottom :)

To fit in with the look of the vinyl slipcase and also the white/black colour scheme used throughout - the 2 CDs and DVD have been housed in an all new artwork:

Within that is the three discs in seperate sleeves and more images in postcard size.

More use of that logo, making me swoon!

The DVD including performances at the BBC and all music videos, plus behind the scenes:

CD1 - the album plus bonus tracks:

CD2 - further bonus tracks, a comprehensive collection of remixes and alternate versions of album tracks. And how great is the alternating colours for the slipcases and discs - swoon!

And, finally, the 6 postcards featuring images from throughout the "debut" era. Gorgeous!

There we have it - especially for you! How bloody gorgeous is this piece of art - there's no other word for it. It has been well thought out, leaving no stone unturned and truly acts as a time capsule of the beginning of it all. It's elements of design (like so many of Kylie's releases) really hit home how important she takes her career, in what she does now and how she looks back and celebrates the past. I can't wait to show you the other 3! So stay tuned, I'll be posting them ASAP...

LIMITED EDITION : cheryl - only human (boxset)

2014-11-12T19:11:00.000+00:00

As a progression from her last album (2012's 'A Million Lights'), Cheryl seemed to up the quality-factor of music and visual with this album, in conjunction with her return to the X-Factor. This also saw a high-quality boxset version released for the new album 'Only Human'. Let's jump into it below and see what Mrs Fernandez-Versini has to offer!

First off, I think this is her best album cover to date. They've all been pretty standard head-on beauty shots but this one seems to up the gloss factor with that animal strip running through her face and the type is simpler and more striking. YES!

For the boxset, the type gets an added edge of a lovely burgundy coloured foiling, I love it.

The foiling is used on the back cover of the box also, for the tracklisting:

The boxset has a lovely matte finish for the cover and the hinged lid fits beautifully over the base.

Click "Read More" to see the rest of the review and my score for this piece! :)

One feature of the set is five individuallywrapped photographs, each in their own tissue paper wallet.

This version was the "signed edition", so one photo was held and signed by the lady herself...

Another USP of the boxset is that one of the photographs was a never before used image, not seen in the usual album booklet.

The glossiness of the photographs, especially when seen next to the textured wallets, adds to the feel of this set - adding another dimension of design.

Beneath the photos, the deluxe version of the album (featuring 3 extra bonus tracks) is nestled beneath.

The the box is well crafted and sturdy, the materials have been much more thought out as opposed to previous special edition's of Chezza's albums, which have felt almost flimsy before.

The CD disc carries on the glossy/gold feel and we get some more of that animal-inspired artwork!

The gatefold folds out further to see that fierce leopard print image, which has the booklet nestled within one of the panels. The booklet itself shows a slightly varied image to the album cover, a touch I always appreciate (sometimes 4 different uses of the album cover within a deluxe edition can be a bit too much).

The booklet has quite a few pages and extensive linear notes, so instead of photographing each page I went for my favourite image below :) Panther on the runway!

And here is the full contents of the edition:

Gorgeous! Such a concise, well produced and properly designed set. I wasn't expecting it to be so well put together (to be honest) in its materials, layout and use of the album imagery. It makes me happy that more thought has been placed on this release as the music is a step up from her previous albums. Still not a "Thriller", but sonically it sounds more like an album rather than singles and filler. So a well designed cover and artwork goes towards the album campaign also. I love to see that. Glossy and gorgeous :)

Originality : 6/10

Materials : 8.5/10

Design : 8/10

The Music : 7/10

Overall : 7/10

Rarity: 1000 were produced and it is still available on her official store - but the signed edition seen here has sold out.

Click on the "my editions" tab to see more of my cover-to-cover reviews of limited edition beauties!!

LIMITED EDITION : laroux - trouble in paradise (deluxe box set)

2014-08-23T20:40:00.000+01:00

When Laroux first announced a comeback after multiple years silence, I was very happy. I was even happier when the 'Trouble In Paradise' album was announced and EVEN HAPPIER when the cover art was unveiled (stay tuned for that, if you still haven't feasted your eyes). The cherry on top of this already multi-layered feast was that the album would also be released a deluxe box set...so let's go In For The Kill and dive in...

One major selling point of this edition was the fact it has it's own exclusive cover, very much in the vein of it's Pop Art, collagey original artwork - this one elaborates more on the lazy, sun soaked Americana imagery we had already seen glimpses of.

And what says Americana better than a nice glossy glaze! Certain elements of the matte cover have been stencilled out in a shiny coating which adds to the texture and look of the piece. Stunning :)

This is a limited edition boxset - only 3000 were produced - each one is individually stamped.

I love that the outside box feels quite understated, glossy and white. It makes the insides pop even more so...

Click "Read More" to see the rest of the review and my score for this piece! :)

The first layer of goodies we get to is the specially designed T-shirt, for the set. It's the first glimpse of that gorgeous artwork too - YASSS!

Go a layer deeper and you get even more of that cover art - repetition to the extreme, just like an Andy Warhol production line :)

Let's look at the 12" vinyl first and once you open the gatefold you are greeted by this striking image:

See what I mean about the colours waiting inside, this goes a step further with the inner sleeve that houses the vinyl.

Each side of the vinyl has close up elements of the collage-type images used throughout the album artwork. Showing the details that have been thought about and tied into the overall look and feel.

All these saturated blue skies, there can't be a care in the world for Ms. Laroux!

Beneath the vinyl layer is the CD version of the album, slotted into it's on compartment at the base of the edition. Here you can see the additional card which has a code to download the album digitally - another piece featuring the beautiful cover! You can also see here the ribbon that runs from the base and wraps around all the contents, allowing for easy lifting and removing of each layer.

Another nice touch is that every boxset's CD has been signed :D Who doesn't appreciate that!

More instances of Pop Art repetition - within the vinyl and CD artwork. I think I love this image even more than the cover - there's something so graphic and clean about it, with that amazing yellow colour cutting through the middle.

The booklet features more of the Richard Hamilton-esque Pop artwork and I can't get enough of it! (it's like that scene in "Coyote Ugly" where they're in a room of loads of cardboard cut outs...)

Well wasn't that a delicious box set that went off with a *pop*! From the repeated use of it's Richard Hamilton inspired artwork, the collage elements throughout the booklet and repeated uses of images, it is a well thought out, sleek homage to Americana and Pop Art. Even the size of the box feels American, almost too much for what was inside, but it adds to the glossy feel with that exclusive new artwork and added stencil elements. Very happy with this one!

Originality : 6/10

Materials : 9/10

Design : 8/10

The Music : 8/10

Overall : 8/10

Rarity: 3000 were made and it is still available on Laroux's official store - get it quick!

Click on the "my editions" tab to see more of my cover-to-cover reviews of limited edition beauties!!

LIMITED EDITION: girls aloud - ten (limited edition boxset)

2014-07-03T21:45:00.000+01:00

Continuing the girl group theme (see my last post on All Saints' 90s-licious deluxe edition), we're now moving to Girls Aloud and their greatest hits collection 'Ten'. Celebrating a decade in the spotlight, this was a celebration of their biggest songs and the impact on pop they has achieved. Keep reading to see my cover-to-cover look into this Whole Lott History...

Quite a subtle start to the edition, for a band usually known for the Xenomania off the wall pop moments (a la 'Biology') and iconic, eye popping artwork (a la 'What Will The Neighbours Say?') this seemed a surprise to me - where's the colour? Where's the girls? It's sleek...but doesn't feel very Aloud to me...

OK! Here we go, shocking pink lining - now we're talking. Sleek black outside, bright pink inside: the embodiment of a grown up girl group? Love the cover art to the album, which we'll inspect more later.

Click "Read More" to see the rest of the review and my score for this piece! :)

Included in the edition are 6 beautiful art prints, one of each lady and that loverly cover art.

Glossy and gorgeous :)

Beneath the prints, we have another layer - what's that I spy...

A golden ticket! The girls ran a special prize draw which everyone who had this edition was eligible for :) The prizes included: a platinum plaque of the 'Out Of Control' album, a pair of Nadine's shoes and so on.. A cute touch to the edition.

Gorgeous cover, gorgeously nestled into it's cut out slot :)

Awkwardly, when you open the album's gatefold, the booklet is placed in the middle - not in a slot. It feels like it was an afterthought, after the album's two discs (for it's deluxe version) take up either side of the gatefold.

The two album discs and a snippet from inside the booklet

And what's this - another layer?

Included as a real plus to this edition is "The Passions of Girls Aloud" - a series the girls did many years back where they all followed their...passions :D It had never been on DVD before and as an extra note it's cover was originally used for a special 'Fan Edition' of the album 'Tangled Up' (for the fact fans out there!)

A pretty gatefold to house some pretty discs :)

And those discs look even prettier when placed next to the two album discs as well. The colour palette for this edition is really working for me - subtle, sleek and lovely...

...but those three words don't scream Girls Aloud to me, or their legacy. If this was a new album entirely then I could've maybe understood such a change in visual direction. But a greatest hits surely calls for a celebration of the zany, colourful, pop image they had created over the decade they are looking back at. Don't get me wrong, it's pretty and the materials are on point, it's cute, it just leaves me a lil bit 'Life Got Cold' rather than 'Long Hot Summer'...

Originality : 6/10

Materials : 8/10

Design : 8/10

The Music : 10/10

Overall : 8/10

Rarity: This edition is quite sought after now, as it sold out so quickly and very few people are willing to part with it! Keep eyes peeled to eBay though..

Click on the "my editions" tab to see more of my cover-to-cover reviews of limited edition beauties!!

LIMITED EDITION: all saints - all saints (deluxe edition boxset)

2014-05-07T20:46:00.000+01:00

Now, I'm going to take us on a trip down memory lane...back to 1997 and girl groups were ruling the charts. There was of course (my favourite) the Spice Girls and their slightly cooler, lil bit more urban sisters All Saints. All Saints debut album 'All Saints' was a collection of slow burning downbeat pop with flavours of R&B and I loved it! This deluxe edition is special to me as I had no idea it existed (no mention of it on most of the internet or wikipedia pages) until a year or so ago, when I was browsing eBay and this appeared in my recommended! So lets pour a cup of Black Coffee and take a trip back to the 90s...
there's gunna be a lot of khaki so hold tight...

The front of the boxset, I think, is pretty strong graphically - that stencil type the band used as their logo was bold and felt a little grungy too. Their first album seemed to have this cammo green palette throughout, which is used for this also.

Close up on the sticker, also you can see there is an almost faux-leather texture to the box.

The lid's off and you are greeted with a big A and S :) (also this kind of constellation motif on the letters used throughout the album art later also). This is an oversized photo booklet, which we'll explore more in a moment, but first, underneath that...

...We see the rest of the contents! The original album, a remix album (one of the first remix exclusive albums to be released and chart, fun fact) and - as it's the 90s - a VHS of the band's music videos. *swoon*

Click "Read More" to see the rest of the review and my score for this piece! :)

Now let's dive into that glossy, photo booklet.

YES! Individual band member images, lazing on leather sofas! Hey Shaz!

LIMITED EDITION : kylie minogue - kiss me once (limited edition vinyl box set)

2014-03-28T22:04:00.000+00:00

So, I felt it was high time for another round of "My Editions" - where I post about a limited edition piece from my personal collection. This time I'll be diving 'Into The Blue' with Kylie Minogue's 'Kiss Me Once (Limited Edition Vinyl Box Set)'. It's a gorgeously kissable, silk cloth-bound box set filled to the brim with sass. So let's get going!

First stop, what's included:

- 12" double vinyl of the standard version of the album

- Deluxe edition of the album on CD (With exclusive artwork featuring handwritten lipstick text by Kylie herself)

- Card featuring digital download code for the album

- 5 x 12" art prints on heavy paper stock, featuring an exclusive image only in this box set and a hand numbered life size kiss from Kylie

- 12" vinyl sticker sheet with 'Kiss Me Once' lips graphic

- 12" "faux window" featuring raindrops and the album title, so you can recreate the album artwork!

All is contained in a silk cloth-bound 12" vinyl box. 100 copies were signed by Kylie at random.

Next stop...some beautiful images and commentary of this dee-lightful box set:

A close up on that loverly, shimmering silk cloth-bound box. It simply features the 'Kiss Me Once' lips graphic stitched in the middle of the lid and it's hard to get the full effect without holding it in your hands. I spent a solid twenty minutes just stroking it... (in honour of 'Les Sex' and 'Sexercise' of course!). A simple touch, but it really adds to a sense of elegance about the piece.

It's a very slimline box, I was actually quite surprised when it arrived. At first glance it looks like it could only fit in a couple of vinyl - but keep reading to see what else is included.

Lid off and you're greeted by more lips and lipstick...I'm sensing a theme... It really does remind me of Christina Aguilera's 'Bionic', but it's so gorgeous I'm willing to overlook it

Click "Read More" to see the rest of the review and my score for this piece! :)

So here is the CD version of the album included in the set featuring exclusive artwork only seen in the limited edition - Kylie's lipstick handwritten text. A nice thought, but probably the let down of this set. The disc is in a flimsy paper pocket, no CD booklet, no case. I would've preferred to have the actual CD deluxe version included, personally.

Back of the disc pocket, plus disc and digital download card. The disc features the only time in the set we see Adjective Noun's Kylie logo for this era (which I find odd, as usually Kylie's logos play a central role to her album artwork). It's pretty, but feels out of place as it is not seen anywhere else. Love me some of those raindrops though :)

The 5 x 12" art prints

This is the hand numbered life size Kylie kiss (added into the set when the first batch sold out in record time so the production run was upped to 3,500). It's a cute addition.

I believe this is the exclusive image only used in the boxset, another touch I approve of

I always felt this image (used in the 'Into The Blue' artwork) was out of place, when the rest of the artwork was revealed for the album. She's giving off a gorgeous mermaid feel...with fish net dress and all...but I feel it doesn't sit closely to the red leather and lipstick looks seen above...

12" sticker vinyl print of the 'Kiss Me Once' lips graphic...this will never be peeled off! But it's nice to see Kylie using hers, posting a photo to Instagram sticking it to her laptop.

This is the part I was most excited for (all about the novelty!). It is a "faux-window", featuring raindrops and the album title, for you to recreate the album cover! Such a cute touch and although it's novelty, shows a sense of fun and originality that we know Ms. Minogue for.

I had to place a background to the album title, as it is so translucent it's difficult to see without anything closely behind it. Nice touch all the same. This close up also shows the faux water droplets, it's textured when you run your finger over it...that's twice I've been stopped running my hand over something within this edition (see: silk box lining)!

Here is the 12" double vinyl, enclosed inside a slipcase.

The back of the slipcase and the two individually packaged vinyls.

Each vinyl has it's own packaging, featuring more imagery from the album artwork on the front..

...and back

And the second LP:

The vinyl discs themselves use that personally handwritten lippy text again for the central labels...

Kiss..

Me..

Once..

Oh go on then :-*

Love this edition, while not Kylie's most original or beautiful piece (see the Goddess Edition...) it is still a well thought out, fun and flirty box set that encompasses all that the fans are looking for - the music and something to run their hand over! The little touches with design really make it, where it falls is the way the CD version of the album is showcased - could of really done with the jewel case version of the release instead of the flimsy paper sleeve. But the double vinyl looks gorgeous and the digital download card gives you the option of MP3s as well, so I can't complain too much. Well done Kylie! See you soon for the next release...

Originality : 7/10

Materials : 10/10 (top points for the silk and textured water droplets!)

Design : 8/10

The music : 8/10

Overall : 8/10

Rarity : All sold out, can only be found on eBay - retailed at £45.

Run: 3, 500 (originally 2, 000 until they sold out in record time)

Click on the "my editions" tab to see more of my cover-to-cover reviews of limited edition beauties!!

NEW SINGLE ARTWORK : sky ferreira - boys

2014-02-25T11:32:00.000+00:00

MY FAVOURITE SONG OFF THE ALBUM <3 Good selection Sky and I'm loving this kind of throwback to Hammer Horror posters.

NEW MIXTAPE ARTWORK : jojo - #lovejo

2014-02-25T11:29:00.002+00:00

Fresh from being released from that strangling contract with Blackground (Thank the lawd! Now bring us that new album hunty) - Jo released a gift to her fans on Valentine's day '#LOVEJO'. The artwork is a lil' like a clothes advert, but she's looking divine, so it's fine ;)

NEW SINGLE ARTWORK : kelis - jerk ribs

2014-02-25T11:27:00.002+00:00

NEW SINGLE ARTWORK : shakira - empire

2014-02-25T11:23:00.001+00:00

NEW SINGLE & REMIX SINGLE ARTWORK : miley cyrus - adore you & adore you (cedric gervais remix)

2014-02-20T23:06:00.002+00:00

'Adore You' has to be my favourite song off the 'Bangerz' album (maybe favourite ballad, favourite banger is probably 'Do My Thang' :P #simonsezfact) - and it makes my heart soar that they used my favourite promo image from this era for the cover art. The wilting pink roses, the baby doll lips, the art canvassy texture layered on top - GORGEOUS!

And with the single picking up pace, a remixed version (by the great Cedric Gervais) has been unleashed - featuring it's own Elvira "Mistress of the Dark"-esque cover:

NEW SINGLE ARTWORK : the saturdays - not giving up

2014-02-18T01:07:00.001+00:00

Goodness, the girls have performed a Girls Aloud exorcism and ressurected the soul of the 'Tangled Up' era - am I right? Only gripe is the awful editing on the usually perfect logo - Great single choice though!