Let's Get to It is the fourth studio album by Australian recording artist Kylie Minogue. It was the final studio album with Pete Waterman Limited (PWL), being released by the record label in the United Kingdom on 14 October 1991. Mushroom Records distributed the album in Australia on 25 November 1991. After Matt Aitken left the trio Stock Aitken Waterman (SAW) in early 1991, the remaining producers wanted to make another album with Minogue, although it was not a contractual obligation for her. Mike Stock and Pete Waterman agreed to share their songwriting credits with Minogue for the first time on six tracks. They spent months recording at PWL Studios, more time than any of her previous studio albums.
Musically, Let's Get to It varies in sound, with it including hip hop, new jack swing, house and dance-pop genres. Music critics provided mixed reviews, recognising Minogue's creative control and her provocative image despite them being ambivalent towards the production. The album is one of Minogue's least successful studio albums to date, missing the top 10 in both her native Australia and the UK. Nonetheless, it has since been certified gold in Australia by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA).
Four singles were released from Let's Get to It, including UK top 10 entries "If You Were with Me Now" and "Give Me Just a Little More Time". The other singles, "Word Is Out" and "Finer Feelings", attained top 20 positions in the UK. Minogue further promoted the album with her Let's Get to It Tour, which traveled throughout Europe in October and November 1991. Minogue was disappointed with the final result and left PWL in 1992. The album was re-issued in the UK for the first time in 2015.
Background
In 1990, Minogue released her third studio album Rhythm of Love, reflecting a more sexually liberated image and dance-influenced sound. She became more involved in the album's creation and arrangement than her previous projects alongside being credited as co-writer for the first time, while Stock Aitken Waterman (SAW) were the primary producers. Promotion for Rhythm of Love included controversial music videos for "Better the Devil You Know" and "What Do I Have to Do", which continued to foster Minogue's increasingly provocative image. Her romantic relationship with Australian rock band INXS's lead singer Michael Hutchence, one of her biggest influences during the production of Rhythm of Love, also generated intense publicity. In early 1991, Hutchence ended their 16-month relationship over the telephone.
After finishing the Rhythm of Love Tour, which spanned through Australia and Asia in February and March 1991, Minogue took a short break and spent time in Paris with her friends. Among them was British photographer Katerina Jebb, who later became a frequent collaborator of hers. She dated model Zane O'Connell, who appears in the music videos for "What Do I Have to Do" and "Shocked". During the production of Rhythm of Love, SAW struggled to find an audience for their pop output. They were disappointed by the contemporary trends in music; Mike Stock commented: "We always tried to create pop hooks... By the 1990s, it was made by people who were off the heads on ecstasy. They'd be fascinated just with two notes going backwards and forwards." As a result, Matt Aitken left SAW in 1991 because he felt he was burnt out. "People say all our records sound the same, but it came to a point where they started sounding all the same to me," he said.
Recording and production
Let's Get to It was not a contractual obligation for Minogue; Pete Waterman Limited (PWL) had signed her initially for three studio albums. However, Pete Waterman and PWL co-owner David Howells wanted to make another album with her because of the commercial benefits. Stock contacted Minogue while she was in Paris and they both agreed to do it. Over the course of 1991, Minogue left the city and returned to PWL Studios in London with her remaining producers Stock and Waterman. The two agreed to share their songwriting credits with Minogue for the first time; she was listed as a co-writer on six tracks. Waterman would provide hints about the content and song titles, while Stock and Minogue put the songs together by humming different melodies and recording them within a day. She spent months working on Let's Get to It, more time than any of Minogue's earlier works.