Ultimately, this is just Kick II. There is very little change in style here, and I find it a bit redundant. I tend to enjoy groups that evolve more, which INXS did over the albums following X. That being said, this album also marks the begin of an overall decline in INXS quality. That being said, this album is just a step below Kick and not bad, and future albums were not horrible either. I think most of the decline is lyrical and is only really troublesome in Full Moon, Dirty Hearts.

An elegant follow-up to KICK
X is an elegant follow-up to their multi-platinum album KICK.
X was a Billboard Top 10 Album. It went double-platinum, and it debuted at #2 in the UK and #1 in Australia.
Suicide Blonde and Disappear were both Top 10 hits in the U.S.
While Suicide Blonde is one of their funkiest, sexiest songs ever, there's something special about Disappear. The song is simple. It isn't a complex or intricately-written song, but there's something about it.
[Three of the songs from this album (Suicide Blonde, On My Way, and Disappear) were featured prominently in the soundtrack for the 1991 Ethan Hawke flick, Mystery Date. Disappear was the love theme and the film closer.]
The Stairs is a beautiful song that was a very important recording for INXS.
By My Side is excellent. It recalls to me the dark elegance of Never Tear Us Apart.
Lately is a sexy slow-rocker that rocks, and Who Pays The Price is also a great song -- one of my favorites.
Bitter Tears is another one of my INXS favorites, On My Way is terrific, and Hear That Sound is a great track and a nice ending for the album.
This album is their best studio release.
X is more cohesive than any of their other records. Seamlessly, the album blends Rock and R&B as INXS have always done, but on this album, the energy and moods are more congruent, and the grooves are more solid than ever.
X is greater than the sum of its own parts. It serves to illuminate and immortalize the magnitude of the band's appeal.
This is the defining INXS album.
X
I N X S
MICHAEL HUTCHENCE (1960 - 1997) vocals
ANDREW FARRISS pianos/guitar
TIM FARRISS guitars
KIRK PENGILLY guitar/vocals/sax
GARRY GARY BEERS bass
JON FARRISS drums

Solid effort
I'm kind of partial to this CD cause I saw the X tour live when this CD came out, but these songs kind of sound like ones they would have left off the KICK CD, such was the high standard of that CD. These songs are all good, the one that really stands out for me is 'Lately' which has a Devil Inside vibe to it. 'By my side' is a beautiful balad, Bitter tears is another highlight. It was always going to be difficult to follow up KICK, but X is more of a mature sound for the band, it's still a good effort.

INXS¿ second-best album
»X« was the natural follow-up to the outstanding breakthrough album of INXS, »Kick«.

»X« is more polished, less spontaneous. As if the sextet is really wanting to do "the right thing". But this may exactly be the weakness of this album! 'Cause the refreshingly youthful spontanity of the songs on »Kick« is missing here.

Still, there are a number of really great rock compositions on this one. Like the powerful hit and opener »Suicide Blonde« with the crispy harmonica, the nearly symphonic semi-ballad »By My Side«, or the album's best track »The Stairs« where Michael Hutchences great way of singing comes through even more catching than on the other songs.

»X« is one of the two INXS albums you MUST own!