Third album from the antipodean beauty believes her new disc Counting Down The Days completely encapsulates her upbeat mood, which she attributes to the Silverchair front man whom she married in 2003 after a four-year courtship. The three-year recording session is in marked contrast to her second album, White Lilies Island, which was released in 2001 and heavily influenced by the deep depression she was suffering from. Initial writing for Counting Down The Days began in 2002. Enough material, according to Counting Down The Days was assembled for two albums and the recording process was really a matter of refining ideas and identifying the direction Natalie wanted to take the album in. Album highlights include the triumphant Counting Down The Days, Satisfied, Slow Down, Come on Home, Starting Today - a song, as the title implies, about new beginnings, – and of course the addictive first single Shiver.
The catchy guitar tune of Starting Today is the closest to the famous Torn than any other song before. Shiver has a classic tune, slow at some points, but it's a song you like to listen to on the radio. Satisfied was written by Natalie’s husband Daniel Johns and is more than satisfactory. Counting Down The Days is a bit between a ballad and a pop song, the chorus is nice and upbeat, but the start of the song is deceiving, it gives the idea it's going to be really a slow song. I Won't Be Lost is one of the best ballads Natalie ever made and it's just wonderful the way she sings the chorus. Too slow to be a single, but definitely worth obtaining. Sanctuary is the catchiest track on the whole album, a mix of Natalie’s previous LPs style and a new style of Counting Down The Days. Perfectly is another great song, which is like Torn a lot but yet has the marks of Wrong impression. On The Run is a song that really reminds of Smoke: the piano, her voice and Natalie’s lyrics. On Come On Home she sings with full power though and the instruments are great. When You're Sleeping is a nice track to listen to in the car, the opening of the song is very very classic and beautiful. Honeycomb Child is a scary one, which could easily be used in a horror movie cause of the scary tune.
By mixing Lisa Loeb/Alanis Morissette-like singing with music that sounds similar to a more mainstream Portishead at times, Natalie Imbruglia has become one of the biggest pop sensations in Europe. Her debut album, Left of the Middle, was a major hit in Australia, the U.K., and the U.S. upon its release in early 1998. On her new album this beautiful Australian vocalist/actress/model ventures out to stretch her sound and artistry with a much more layered, mature instrumental backup and remarkably greater confidence. Stuffed with contemporary pop anthems as well as tender, beguiling and utterly winning ballads, the album eloquently showcases Natalie's talents as both a songwriter and wonderfully expressive vocalist. Natalie co-writes 10 of the 12 tracks on the album including the infectious first single Shiver.
Seventeen DaysAway From the Sun's Southern rock flourishes have been broadened to create an album that's purely American, built from meaty power chords and everyman lyrics that search for redemption in plain-faced terms.