Natalie Imbruglia - Albums Collection 1997-2009 (5CD)

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Natalie Imbruglia - Albums Collection 1997-2009 (5CD)

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By mixing Lisa Loeb/Alanis Morissette-like singing with music that sounds similar to a more mainstream Portishead at times, Natalie Imbruglia became one of the biggest pop sensations in Europe. Born in Sydney, Australia, on February 4, 1975, Imbruglia was one of four sisters and grew up in a tiny beach town. After becoming a teen actress and landing a spot on the Australian soap opera Neighbours, Imbruglia decided that she would rather be a singer, and moved to London in 1996 to try her luck. It was a wise move, as she was soon signed to the RCA U.K. label. Deciding to release a single before her full-length debut, the track "Torn" was issued in 1997, and no one could have predicted its wild success. Produced by former Cure member Phil Thornalley and written by Ednaswap, the single spent a total of 14 weeks at number one, sold over a million copies, and broke the record for most airplay in U.K. history. 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. Follow-up singles "Smoke" and the album's title track did moderately well, but never achieved massive success like "Torn." After whirlwind praise, Imbruglia disappeared for the rest of the '90s. She found herself battling writer's block while trying to compose material for a sophomore effort, but finally succeeded and, in 2001, released White Lilies Island in the U.K. The album's debut single, "That Day," was a favorite among radio play. A nearly four-year wait preceded the release of Counting Down the Days. Alongside Coldplay's "Speed of Sound" and James Blunt's "You're Beautiful," Imbruglia's song "Shiver" was nominated for the Ivor Novello Award in the PRS most-performed work category in 2006.

Biography by Greg Prato, Allmusic.com

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Natalie Imbruglia - Albums Collection 1997-2009 (5CD)

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Natalie Imbruglia - Albums Collection 1997-2009 (5CD)

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Expectations for Natalie Imbruglia's debut album, Left of the Middle, were high because of the runaway success of the pre-album single "Torn" during 1997-1998. Fans of the single will be pleased to hear that the album is quite similar in approach and sound to the breakthrough single: laid-back alt-pop with sweetly melodic vocals. Admittedly, some of the material will be seen as pop fluff by certain listeners, but fans of popular latter-day female artists like Paula Cole, Sheryl Crow, and Meredith Brooks will find Imbruglia's debut most enjoyable. What separates Imbruglia from the aforementioned artists is her willingness to experiment with electronic sounds, no doubt courtesy of mixer Nigel Godrich (of Radiohead fame), which can be heard on such tracks as "Smoke." "Torn" proves to be the best song on the album, with its bouncy acoustic feel, but the pop/rocker "Big Mistake" is almost as good. Not all of the material on Left of the Middle fares as well, however, such as the Alanis Morissette sound-alike "Intuition," but Imbruglia need not worry about being lumped into the copycat category; for the most part, she has a style all her own.

Review by Greg Prato, Allmusic.com

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Natalie Imbruglia - Albums Collection 1997-2009 (5CD)

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Natalie Imbruglia was an instant charm with her 1998 debut single, Torn, and expectations for a follow-up to Left of the Middle were practically immediate. Imbruglia wasn't quick to rush, however. Instead of investing in the quick pop sound she made popular on her first album, she took her time in redefining herself as a songwriter with substance. Four years after becoming an international star, Imbruglia emerged with her finest work to date with White Lilies Island. It's a record that breathes something pure, and one can sense that she has complete control, lyrically and musically. Her spiritual and emotional connection remains the same, and White Lilies Island is her reflection of the reinvention. "Wrong Impression" is sweet with its twangy guitar riffs, and Imbruglia's softness is deceiving. She's quite dark, and challenges typical notions of love and acceptance. "Beauty on the Fire" and the heavy romance of "Do You Love" continue the fight. "That Day" and "Sunlight" are strikingly edgy, and Imbruglia's simplicity and energy are intoxicating. She couldn't have rushed this album. Imbruglia has made a brilliant pop record – contemporary, yet timeless. White Lilies Island would have suffered without Natalie Imbruglia's perfectionism, and it would have lost sight of the elegance it so perfectly exudes.

Review by MacKenzie Wilson, Allmusic.com

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Natalie Imbruglia - Albums Collection 1997-2009 (5CD)

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Arguably the best of the plethora of soap stars turned pop stars, Natalie Imbruglia appears to have performed a rather frustrating musical U-turn for her third album. Whereas her difficult but underrated sophomore effort understandably attempted to break away from the commercial acoustic pop sound that saw "Torn" become one of the biggest singles of the '90s, Counting Down the Days actively embraces it. Whether this is a conscious decision to rekindle her former multi-platinum transatlantic success, or whether Imbruglia is just in a happier songwriting frame of mind, it's still a confusing and disappointing change in direction. For all the bittersweet melancholy and dark undertones of White Lilies Island suggested an interesting career ahead, yet only on a few occasions does Counting Down the Days veer into this territory. Instead, the majority is made up of fairly inoffensive radio-friendly pop songs such as opener "Starting Today" and the Eg White-produced "Perfectly," both of which are little more than "Torn" Mark Two. Even the presence of husband Daniel Johns, formerly of grunge outfit Silverchair, on production duties, can't save the Beatlesque "Satisfied" from lapsing into blandness. But when Imbruglia is allowed to stray from this formula, she excels. "Shiver" is a charming and obvious lead single fully worthy of its huge airplay success; the title track with its chiming bells sounds like a lost Christmas classic, and the brooding "Come on Home," with its chorus of "we can fall apart together" effortlessly manages to pull at the heartstrings. And as an artist, Imbruglia has never sounded better. The breathy Alanis imitations of her debut have now been replaced by understated but self-assured vocals that are able to convey intensity and warmth in equal measures. None more so than on the album's highlight, the Björk-influenced "Honeycomb Child." With its enchanting mix of music boxes, violins, and electronica, it sounds like it appeared from a different record entirely and is proof that Imbruglia can pull off edgier material when she wants to. Counting Down the Days will undoubtedly be a commercial success but its play-it-safe attitude undoes some of the good work done by its predecessor. A few more risks next time wouldn't go amiss.

Review by Jon O'Brien, Allmusic.com

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Natalie Imbruglia - Albums Collection 1997-2009 (5CD)

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What was impressive about the Natalie Imbruglia album Glorious: The Singles 1997-2007 was that Imbruglia had a writing or co-writing credit on 13 of the 14 tracks, the only one not penned by her being the one that started it all, the classic "Torn." Starting at the most unlikely source as an actress on the daytime TV soap opera Neighbours (although it had produced singing stars a decade earlier with Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan), Imbruglia had carved out a singing career with a series of pop/rock singles with superb melodies, although never managing to top the exquisiteness of the single "Torn." So after three successful albums, Left of the Middle, White Lilies Island, and the number one Counting Down the Days, her record company, BMG, released this greatest-hits compilation to sum up her career to date and also move into the future with a smattering of new tracks not previously on the three albums. All nine of her singles were included – which had already been featured on the three studio albums – as well as "Glorious," the first single released from this collection. No doubt to give an impression that this was a new album as well as a greatest-hits compilation, "Glorious" kicked off the proceedings as the opening track, followed by those nine earlier singles. The track order was a compromise reached between the artist and her record company, with the four new tracks all bringing up the rear. Of these four, "Amelia" was an ethereal, haunting ballad and "Be with You," "Against the Wall," and "Stuck on the Moon" were midtempo AOR songs. She may search another lifetime and never find another song like "Torn."

Review by Sharon Mawer, Allmusic.com

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Natalie Imbruglia - Albums Collection 1997-2009 (5CD)

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Moving on from Daniel Johns both personally and creatively, Natalie Imbruglia aligns herself with Coldplay for her fourth album, Come to Life. The band gave her "Lukas," a Viva la Vida outtake complete with a Brian Eno production, while Chris Martin co-writes "Fun" and the Kylie-flavored "Want," but their influence extends beyond a couple of songs, seeping into even the thumping club beats of "Cameo" and the shuffling closer "Wild About It," as well as rippling through the ballads. Martin's chilly, anthemic touch is a natural fit for Imbruglia, who has always favored high-thread-count fashions for upscale cocktail parties, and always manages to inject unexpected warmth and emotion underneath the surface style. Come to Life benefits from this knack, as well as from sturdy pop songwriting, managing to evoke her "Torn" heyday while feeling modern, which is a nifty trick indeed.

Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Allmusic.com