Natalie Imbruglia - Counting Down the Days

The Beautiful Australian Vocalist / Actress / Model's Third Album Arrives Almost Four Years after 2001's "White Lilies Island," which Debuted at No. 35 on the Billboard 200 Chart. Produced by Ben Hillier (Doves, Blur), Imbruglia Ventures Out to Stretch her Sound and Artistry with a Much More Layered, Mature Instrumental Backup and Remarkably Greater Confidence. Musical Guest Appearances on the Tracks Come from Silverchair's Daniel Johns and Faultline's David Kosten, who Co-wrote the Closing Track "Honeycomb Child." Album Details

Like A Fine Glass of Chardonnay : A Mellow Masterpiece

An underrated album from the queen of obscure Australian pop. Natalie Imbruglia has some great tunes in her back catalog, but this is her greatest album, in my opinion. It only spawned one minor hit ("Shiver"), but this 2005 release soars miles higher than her other albums. It's a pity this is still relatively unknown, and the reviews here don't do it much justice.

Its on this album that Natalie finally became a poet. Some of her more earnest tracks (such as the hit "Torn" and the immensely catchy "Big Mistake") were pretty regular pop-rock songs. This entire album on the other hand, is more Adult Contemporary pop with a mellow, folksy quality to it. I'm not normally a fan of this sort of music, but the cool, laid back vibe of this CD is just so easy to get lost in. Just yesterday I let it play all the way through twice, and couldn't wait to let it play through the third time. I was reading a book at the time, and this was the perfect mood music (the book was by Iyanla Vanzant, by the way).

I'm discovering this album at the same time while I'm rediscovering another fantastic album "Bring Me the Workhorse" by female vocalist My Brightest Diamond. Both these albums have that same tender vibe to them, but at the same time they don't play out like chick-flicks. Perhaps this is also why Imbruglia has such a solid male fan base as well, because she is the kind of woman most men would want to listen to. So many of my hardcore male rock-fan friends tend to like Imbruglia's music.

"Shiver" is the obvious starting point on this release, and you can't fault its brilliance (try watching the unedited version of its' music video where Natalie plays a woman on the run). But title track "Counting Down the Days" is equally excellent. My other favorite "Sanctuary" has a sing-along chorus that just works. The opening track has the weakest lyric, but the album more than makes up for it along the way. By the time we get to the final song, "Honeycomb Child" (incidentally, this is perhaps the greatest song Natalie has ever recorded and released), you are in awe at the mastery of the musical form. She really outdid herself on this one, and the stunning songwriting only elevates the project that much more.

Consider this gem of a lyric from "Satisfied":

"This Summertime I have no fury
No Chance of sinking Sailing Ships
If time stood still, I'd take aim and fire for you
For every Ocean there must be shore
On which I'll stand with restless toes
When everything I look for in myself - is in you"

Get this album. It's a lyrical and vocal wonder, and I'd highly recommend picking up a physical copy of it just for the stunning booklet and artwork. There are some fantastic unposed black and white pictures of Natalie within, and the booklet contains lyrics to all the songs. Especially interesting to me were those cryptic fifteen lines of "Honeycomb Child" - what a song that is!

Its rare to find an album worth playing all the way through, and one of which every song speaks to you. This is evidently Natalie's "Love" album, as every song speaks of romantic love, but she cleverly words her songs in such a manner that she could very well be singing about God and the divine. Each song is thus open to some really interesting interpretation - quite engrossing.

Five Stars.

April 3, 2008

Counting Down The Days Is A Great CD!

Natalie Imbruglia continues to make great music and Counting Down The Days is yet another example of how talented this artist is. To sum it up, put this CD in when you are having a bad day and see how quickly your attitude will change. Thanks again to Natalie for this wonderful CD! July 3, 2007

A real gem from Natalie Imbruglia

This CD is a real gem. There must have been some legal reasons why this CD was not sold in the US. But it is well worth the few extra dollars to get the import! I consider it her best album to date. Her first album, "Left of the Middle," had a lot of songs with attitude and "White Lilies Island" was a little calmer, but "Counting Down the Days" is her most mellowest yet. Also, this album seemed to have a clearer direction than the other two albums. Her voice on this record is relaxing and enjoyable, a feast for your ears. My favorite songs on this record are: "Starting Today," "Shiver," "Counting Down the Days," and "When You're Sleeping." These songs are calming yet invigorating at the same time. I think you'll agree that this CD is one of her best yet.

June 15, 2007

All-time best female vocal pop performance? You find it right here (especially in 'On The Run')

No idea what begot people that I saw merely a 4 star average rating for this wonderful album. If you ask me, it is of extremely high quality throught and the song "On The Run" is the single best song by a modern female pop singer that I have ever heard and I have heard rather many, both in private and professional context. Want to hear real emotion in a truly outstanding song? Look no further. That alone suffices as justification for a five star rating. I do not have much with Aussie female pop artists, but I gladly make an exception for Ms Imbruglia, who is not even snob about her performance either, which graces her. March 18, 2007

A Modest Return

When you have an album of such high quality as Natalie Imbruglia's second release, "White Lilies Island," it's hard to match it and, unfortunately, her successor, "Counting Down the Days" changed directions. It's a very acoustic album, almost reminescent of the 1960's. The song "Satisfied" could have been sung by the Beatles; the title track very '60's-sounding snare sound, with a touch of Electric Light Orchestra.

Being a pianist, I tend to like music that is more keyboard based, however, not keyboard dominant - I still like everything in balance. What's disappointing for this reviewer is the lack of variety. Gone are the synths and taking front and center stage is the acoustic guitar. In fact, the dominance of the acoustic guitar is prevalent in almost every one of the twelve tracks on this album. I enjoy the guitar, but not on every song.

Another unfortunate aspect of the album is that its quite lack-luster. Just when you think a song is about to get going, it doesn't. The instrumentation changes little between verses, melodies are repetitive, and it tends to all sound the same, leaving the listener numb. Tracks 5 and 11 are quite boring; track 12, which could have been a cut from a late 1980's Sheena Easton album, opens with an incessant music box sound, which is quite irritating.

There are a few bright moments: the title track has very interesting chord progressions and build; Track 7, "Sanctuary," brings back the sound from her past two albums and has a verse that is in 6/4 time - it works, oddly enough; "On The Run" would not be my first choice for a single because of how dark it sounds, but it's very well written.

If you've purchased Natalie's previous two albums, you'll find that each one is quite different. It's almost as if she's not willing to get stuck in a "style," but is on a musical journey with a destiny that could lead her who knows where. That you have to admire; however, with different producers and song-writing contributors, it is this reviewer's opinion that the album failed to match the level of creativity that it's predecessor did. It seems that it will be one of those albums that you'll either really like or not. Listen to it and you be the judge. March 16, 2007

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