"Starting today....I'm not gonna waste another moment....." (Counting Down The Days - Natalie Imbruglia)

Member Name: sparkymarky1973

Product:	Counting Down The Days - Natalie Imbruglia
Date:	12/10/09 (29 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A real hidden gem of an album, Natalie has the voiced of an angel....

Disadvantages: Some tracks may be a bit downbeat and too easy-going for some listeners

Recently, whilst going through my generic MP3 player and having a bit of a sort out (or purge) I came across this little gem of an album; the third from ex-Neighbours star Natalie Inbruglia and easily her strongest offering to date. Listening again to this album for the first time in ages, I remembered why I'd kept this on my MP3 but was mystified as to why I hadn't played it in awhile. I'm guessing it's just one of those albums that tends to get forgotten about and passed by but that just makes hearing it again feel even more like a guilty pleasure.

Beginning with "Starting Today..." the album gets off to a very strong start with easily one of my favourite songs on the album. This track feels a little wistful and dreamy, is easy on the ear and pretty much brings together all the best elements of Natalie's beautiful vocals. This song is followed by "Shiver" which was released as a single to much praise though its success in the charts was at best only moderate. That said this says more about the state in this modern age of todays chart music than it does about this very strong track which I think worked excellently as a single!

"Satisfied" is the third track and, though an okay little number, is not one of my favourites and is the second most likely song I am likely to skip. It almost feels like a filler album track and that is a bit of a shame as Natalie is so much better than this! Thankfully, things get right back up to speed with "Counting Down The Days", which was also released as a single and is much more upbeat and one of the stronger songs to feature on the album. Another of my favourites, this is another good example of what Natalie's vocals are capable of when gifted with the beautiful lyrics she has become famous for.

"I Won't Be Lost" slows things down again but that is no bad thing. Every album needs its slow numbers and though this is a relatively simple song, it is no less effective when complimented by Natalie's softly spoken vocals. "Slow Down" lifts the pace right back up again just in time for "Sanctuary" which, again whilst not a paticulary strong track, is nonetheless pleasent enough.

The rest of the album follows a very similar pattern but "When You Were Sleeping", the penultimate track, is by far my overall favourite. With a very catchy chorus and more simple but very effective lyrics, this song is everything that is great about Natalie Imbruglia and sums up everything I love about her and this album. This almost feels like it should be the final song on the album but unfortunately this is followed by "Honeycomb Girl" which is the true closer! "Honeycomb Girl" is the song I am most likely to skip over and almost feels a little tacked on the end. As a B-side, no doubt it probably works but something about it just doesn't gel as an album track. Still if this the weakest moment of the album then that isn't a bad thing because the rest of this Cd is a real pleasure to listen to.

Easy-going but extremely unoffensive, this is one of those albums that all Natalie Imbruglia fans really should own! I saw her live at Norwich UEA when she was promoting this album and it was an experience I shall never forget! Natalie comes over as a little shy, a little timid when performing on the big stage and this is an image enhanced by this album. Listening to this feels at times like going on a very personal journey and you can just tell from listening carefully to the lyricss on this album that Natalie has put a lot of personal experience, emotions and memories into many of the tracks on this album. And I think that is perhaps why it works so well and why discovering this again has been such a pleasure for me. One thing is for certain, I won't be leaving it so long before I listen to it again! I may even dig out her first break-through album again because listening to this makes me want to experience all Natalie's back-catalogue all over again!

Summary: Natalie's relatively successful third album!