One More Addiction! (Left Of The Middle - Natalie Imbruglia)

Member Name: jatkinson100

Product:	Left Of The Middle - Natalie Imbruglia
Date:	08/12/00 (67 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great songs by a great singer - this album is a gem!

Disadvantages: SHE HASN'T DONE ANYTHING SINCE!!!!

Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan, Cell Block H, Rolf "Can You Tell What it is Yet?" Harris, being descended from crimianls, Castlemaine XXXX.... Forget all of that now as the Antipodes have got something to be truly proud of. Ms. Imbruglia, please stand up,... and sing.

Natale Imbruglia leapt onto our screens as a bit of a "dag" (no, I don't know what one of them is either)in Home & Away, fitting in well with the cast by pretending to be a poor actress of sub-mollusk intellect (definiton of: Soap Star - Australian - Australian Soap Star - Home Ec. Teacher). She then re-appeared, just as we were getting used to not seeing her being involved in Pippa's getting her 3,278 foster kids off of drugs and into becoming positive members of the community, she returned in her second guise, this time as a singer.

For me it was strange. I heard Torn and thought "what a great song, I wonder who its by?", and at the same time heard that yet another soap actress from Down-Under had made the regrettable decision not to stay there and would rather like to bother my ear drums with some pathetic wailing about how great love is, how wonderful they are, whilat praying that their awful accent, clinically enhanced looks, and pearly white chompers would surfice in the absence of any discernable talent. Not for the first time in my life, I was wrong,... big time!

The music completely obliterates Ms. Imbruglia's first incarnation of a pretty young Aussie actress dancing to the beat of a second rate script writer's drum, and shows that she is an intelligent, articulate and talented artist.

Torn is the first song on the album, and the best known and best acclaimed. Speaking about the loss of love in her life, Imbruglia uses her soft, yet very powerful voice to turn such a difficult subject into a great song, one to listen to and to sing-along to. This beautiful song gives the oft used cliche of lost love a new twist, a
nd a sharp, refreshing, and excellent one at that.

Big Mistake was the other single, again about the loss of love (but what else happened in Summer Bay?). After being treated badly by her partner, she takes revenge, making him the submissive partner, and becoming dominant enough to let go of someone she obviously loves. The lyrics are wonderful, and the music, for the most part, complements them well. This song shows her talent as a singer off more than most as she has to be both soft and loud, whilst remaining powerful throughout. She does this brilliantly, and doesn't fail to move the listener.

Wishing I Was There is more pop-rock, a bit of a Roxette like track (nothing wrong with that!). It is a lot faster, and generally more upbeat, than the previous two songs. Imbruglia sings about leaving her boyfriend (shock, horror), but this time their temporary parting after a date, hence the "Wishing I was there with you". As I said, more pop-like than meaningful, it still is a good song, and one I really enjoy.

Smoke is a great song by anyone's standards. The piano and drums are strong enough to provide a great beat and wonderful music, yet understated enough to let Imbruglia's voice shine through, as it does brilliantly. The music swells and falls with her voice, but her voice is always clear and sure, rising far figher than the instruments, who provide a plateau rather than competition.

I really enjoy Pigeons and Crumbs too, another soft one, yet still strong and powerful. Imbruglia sings softly with, rather than against, quite a powerful beat and strong instruments, but her voice is clearly heard without losing an understated quality. The lyrics are beautiful, and only go to complement her voice.

On a couple (and no more than a couple) of the other songs she seems to be trying to be a bit of a new-Minogue (post-teenypop stage), but it is the fact that she isn't is why she was such a big hit with me
, and Impressed and Leave Me Alone are a bit of a disappointment, although, in all honesty, I do still listen to them.

The album throughout is a gem. The music differs greatly from soft ballads to quite strong rock-like tracks, with Imbruglia's voice rising to, and conquering, each new challenge. The real down side to this album is that it was so good that she tried to broker an improved deal on its strength (especially in the US where they hadn't heard of her previously). Her attempts failed and, at least for the moment, she seems happy living on her well deserved pay-packet from this album until RCA come to their senses and drop a veritable truck load of cash at her door.

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