Natalie Imbruglia

This CD is 50 minutes and 46 seconds long. I bought this CD when I worked at Goodwill. It was on sale plus my employee discount; so I got it for next to nothing. I mainly bought for change in pace in music style. This is not a bad CD to listen to. The songs are a joy to listed to and she has an excellent voice. If I listen to more of her songs on the radio, I might have given it the five stars. Since this is my first CD that I own of her, then I must stick with the four stars.

This was an album I had back in the day, Natalie Imbruglia's Left of the Middle had a lot of potential to be a great pop record but unfortantely many of the tracks fall flat. Songs I do appreciate are Torn, Big Mistake, Wishing I was There, Smoke, and Left of the Middle. The rest of the songs are aimless filler. Imbruglia does have a gorgeous voice but her inconsistent songwriting drags these songs down. This album is an oldie but not so goodie. Nice try Natalie!

While it is a good album, none of the songs are as great as Torn. But maybe it's because when I listen to Torn, it still feels the same as the first time I listened to it when I was 7 years old. I'm 17 now. Natalie's other albums are much better. I'd recommend White Lilies Island over this.

Natalie's very pretty, and has a voice that doesn't grate. The problem is that the only compelling song on the album is a prettified pop version of Anne Preven's "Torn." As recorded by Anne with Ednaswap, Torn is a gut-wrenching masterpiece - and not even Natalie's handlers could remove all of the emotion from the song. Listen to Left of the Middle five or six times some night, call me in the morning, and I'll defy you to sing or hum any other piece on it. I'll stick with the original, thank you.

Natalie Imbruglia is one of those artists that invariably "requires repeated plays". I'll admit to never being a big fan of this kind of music, and it's to her credit that admist all the messages, she manages to get some pretty fine tracks in here.

If you're a fan of downtempo and fairly deep subject matter with a dash of poppiness, you're going to love this. Me, I was able to find enough positives to give it 4 stars.

Favorite tracks: Wishing I Was There, Intuition, One More Addiction, Smoke, City
Good tracks: Big Mistake, Leave Me Alone, Don't You Think, Impressed, Left of the Middle
Least favorite track: Pigeons and Crumbs

(Not touching Torn...the number of times it's been overplayed, there's no way in hell I can objectively judge it.)

Song writers do their best work when something dramatic occurs in their lives. Natalie is fabulous, her voice enchanting, and her lyrics ranging from inspirational to haunting at times! Put it in and don't skip! Let the words and music engage you... I replayed this entire CD for 6 months before I ever put in another one. I simply love her!!

She writes her songs like she is in your head (thinking your thoughts). Beautiful and twisted at times. She is full of life and full of inspiration!

Nothing like music for women that makes us feel alive, teary, empowered...

THANKS Natalie!!!

As of this date, Natalie Imbruglia's "White Lilies Island" album is by far the best of her three solo albums. Released in 2001, it spawned the modest hit "Wrong Impression," which, though far superior to her first album, only went platinum.

When I purchased this album, I took a big risk. I really liked her single "Torn" off of "Left of the Middle," but didn't care for the rest of the album - it had too much of the "Alanis Morrisette" sound for my tastes. Despite this, I really liked her voice, so I purchased her second release.

What makes this album so awesome? She has raised the bar ten-fold with diversity and quality. The melodies on most of the album are quite beautiful, rising and falling with each phrase. Add to that Natalie's beautiful tone quality and vocal control and you have the makings to a phenomenal album.

Then there's the arrangements, which are creatively superb. My favorite tracks are "Beauty on the Fire," "Do You Love," and "Goodbye." All of these tracks incorporate modern synth sounds that are not overdone, but utilized at the proper moment. These three tracks also display a pleasurable balance of distorted guitar against the keys. The latter, "Goodbye," with its long, flowing melody shows off the depth of Natalie's range. Perhaps it's her accent or good training, but her use of proper vocal diction is prevalent on all three of these tunes, particularly "Beauty on the Fire." This song is extremely interesting with all of the cool synth effects.

Of the other nine tracks, there is a great balance between ballads and pop, between keys and guitars. Tracks one and three are very acoustic-guitar based; track 12, "Come September," is a well written ballad with great dynamic and instrumental contrast; track nine incorporates the distorted guitar again with a heavy edge. It's an album that doesn't leave the listener bored, but enjoying it all the way. Yes, there are a few tracks that I don't care for, but that's easily forgotten because the majority of the material is so well written and arranged.

If you liked her first single "Torn," you must give this album a listen. It's in the same vein of quality - you will not be disappointed.

The lyrical work on this CD is outstanding.. Natalie obviously knows how it is being on the darker side of life at times, and myself occasionally becoming depressed.. I was really able to relate to all the songs and lyrics.

Standouts are "That Day" & "Come September", which are very powerful in their delivery & give you a feeling that everything will one day day be alright.. while other songs such as "Talk In Tongues" & "Goodbye" can really set you off into a melancholy mood for days. Then songs like "Wrong Impression", "Sunlight", & "Satellite" are perfect for the radio & everyday listening.

Every song is a gem and is one of my favorite albums of all time. People who can't appreciate it have obviously never been through a tough time in their life, thus not being able to relate to the songs' meanings.

GET IT!!!

"I cannot catch my breath
so throw the beauty on the fire
don't push too much..."

If you are having "one of those days" and something happens that you can't control, the first song on this album is amusing and healing. "I'm right and I'm wrong and it's beautiful." There is such an acceptance of the natural flow of life and woven with angelic appeal all while living on the edge.

The entire has that listen to this on a lazy summer afternoon feel. Casual textures and dreamy vocals within a somewhat occasional chaotic (That Day/Sunlight) yet melodic (Do You Love?/Goodbye) musical landscape give this artistic appeal.

~The Rebecca Review

this CD includes all of natalie's singles. natalie is certainly multitalented! she acts well and sings good! the songs are great, mostly with an upbeat tune. i love all the songs here. the lead single here is "glorious".

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

Apparently married life suits Natalie Imbruglia.

After getting married in 2003 to the Silverchair frontman, the Australian pop singer/actress seems much happier and more secure. The evidence: "Counting Down the Days," her third album. Apparently the child-voiced singer is no longer "Torn," as she was in her debut, but is now "Satisfied."

"Starting today/I'm not gonna waste another moment/Even if I had had the chance before/I would have blown it," she sings at the start of the album, over a simple, upbeat little pop tune that is half keyboard, half acoustic guitar. That note carries over to songs where she talks a lot about home, "falling apart together," and the loneliness of long-distance relationships.

Those songs give Imbruglia's music a more , not the sort of "I met a guy and I'm crazy about him" love songs. The exception is "Shiver," a catchy song obviously destined for singledom. "Cause I shiver/I just break up/When I'm near you/It all gets out of hand." Catchy, yet rather trite.

Not every song focuses on marital bliss, however. "Satisfied" exposes worries about the future: "This knot could come undone/no matter how we try to keep it tied," she sings over a deceptively perky pop backdrop. Well, I gotta admit, who likes an all-happy collection of love songs?

It must count for something that the producer for Blur and the Doves, Ben Hillier, did work on "Counting Down the Days." The pop songs here tend to stick to ordinary guitar riffs, many of them acoustic-based -- a nice change of pace from the majority of light pop. Additionally, they are given some bells, organs and electronic flourishes.

Imbruglia's voice hasn't changed too much -- she still has that girlish Kylie-Minogue kind of voice. Not much of a range, but not unpleasant to the ear. She's able to carry off most of the songs here, though the writing descends to unpleasantly gooey in places. "You talk so much sense/when you're sleeping"? Adoring-the-sleeping-lover songs are overdone enough, without a line like that.

Expect a happier -- yet slightly insecure -- Natalie Imbruglia in "Counting Down the Days." Has several writing weaknesses, but a pleasant enough listen.

After first hearing "Torn" on the radio, and then coming to Amazon to 'sample' the rest of the songs - I decided it was a CD to buy. I usually buy the whole CD - and to date have never downloaded a song.
With many CD's I wish I had just downloaded a few songs - but not with this one. A high percentage of the songs are very good.
Natalie has a good mix of rhythm and style. Her voice portrays emotion well, and I like how it sounds. No point arguing the case for any musician on how they rank against each other - everyone's taste varies.
You can listen to it at low volume and enjoy it - or pump it up and feel her soul coming through.
And when you listen to "Torn" - hold the cover in your hand and look at her eyes.
Oh... and when you buy it - get "White Lilies Island" too. Well worth it. However - I wasn't impressed enough with "Counting Down the Days" to buy it yet. Need a chance to listen to it.

Recomended 100%!!!
Bought this in cassette form when it was recently released - now have it on cd and on my compter to listen to at all times. A pop style mix, this is the type of music you want to listen to when you are in almost any mood! "Torn" is perfect for breakups, "smoke" for relaxing, etc. You just can`t help but memorize the lyrics and sing along out loud!
One of the very few cd`s I have been holding onto and listening to over and over again for years...!!! (another great cd is milla jovovich`s "the divine comedy")

"I want you to love me
but you don't want to love me
I'm losing patience now
Oh leave me alone
Stop asking for more"
~Leave Me Alone

"Torn" is the song you hear on the radio constantly and is only a brief introduction to the musical talents of Natalie Imbruglia. In fact, her White Lilies Island album songs should be on the radio more. The rest of her songs seem much more edgy and beautiful than the hit playing daily.

Leave Me Alone has interesting nostalgic and electronic moments. It seems to skip through time periods and countries. Wishing I Was There moves from sweet and sensual to sexy and sometimes mischievous and then cold and independent. All her emotions are on display.

Natalie Imbruglia's music seems like the music
you listen to when you want to be alone and dip into
contemplation.

"Don't say you love me
Don't say you need me
I really don't think that's fair."
~Wishing I Was There

~The Rebecca Review

This CD is AMAZING , from the words to the musics diversity, this CD is sure to win over many fans. Whatever you do, don't skip the best songs (IMHO), they are as follows (in order of favorite), 1.Smoke 2.Diving in the deep end 3. City (live version) & 4. Leave me alone. Go out and buy this great CD, you WONT be dissapointed.

I have the CD and i would like to say that all her songs are realistic. As if based on life itself.

I won't be able to put it into words, but this is one of my favorite CDs. I thoroughly enjoyed "Left of The Middle" and "White Lillies Island," and this compillation includes some of the best tracks from those two collections, as well as "Glorious," and several other of my favorites. When words fail, I resort to lists:

1.) Natalie Imbruglia is wonderfully unique. She is like no one else, and I love her individuality. Her voice is so pure and fine. I enjoy listening carefully to some of the tracks like "Glorious," "Beauty on Fire," and "Torn," trying to absorb the sweet vocal sounds she makes, particularly when the instruments back off a little. I'd like her to do more 'a cappella' singing. It would be so fine.

2.) I like to consider the person behind the music. Here is a tiny little woman born with the burden of a magnificent face - a face that distances most women, and freaks out most men. She has spoken of her battle with depression. She has recently ended a long relationship. I imagine Natalie Imbruglia as someone born on a planet much nicer than this one, flying across the galaxy, landing here on earth with all its challenges and loneliness. But what does she do? She fights on, and the rest of us are the better for it, because she continues to share her wonderful music.

3.) Listen to "Glorius." Its a song of courage. We all have a choice of soaking in the misery of the past, or moving forward. Natalie is courageously moving forward because she knows there is something better, and her attitude will make it so.

4.) Stong production. Great song writing and cover selections. Powerful, clear and dynamic musical accompanyment, while at the same time giving Natalie the space to share the finest of her vocal talent.

Thats how I see it. Thank you for landing on my planet, Natalie.

Listening to this Greatest Hits collection, one is amazed at just how many truly great songs Natalie has in her back catalog. I could probably have just thought of about three good singles, but with the release of this collection, one stands corrected - and its evident that there are many more songs she's released that are worthy of their `classic' tag.

Though "Torn" is often considered Imbruglia's big single (and commercially, it was), the best single here by far is "Wishing I Was There". This song sounds like something Alanis Morissette would die to record, and from the exceptionally crafted verse to the breakdown to the soaring chorus - this is the perfect pop-rock song. Everything else on the record just pales in comparison. Close on the heels of this song, is the equally stellar "Big Mistake". This song is notorious for its slow buildup leading to a climax of a chorus - much in the vein of Bjorks' "Its Oh So Quiet".

Yet, some of the other singles here, most noticeably from Imbruglia's underrated "White Lilies Island" album, seem to have aged very gracefully - though a bit `90s sounding in their production, these are all sing-along numbers that Jon Bon Jovi would feel right at home with. When Natalie slows down the tempo, things get even better. Most interesting is her "Smoke" - a true Natalie classic, and the best slower song on the album.

What about her new single "Glorious"? Well, the song was recorded especially for this Hits album, and actually opens the album. As a tune, its average, but Natalie's unique voice and modulation make this one sound much better with repeat listenings. Not sure yet if this can be called a `classic', but it is certainly a song that is well deserving of its' position on this compilation.

Lets face it - Natalie Imbruglia is not a super duper rock star, but she's perhaps the only former supermodel and TV actress who currently makes meat-and-potatoes pop-rock music. This is not Led Zeppelin - instead, its light and frothy Adult Contemporary rock music with a pop edge, and if you like Alanis Morissette, Bon Jovi, Nickelback, Milla Jovovich and Imogen Heap, then you will grow to love every single track.

Five Stars. Rediscovering Imbruglia has been one of this years' top musical highlights!

The Real Dream Come True, almost 10 years dreaming and trying to get all natalie's Videos in one place, of course at the beggining in a VHS tape, and and now is finally here..The DVD with all Natalie's Videos including the 2 versions of Wishing I Was There...is really for me a Dream, THE dream come true

the sound is great even when is not 5.1, and the picture quality is great too for a music videos DVD. Region Free and NTSC, maybe they should put the Closed Captions or a subtitle Track with the lyrics

You Never Have To Keep Your Fingers Crossed, With Nat. She Has That All-Around "It" That Most Popstars Lack In One Way Or Another, But With Hip-Hop Overbearing The Airwaves At The Moment "It" Goes Un-Recognized. Needless To Say, Natalie's Sound Does Not Stand A Chance On Mainstream (Pop) Radio At This Time. Someday When Hip-Hop Dies Down A Bit There'll Be More Hope For Our Modern-Pop/Rock Divas Once Again, Can't Wait.

Wrapping It Up, There Are 5 New Surprises For You Towards The End Of This CD, Much Like The Arrangements Of "Glorious", The Springy/Summery Airy Sound Remains. If You Don't own This Collection Already You Should Be Ashamed Of Yourself And Purchase This At Once. You Won't Regret It.

Although best known for her major hit Torn, she is a very capable vocalist. I was not familiar with many of the tracks on this CD before hearing it today, and there were many pleasant surprises. The sound engineering is consistently excellent, and her vocals are steady. She has a somewhat unique voice that is very pleasant. The DVD is a nice plus.

I was a little disappointed when Natalie came out with a singles CD, but when I learned it included all of her videos on DVD, I figured it was worth it. The 4 new songs are a nice addition. The videos are great, but many are the version shown in England and lack the polish of big budget American videos, but are well worth having at that quality level. They are far superior to anything that is available for download. This "greatest hits" CD is well the money and is a nice addition to any Imbruglia fan. (meaning anyone who can actually spell Imbruglia)