Underrated But Wonderful, White Lilies Island Gives Natalie Imbruglia A Solid Sophomore Album.

The Good: Vocals, Lyrics, Interesting instrumentals
The Bad: Short, Mildly repetitive
The Basics: Decent vocals and catchy tunes make for a pretty solid sophmore effort from Natalie Imbruglia!


Natalie Imbruglia is one of those musical artists who seemed to get nailed with the label "One Hit Wonder" pretty much the minute her single "Torn" hit number one on the charts. "Torn" opened her debut album Left Of The Middle (reviewed here!) big and while there are ample songs on the album that could have been big as well, the album and the artist couldn't place another single that powerfully in the United States again. It is unfortunate that not so many people continued to give Imbruglia the chance; her sophomore album, White Lilies Island is a solid musical effort and it follows up the debut with fewer duds than the first outing.

White Lilies Island is probably best known in the United States for the single "Wrong Impression," which did all right on the adult contemporary charts, but failed to wow pop-rock listeners in 2001 when the album was released. As a result, Natalie Imbruglia seems to have largely faded from the consideration of U.S. audiences. This is unfortunate and listening to White Lilies Island now makes a decent argument for one to give Imbruglia another chance; her style of pop-rock is infectious and surprisingly classy, unlike much of what passes for pop-rock on the radio today.

With twelve tracks, totaling 51:37, White Lilies Island appears to be more of Imbruglia's musical vision than her debut. All of the songs were co-written by Natalie Imbruglia and she provides primary vocals on each track. While she does not play any instruments on the album, nor receive any production credits, the album seems to have the general thematic integrity of the songs written by Imbruglia on her debut.

White Lilies Island is remarkably straightforward in that it is a collection of twelve songs about love and relationships. Right off the bat, Natalie Imbruglia establishes a tone that is captivating by presenting a song that sounds like what it is supposed to be. "That Day" is a frenetic little song about a person who is just in the process of a collapse. The musical protagonist falls down as part of a messy breakdown that leaves her simply looking at the world and reawakening to the simple beauties around her. Musically, it is sloppy and chaotic and it does a wonderful job of illustrating what the song is saying. "That Day" is indicative of the quality of Imbruglia's creative mind on the album; she takes a few risks and they largely pay off.

Perhaps the greatest risk she takes on this fairly heavily produced album - most of the tracks are set to a rich rock and roll sound including guitars, bass, drums and keyboards - is on the album's superlative song, "Hurricane." "Hurricane" puts Imbruglia at the forefront ahead of minimal instrumentals, which forces her voice to carry much of the song. This would normally not be much of a problem, save that "Hurricane" is a fairly repetitive song in terms of poetics. Still, Imbruglia makes it work, even with the repetitions when she sings, "It came on like a hurricane / And I don't understand / And it moved me like a slow dance / Still I don't understand / It pushed me like a tailwind / And I don't understand / And it came in through the back door / And I don't understand / Still I don't understand" ("Hurricane"). Imbruglia makes the repetition work for her, creating a hypnotic track that is haunting and leaves the listener feeling numb, just as the musical protagonist is.

With Imbruglia being branded a one-hit wonder by many, it behooves the listener to try to consider why. For that, I look to the single released from White Lilies Island to try to sell the audience on Imbruglia's Sophomore album. "Torn," the hit from her debut, rocked in part because it had a clear, universal theme. There was a musical protagonist that was broken, confused and hurt. It might well be one of the great breakup songs of the 1990s. White Lilies Island was fronted by the track "Wrong Impression."

"Wrong Impression" has a lot going for it; clear vocals, a fairly infectious pop-tune and a melody that insinuates itself into the listener's mind. The problem with it is that it requires some real attention and a pretty thorough analysis to understand the song. After all, the song is filled with a lot of push-pull motion; it is not the clearest love song in history with its lines like ". . . Haven't you wondered / Why I'm always alone / When you're in my dreams . . . Haven't you wondered / Why you're finding it hard just looking at me . . . Wasn't trying to pull you in the wrong direction . All I wanna do is try and make a connection / Of love" ("Wrong Impression"). Here is a muddled little pop tune where the protagonist feels alone when she dreams of the one she is in love with . . . It's too much thought to be a successful pop song (whatwith most of the music-buying public being young people without any sort of advanced degree in literary analysis). It has the sound, a sugary pop sound, common with many pop hits, but lyrically it fails to make the connection.

Similarly, one of the reasons Imbruglia might be having such a problem following up her declarative hit is that many of her songs simply ask questions. Musings are great for conversations and perhaps a track or two, but they are largely unsatisfying for a musical experience where one is paying to be entertained or enlightened. So, songs like "Sunlight" hold up poorly upon multiple listens as Imbruglia simply asked "Did you ever feel sunlight on your face / Did you ever taste the clouds / Did you ever touch space . . . Did you ever truly live . . . Did you ever breathe hope / Did you ever dance with grace . . ." More than a song that tries to be a simple pop track, the questioning of "Sunlight" becomes rather unfulfilling as a collection of musical musings.

"Sunlight" is the most extreme example of this, though "Do You Love?" is another questioning song. "Goodbye" is a similarly simple song, though the melancholy quality to it is more directly moody than musing. As well, "Satellite" is crippled because the punch of the song is in the asking of a question that goes unanswered by the end of the track.

Fortunately, the album sounds good. White Lilies Island is a well-produced pop-rock album that balances well Imbruglia's mid-range vocals with an impressive array of instruments backing her up. Far from monolithic, the album has sweeping anthemic tracks ("Everything Goes") to near-acoustic songs ("Hurricane"). Much of it is fairly standard guitar and keyboard combinations, but there are catchy tunes.

Moreover, Imbruglia's vocals continue to give her some stretch. She does not remain in the safe territory between alto and soprano, going higher and lower on various tracks in a way that illustrates her willingness to take some musical risks. She is high and musical on "Goodbye" and goes lower for some real gravitas in "Everything Goes."

Anyone who likes strong female artists is likely to find something to enjoy on White Lilies Island.

The best track is "Hurricane," the low point is the unmemorable "Talk In Tongues."

For other works by impressive female solo artists, please visit my reviews of:
The Best Of Sophie B. Hawkins
Glowstars - Heather Nova
The Spirit Room - Michelle Branch

7.5/10

For other music reviews, please check out my Music Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2013, 2008 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Designed For Failure: Why Natalie Imbruglia's "Torn" Made Her A One-Hit Wonder In The U.S.

The Good: Two wonderful songs, Good vocals, A track that is not on the album.
The Bad: Nothing exceptionally new and b-track is intended to be the second single!
The Basics: A disappointing c.d. single, “Torn” includes Natalie Imbruglia’s first and second U.S. hit with an acoustic version of “Torn” that is not quite worth hunting down.


I’m currently in the middle of hunting an agent to sell my television series to a network so some of the many scripts I have been writing might actually see the light of day on television. The process is laughable and heartbreaking at times, most notably when I encounter agents who want me to sell the work to them with things like “Give me the phrase people will use when they tell their neighbor over the fence about the project.” That’s advertising, that’s a completely different skill set from writing. It’s the skill I don't have and I need an agent for. I'm real good at finding agents who won't be a good fit for me. I'm also able to recognize bad business decisions from networks, agents and A&R people. One of the worst business decisions in the music industry in the 1990s had to be the treatment of Natalie Imbruglia, as is evident by her single “Torn.”

First off, for those who have not read my review of Left Of The Middle (reviewed here!), I have generally enjoyed the works of Natalie Imbruglia. I think she should not have been a one-hit wonder and that if her management had been smarter, she would have had the international status of someone like Britney Spears or Christina Aguilera. Seriously. The proof is on the U.S. single for “Torn.” “Torn,” for those who slept through the late 1990s, was a massive hit which introduced Natalie Imbruglia to U.S. audiences as a bona fide pop-rock star. Anyone remember what her follow-up single from Left Of The Middle was? It was “Wishing I Was There,” which is the b-track on “Torn.” The tragedy of Natalie Imbruglia’s career is that her fist single was so big that people who bought it already had the second song that her A&R people were trying to make a hit. This made Imbruglia appear commercially unviable because “Wishing I Was There” did not gain traction on the charts (those who bought “Torn” had already heard it) and her career in the U.S. was pretty much over. The “Torn” single remains on the market as a cautionary tale of picking the right management.

With three tracks, “Torn” is a mixed bag for singer-songwriter Natalie Imbruglia. The first two tracks – the standard release “Torn” and an acoustic version of the same song – were not written by Imbruglia. In fact, it is a cover song she sings and performs guitar on. Her other song, “Wishing I Was There” was co-written by Imbruglia and she plays guitar and sings on it as well. Neither song was produced by Imbruglia, which makes some sense as this was her debut outing. That said, it is a monumental waste of money; outside the acoustic version of “Torn,” these songs are the same as their Left Of The Middle cuts and the acoustic version of “Torn” is hardly worth the expense or effort of hunting the single down.

“Torn” introduces Natalie Imbruglia’s ability to so from sugary soprano to a vocally-powerful diva who is charged with anger and the song is one of the best break-up songs of all time. Backed by screeching guitars in the standard version and quieter guitars which force her voice to convey the energy and angst, Imbruglia belts out the memorable refrain “Nothing's fine I'm torn / I'm all out of faith / This is how I feel / I'm cold and I am shamed / Lying naked on the floor / Illusion never changed / Into something real / I'm wide awake / And I can see / The perfect sky is torn” (“Torn”). The song goes from being an anger charged anthem in its standard release to a melancholy ballad with the acoustic version which is no less heartwrenching.

But what kills this c.d. single – and Imbruglia’s career path – was that her second (U.S.) single release was “Wishing I Was There” which is the only other track on the single. This means that fans who bought “Torn” already had the follow-up, just as if they had bought Left Of The Middle. And by the time “Wishing I Was There” was released, so many copies of “Torn” had been sold it was hard to imaging who didn’t already have the songs! “Wishing I Was There” is not a bad song and it has a lot of the catchy elements most pop tunes seek, like a simple, catchy tune and an obvious rhyme scheme. It has that with its lines “I know, I get cold / Cos I can't leave things well alone / Understand I'm accident prone / Me, I get free / Every night the moon is mine / But when the morning comes / Don't say you love me / Don't say you need me / I really don't think that's fair / Boy I'm not so dumb / But when you leave me / I'll be wishing I, wishing I, wishing I was there” (“Wishing I Was There”).

Three angsty tunes are also a poor use of the c.d. medium. With all of the capacity here, one would have hoped Imbruglia might have filled it out with more tracks, or at least some interesting b-sides. As it stands, this is one of the reasons older c.d. singles aren’t necessarily worth hunting down and only those obsessed with Imbruglia will want this for the acoustic version of “Torn.” For the rest of us, there's always Left Of The Middle.

For other female artists, please be sure to check out my reviews of:
The Beauty Of the Rain - Dar Williams
The Best Damn Thing - Avril Lavigne
Break Every Rule - Tina Turner

3.5/10

For other music reviews, please visit my index page by clicking here!

© 2011, 2010 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.

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With Five Extra Tracks On "Left Of The Middle," Natalie Imbruglia Is Anything But "Torn!"

The Good: Excellent voice, excellent engineering, mostly good lyrics, competant instrumentals
The Bad: Some track organizations, not all albums have the bonus tracks, The GAP!
The Basics: A pleasant surprise by the combined talents of Imbruglia and her producers, buy the 17 track album, enjoy the beginning, leave the room for 12 minutes, then return!

The pre-emptive statement to the actual review here has to be that I'm listening to the Left of the Middle bonus album - that is, there are two versions to Left of the Middle (at least) a 12 track version and one with either a second five-track c.d. or 17 tracks. The 17 track version (or double c.d.) is available in Australia. There are ways to find it and at equal to or less than the 12 track version price. The five extra tracks make a lot of difference!  (The second link at the bottom is for the specific disc I am reviewing!)

That said, Left of the Middle sold in the US on the strength of its sole #1 charting single "Torn." While a few people bought it after "Wishing I Was There" was released and did not have the same - or even near - success of "Torn." "Torn" was an amazing song and a great start to both the album and Natalie Imbruglia's career.

Understandably, Imbruglia released a second single that she had some part in writing. After all, she wanted to be more than a one hit wonder and show that she had more than just vocal and guitar talents. In several other countries, Imbruglia followed up with "Smoke" and if she had in the US perhaps the album would have done better.

Left of the Middle showcases a wide array of themes and emotions and a surprisingly wide sound for all music that is classified as pop-rock. Outside the rocking "Torn," Imbruglia plays mellow and mysterious with the hypnotic "Leave Me Alone" and has some of the best written pop moments in "Smoke." They're two solid tracks. With the bonus tracks, the album is far superior: the acoustic "Tomorrow Morning" will make the album worth the price, it's that good. As well "Diving In the Deep End" is impressive in sound and "Something Better" is perfect for enhancing the overall album sound. Moreover, Imbruglia takes one of her best tracks, "City" and presents it live as the final bonus track and succeeds in doing something few musical artist do; adding something to the song by having multiple versions.

The weakness of the album is easily in the middle. After the wonderful "Smoke," comes the meandering "Pigeons and Crumbs" which probably wouldn't seem as bad as it comes across as had it been sandwiched between two good songs! As it is, it is followed by the equally shaky "Don't You Think" which is followed by the pure pop duds "Impressed" and "Intuition." Imbruglia loads up the beginning of the album and the end (only if you have the bonus edition!) to basically makes something that rocks at the beginning and makes more than an adequate comeback at the end. As it is, without the bonus tracks, "City" and the album's title track are barely enough to break even.

Finally, there is a rather impressive gap between "City" and "Left of the Middle," something on the order of four minutes. It's like the engineers left the room and kept the track running!

In conclusion, Imbruglia manages to do what few others are actually able to accomplish; she takes herself, being of pretty average vocal, instrumental, and lyrical talent and surrounds herself with people who can write and make music and together they create an album that is better than 90% of the stuff that's out there today. The strongest tracks are "Smoke" (which is even better than the amazing "Torn") and "Tomorrow Morning" (which is easily the best song on the album, if only you have the bonus version!) and the weakest link is "Impressed."


7.5/10

For other music reviews of mine, please check out my index page!

© 2010, 2001 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.

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