White Lilies Island

#01 THAT DAY : This is a nice entrance to the cd. It grows on you after two listens. Nice arrangement, beautifully sung. It was however a mistake to release it as a single in Europe. The song is about escaping from all the pain that is in your life. 9/10

#02 BEAUTY ON THE FIRE : This song is a little dancy compared to the rest of the album, especially in it's excellent radio mix, included on the single (which also includes three amazing b-sides and the splendid video). Fresh and catchy, it is one of my favourites. 10/10

#03 SATELLITE : Quite good, but not great. It offers some fine 'Hawaiian' beats, and it is very catchy. It's feel however is quite bubblegumpoppish. 7/10

#04 DO YOU LOVE : This one was a grower for me, although the chorus is very catchy. The melody is haunting. The meaning is however quite vague, something about avoiding a person fall into chaos. 8/10

#05 WRONG IMPRESSION : Ah, the album version of the UK #10 song. It's different from the radio mix which is heard in the video, less catchy. Don't play it too often, if you don't want it to become dull. 7/10

#06 GOODBYE : This song is very very great. Depressive but great. As it builds tension, the sound becomes much rockier. The song is, yes, about saying goodbye. 9/10

#07 EVERYTHING GOES : Another good song, has a nice 'paradise' feel, is however somewhat unremarkable among the other songs. 8/10

#08 HURRICANE : Slow and beautiful. "You're all that I could be/And I'm falling on my knees", you are likely to play this song every time you play the cd. 9/10

#09 SUNLIGHT : Another favourite, could have been a single. Very catchy and grown-up, respected the lyrics: Natalie tells us to enjoy the small good things in life, like sunlight on your face. She is right. 10/10

#10 TALK IN TONGUES : An amazing song, with some nice vocals (especially when singing "Crying like a baby"). Not very catchy. 9/10

#11 BUTTERFLIES : As 'White Lilies Island' fades to an end, the songs build more and more melancholy and maturity. Like 'Goodbye', the sound becomes fuller towards the end. I don't know why not many people like it. It rocks. 10/10

#12 COME SEPTEMBER : Everybody is holding his breath for this. A song full of hope, with a fantastic orchestral arrangement. 10/10

Average: 8.83/10. That's five stars! If you don't already have it, you should go buy it immediately!

"White Lilies Island" is Natalie's second album and was released in 2002. Not unlike her first, it has an indie / guitar feel to it. Three singles were released from it - "That Day", "Wrong Impression" and Beauty on the Fire" - and all twelve tracks see Natalie with a co-writing credit. While none of the singles as instantly memorable as "Torn", they are strong tracks and give a good indication of the overall 'sound' of the album.

Of the singles, I liked "Wrong Impression" the best - I'd consider it to be one of the best tracks on the album. However, there are several tracks at least its equal, and some that I think would've been better choices as the album's singles. "Sunlight" springs straight to mind - the singing style used by Natalie and the guitar playing comes together superbly. For me, it has the best 'hook' on the album. "Butterflies" comes very close to being my favourite song on the album, starting off acoustically before becoming a little more energetic. It's not an entirely up-tempo album though - three songs in the middle of the album are a little more laid back. I'd describe "Goodbye" as the album's slow and moody song. "Everything Goes", a very strong song, keeps the guitars plugged in - but also adds some strings and a strong acoustic element. "Hurricane", the last of the three, takes a similar approach, though it feels a bit more introspective.

An excellent album, and highly recommended. I really can't understand how she doesn't have a higher profile !

I think one of the reasons why the album sold less was because of the first single "That Day" - by far one of the weakest songs on the album. I nearly didn't buy this album because I wasn't struck on this song - but thankfully I was pleased to see the rest of the album follows the similar style of "Wrong Impression" and "Beauty On The Fire"

I'd probably say my least favourite song is "Butterflies" because it's not quite so instantly catchy as most of the others.

Virtually all the tracks stand out, but I have to say my highlights are "Beauty On The Fire", "Wrong Impression", "Sunlight" and "Come September".

So if you like beautifully sung irrisistably catchy pop/rock, then this album is DEFINATELY for you!

2 - B