Reviewed by Pippa Rimmer

This release from Australia has a bluesy/country/jazzy feel with great arrangements and sound production. I knew I had to review it when I noticed its opening track. "Philippa's Song". Musically it's fine - solid horn and organ sounds on the boppy "Words And Pages", twangy country pop guitars take things up a notch on "Don't Let Go", the sensitive sax which opens "Friends", the Cleo Lane slow jazzy feel of "Holding On". But where Natalie hovers around the top half of the scale, I feel the strain. Her voice is much better suited to the sultry, lower tones found on "This Crazy Love", an excellent late night, heady tune which brings out her true colours and takes the strain out of it all. I reckon she'd be a dream in the lower register, where she Iets the passion out. In the rest of the album, she plays it too straight with a lack of soul, which is a great pity. This could really go places if she injected a bit of heart and soul and stuck to the lower end of the scale. Come on Nat! Let rip a little, stir up your soul and get throaty!

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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