Come To Life

The press have been unkind to Natalie Imbruglia's latest album, and even her fans have given it mixed reviews. Sales have been slow in her native country - a mere 700 units sold in over the launch weekend - resulting in a thrice delayed release in the UK.

It is certainly true to say that to scale the heights of her earlier studio album Counting Down the Days would be a tall order, and perhaps we have all been guilty unfair comparisons. CDtD was Natalie's magnum opus, every track a carefully crafted masterpiece of unbridled, joyous pop music. It is true to say that Come To Life doesn't come close to living up to that reputation, but there is still enjoyment in what is presented.

The opener, My God is a typical up-tempo Imbruglia track, bouncing along happily without thought or sophistication, and with a foot-tap inducing bass line. Lukas, the signature track accompanied with a couple of acoustic guitars and an operatic chorus more reminiscent of the warblings of Mariah Carey, suggests that this album has great potential. The third track, Fun isn't - a slow lament on the fallout of the singer's infidelity - and remains impassioned and emotional.

Twenty is back to familiar pop anthem territory and the first demerit point, never quite capturing the zeitgeist. Scars is similar to Fun and tells, with the accompaniment of the acoustic guitars, the incompatibility between two lovers. Again Natalie flips between slow and fast tracks with the poppy vibe Want - an unmoving ditty lacking a decent hook that never quite gets off the ground.

WYUT is bordering on 1980s Hi-NRG - Hazel Dean eat your heart out! A guaranteed dance-floor filler. Cameo really shouldn't have made the cut and is ample proof of the paucity of the material on offer. Another dreamy ballad All the Roses follows, sung with passion and verve, whilst the final track Wild About It, with its chanting chorus is a rousing finale to an album, which in places, but not with the required frequency, engages and pleases.

By no means a basket-case, by no means a classic.