Natalie d Napoleon

​Natalie D-Napoleon (from the album You Wanted to Be the Shore but Instead You Were the Sea available as a self-release) (by Chris Wheatley)
By her own account, Australian/American singer-songwriter Natalie D-Napoleon took an entirely new approach for her latest album. ‘All my life I've written 'personal' songs’. After a while it burnt me out’. Retreating to the front porch of her 100-year-old Californian cottage, D-Napoleon sought a gentler form of inspiration. ‘I sat there and wrote and wrote and wrote. As the songs began to flow, a theme emerged — I was telling stories of women that passed me by. Women have long been the muse in song-writing, but it’s been a very one-dimensional view. Rarely have our complexities been portrayed — I wanted to change that’. It's an admirable sentiment, and a rich vein to be mined by this thoughtful artist who is also a literal poet (in 2018 she was awarded the Bruce Dawe National Poetry Prize for her poem First Blood: A Sestina). For this set of songs, her first new material in eight years, Natalie D-Napoleon is joined by James Connolly on bass/co-production duties, Doug Pettibone on guitars and mandolin, and Dan Phillips on piano and percussion.
Opener “Thunder Rumor” makes for a startling beginning, a dark and moody rolling tune that swaggers with old Americana style. Some fine acoustic guitar playing counterpoints nicely against rumbling drums, deep bass, and crashing overtones. Natalie D-Napoleon's voice has an old Country/Folk feel, capable of enough focused energy to shine through this dense arrangement of considerable power. D-Napoleon's new-found approach clearly resulted in an emotionally cathartic experience. Through this track and others, her expressive strength burns bright. “Oh, How to Break a Spell”, which begins as a quieter, more reflective piece, is no less engaging. Acoustic guitar does a fine job of driving this song, which unfurls into a wide-open chorus full of lovely bowed strings, piano adornments, and heavy, intense percussion.
This juxtaposition of Natalie D-Napoleon's light and subtle yet heartfelt vocals against a large and far-reaching backdrop results in some striking music. It's a wonder so few musicians can create such a 'big' sound. “No Longer Mine” shuffles and rattles with tambourine beats, more of that percussive acoustic guitar, and a rising/falling arrangement which dips and swells with reverberating strength. A jaunty, almost sing-a-long, chorus fits nicely into the mix. ‘I thought she was your sister, until I saw you kiss her’ sings D-Napoleon, and it is indeed refreshing to hear the 'other side of the story'. The title track is a stormy, stark, and lovely Country-Folk ballad. Pedal-steel flourishes sparkle around the edges of a warm blanket of sound before the song whips itself into a mighty whirlwind. Through it all, it is Natalie D-Napoleon's voice which does a remarkable job of anchoring the music, retaining a personal connection to the listener, and keeping the large-scale drama at once also intimate and moving.
“Mother of Exiles” continues this vein of impassioned, grand musical statements married to highly individual, nuanced lyric and delivery. Natalie D-Napoleon echoes the humanity found in classic Folk songs from around the world with an earthy, Rootsy feel dialed up to maximum. This balance between fierce, stomping sounds and ageless Country vibes has been done before but perhaps not with the delicacy of touch and earnest songwriting which Natalie D-Napoleon brings. There's no show-boating on display, just unfeigned passion welling up from that deep spring which lies within us all: the desire to make sense of the world and of our place in it. That's what much Roots music is about and, if such is your taste, you can't go for wrong with You Wanted to Be the Shore but Instead You Were the Sea.
Listen and buy the music of Natalie D-Napoleon from AMAZON
 
For more information, bounce over to the Natalie D-Napoleon website

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