Music
Press
"Having just returned from the United States, for forty-five minutes the Perth-based singer-songwriter threw forth an enchanting offering of country tinged laments.
While she may be wandering the more reflective end of the emotional specturm through her soaring vocals and their impassioned delivery, D-Napoleon echantingly makes a forlorn heart a very attractive proposition." - Rolling Stone
"...one play of this EP is not enough.
'After the Flood' is a beautifully beguiling solo debut from Natalie D-Napoleon, who has directly changed the face of country music. With a mix of passionate lyrics, delivered with an enchanting voice that makes this EP a small token of what this artist can do and which we hope to have more of in the future." - www.perthsounds.com
"As the evening drew to a close Leonard Cohen collaborator and Santa-Barbara based singer/songwriter Julie Christensen lent some countrified harmonies to the chorus of 'After the Flood', fittingly titled, for now the floodgates of D-Napoleon's enormous talent have been opened on either side of the Pacific, we can hope to hear a lot more from her on this end." - Santa Barbara Independent
"Tonight however it was Natalie D-Napoleon with the Mojave’s finest. Her music sat seamlessly beside compositions from some of the finest writers currently on offer. Having only previously performed her material solo and acoustic, it was also a revelation to hear her music given a full band treatment in the live area. And of course it didn’t hurt to have Victoria Williams and Craig Stark blazing on electric guitar behind her. Sunday evenings at Pappy & Harriet’s are renowned for throwing forth a surprise or two. But rarely are they as sweet as the one served up on this night." - X-Press Magazine
"This arresting recording, release from Australian singer/songwriter Natalie D-Napoleon, offers up a delectable selection of energetic alt-country gems....
Her writing is infused with passion and fervor, making 'After the Flood' both a reflective and adventurous romp - a tempting harbinger of Napoleon's future Santa Barbara appearances." - Santa Barbara Independent
"Natalie's vocals hover and resonate with welcome articulation, graceful breathing and intensity.
[She] delivers a sound that is the unforgettable culmination of harmonies and musical orchestration that carry the tunes to their ever changing sensory destination...exquisite songs, plain and simple." - Hype Magazine
Napoleon could well put the Australian town of Fremantle on the country-western map. Raised in this working class town near Perth and raised on Croatian folk songs and American Standards like "Blue Bayou" singer-songwriter-musician Napoeon (family legend has it that she's related to Bonaparte) makes her mark on the country music scene with original lyrics, impassioned delivery and lamenting reflection on the human condition...... - Montery County Weekly
Discography
Bloom - "The Cable Thing"
Independent (1997)
Flavour of the Month - "Fear of Falling"
Treadmill (2001)
Natalie D-Napoleon - "After the Flood"
MGM (2007)
Natalie D-Napoleon - "Here in California"
Foghorn Records (2009)
Natalie D-Napoleon - "Leaving Me Dry"
Household Ink Record, (2012)
Compilations:
Kiss My WAMI, "Daisygrinding", WAM (2001)
Zipped Up and Down Under, "Daisygrinding", Zip Records (2001)
Pop On Top, "Sweetness Melting", Zip Records, (2002)
Dead Fox Compilation, "Slow Burn", Hooked Up Records (2008)
HomeGrown Roots 3, "Slow Burn", Foghorn Records (2008)
HomeGrown Roots 4, "To Her Door", Foghorn Records (2008)
Sounds Like Cafe, "To Her Door", Foghorn Records (2009)
Under the Covers, "You Shook Me All Night Long", ABC Music (2011)
Photos
Bio
Natalie has dedicated a career to exploring a meandering path through Americana. Having been a staple of the Perth music scene for well over ten years, her evolution through ensembles such as Bloom and Flavor of the Month saw her sharing her time between California and Western Australia before she settled in Santa Barbara, California.
She has more recently made her mark on American roots music through recordings such as “After the Flood” and “Here in California”.
Since releasing the two EPs, Natalie has toured America, playing shows with a diverse array of musical icons like Kenny Edwards, Victoria Williams, Mark Olson (The Jayhawks), John Doe, Glen Phillips and Todd Snider.
Having received a prestigious Western Australian Department of Culture and the Arts Music Production Grant, Natalie recently recorded her album in Santa Barbara.
Recorded at the famed Sound Design Studios, which has given rise to recordings by Beck, Radiohead and Depeche Mode, the album’s production was helmed by David Piltch. Having worked closely with the likes of kd lang, Madeleine Peyroux and Bonnie Raitt, Piltch quickly got to the heart of Natalie’s musical message.
A cast of musicians was duly assembled, the pedigree of which equaled their talents. With Piltch on bass, Linda Ronstadt’s longtime sideman, Kenny Edwards, contributed guitars and mandolin. The album would ultimately be Edwards’ last recorded statement prior to his untimely passing.
Aaron Sterling (Fiona Apple/John Mayer) handled drums and percussion while Dan Phillips (Glen Phillips) played piano, Hammond B3 and sung. Melanie Robinson (Tim Rogers/Gurramul) contributed cello, Phil Parlapiano (Grant Lee Buffalo/Lucinda Williams) accordion and banjo, Greg Leisz (Wilco/Sheryl Crow) pedal steel and folk icon Victoria Williams stopped by to play banjo and add backing vocals.
From Edwards’ rollicking electric guitar on the spritely “With the Speed of Love,” through to Victoria Williams’ bounding banjo and backing vocals on “The Well Song,” Dan Phillips’ plaintive piano and Melanie Robinson’s haunting cello on “Leave a Light On,” to Greg Leisz’s melancholic pedal steel on “The Birds and the Trees,” the roots-infused orchestration on Leaving Me Dry poignantly underpins Natalie’s emotive serenades about love lost, love found and the long roads traveled to find redemption.
Opportunities like those that heralded the production of Leaving Me Dry don’t come along very often. Fittingly, neither does an album like this.
Links
