Natalie D-Napoleon
After the Flood
Syrinx Music; November 2007
This arresting recording, the first U.S. release from Australian singer/songwriter Natalie D-Napoleon, offers up a delectable selection of energetic alt-country gems. The former Flavour of the Month vocalist ably accompanies herself on guitar, amid support from some of western Australia’s finest musicians (Month of Sundays’ drummer Terry Preston, Honey bassist Ian Campbell, prolific pedal steel player Ian Simpson, and guitarist Kilian Albrecht). D-Napoleon’s throaty, gin-clear voice soars on such resonant songs as the infectiously upbeat title track, the languid, brooding “Slow Burn,” and the pensive “How Seamless (Seemed Love).” Her writing is infused with passion and fervor, making After the Flood both a reflective and adventurous rompa tempting harbinger of D-Napoleon’s future Santa Barbara appearances. (For more on Natalie D-Napoleon, see here.)
