Delta Goodrem is one of Australia’s most successful singer-songwriters and it’s hard to believe that she’s been making music for 20 years. The 38-year-old rose to fame when was cast as Nina Tucker in the long-running soap ‘Neighbours’, shortly after the failure of her debut single ‘I Don’t Care’ on the Australian charts. Through her ‘Neighbours’ role, Goodrem was given the opportunity to perform her songs on the show and she launched her global smash ‘Born to Try’ in an episode in 2002. Things soon rocketed for the singer and she released her debut album ‘Innocent Eyes’ in March 2003.
‘Innocent Eyes’ was a swift departure from the bubblegum early noughties pop of ‘I Don’t Care’, a song which incidentally wasn’t included on the final album track listing, and positioned Goodrem as a singer-songwriter, often seated at the piano for her performances. For the album she worked with Take That star Gary Barlow, Eliot Kennedy (Take That, Spice Girls), Ric Wake (Celine Dion) and John Fields (Pink), and a handful of other songwriters and producers. The end result was a collection of songs that showcased more maturity than you’d expect an 18-year-old to have. These aren’t throwaway songs, there are lyrically rich stories that were mostly co-written by Goodrem.
Lead single, and opening track, ‘Born to Try’ encapsulated the sound that Goodrem had developed; it’s a positive and uplifting song that her fans could relate to and find inspiration in. The song became Goodrem’s first chart-topper in Australia and it peaked at number 3 here in the UK. It also paved the way for a very successful string of singles with follow-ups ‘Lost Without You’, ‘Innocent Eyes’, ‘Not Me, Not I’ and ‘Predictable’ all reaching number 1 in Australia. The album was certified 15x Platinum there and it reached 3x Platinum in the UK, with more than 900,000 copies sold.
It was clear from ‘Born to Try’ that Goodrem wasn’t trying to translate her acting fame into a successful music career without the talent to back it up, like so many have tried. Possessing an incredibly powerful and versatile voice, Goodrem quickly established with this album that she’s the real deal. The other 13 songs on the record allowed Goodrem to show off her many different sides including the darker title track ‘Innocent Eyes’, the spine-tingling piano-led ‘Not Me, Not I’ and the more uptempo pop/rock of ‘Running Away’. ‘Lost Without You’, one of the album’s many hits, saw Goodrem shift from the inspirational sound of ‘Born To Try’ to a more emotionally-charged mid-tempo ballad that proved irresistible to radio at the time.
Some of the album’s softer moments are when Goodrem shines the brightest. ‘In My Own Time’, a song about trying to get to grips with life changing, is one of the most personal moments on the record, while ‘A Year Ago Today’, which was supposed to be the album’s first single, reflects on the wisdom that comes with time and experience. Album closer ‘Will You Fall For Me?’ features one of Goodrem’s best vocals on the record and really showcases just how powerful a singer she is.
This 20th anniversary edition of ‘Innocent Eyes’ is pressed on 180 gram 2-LP crystal clear vinyl. Limited to only 2000 individually numbered copies, the glossy gatefold features the album’s original artwork along with the song credits and a number of colour photos of Goodrem from the era.
‘Innocent Eyes’ is quite rightly considered to be a defining album in both Goodrem’s career and in Australian music history. Goodrem forged her own path with this record and she beat the odds in terms of transitioning from soap star to global popstar. ‘Innocent Eyes’ set the foundation for a career that has been, and continues to be, incredibly successful. It’s a testament to the strength of the album, and the appeal of Goodrem, that even when she had to step out of the limelight to battle cancer, the album continued to sell by the bucketload and produce hits. ‘Innocent Eyes’ is one of those debut albums that has stood the test of time and it set an impossibly high bar for Goodrem to reach with her future releases.
Track list: Side A – 1. Born to Try 2. Innocent Eyes 3. Not Me, Not I Side B – 1. Throw It Away 2. Lost Without You 3. Predictable Side C – 1. Butterfly 2. My Big Mistake 3. This Is Not Me Side D – 1. Running Away 2. A Year Ago Today 3. Longer 4. Will You Fall For Me Record label: Music on Vinyl Release date: 6th October 2023 Buy ‘Innocent Eyes’ now
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