Year of the comeback in Australian music

2007 was the year of the comeback in Australian music.

From the reinvention of pop princesses Kylie Minogue and Delta Goodrem, to the reinvigoration of live favourites Silverchair and Grinspoon, and the return of old school favourites The Divinyls and Crowded House, everything old in music was new again.

Goodrem announced her arrival back onto the Australian music scene by ditching the old good-girl image and embracing her inner sex kitten.

Tousled hair, smokey eyes and a more daring wardrobe had all the glossy magazines talking, but her new album, Delta, was full of the same sort of inspirational songs she has built her career on.

The album and its first single, In This Life, both debuted at number one, while another track penned by Goodrem has been recorded by Canadian diva Celine Dion for her comeback album, Taking Chances.

Minogue released her highly anticipated 10th studio album, X, in November, which entered the charts at number one. The album was her first since her well-publicised battle with breast cancer in 2005 and a phenomenal Show Girl tour last year.

Always a master of reinvention, Minogue took on a Marilyn Monroe-esque look in the video for her first single, 2 Hearts.

She's also expected to bring her dancing shoes back home next year with a national tour more than likely.

Silverchair had one of the best years of any Australian artist.

The Newcastle lads' fifth album debuted at number one and they took home five ARIA awards - making the band the most successful ARIA winners of all time.

They toured the country with fellow music heavyweights Powderfinger, picking up accolades wherever they went.

Grinspoon lead singer Phil Jamieson checked himself into rehab for addiction to the drug ice, before the band made a triumphant return to the charts with their album, Alibis And Other Lies.

At the ARIA awards, Jamieson argued their comeback had been the biggest of the year.

"We came back," he said.

"Silverchair kind of came back. Powderfinger never went away."

The original Australian Idol, Guy Sebastian, and boy band Human Nature both cashed in on successful music styles.

The man with the 'fro recorded a Memphis album, and the quartet released their third Motown album with legend Smokey Robinson on board.

Rock legends The Divinyls also returned to the stage in 2007 after 10 years.

While the band never officially split, they stopped performing, and it's been a decade since they toured Australia.

This year Chrissy Amphlett and co released a new single Don't Wanna Do This, and performed to a crowd mostly too young to remember them at the Australian Idol grand final, ripping through Boys In Town.

Amphlett revealed in December that she has the autoimmune disease multiple sclerosis, having been diagnosed about five years ago.

She said she kept her illness secret from everyone but her husband, and after putting a stop to her drinking 11 years ago stressed she did not want people to link her condition with the way she had lived her life in the past.

Idol launched this year's winner Natalie Gauci and runner-up Matt Corby onto the Australian music scene, but only time will tell whether they join the ranks of the show's success stories like Shannon Noll, Damien Leith and Guy Sebastian.

Gauci already has the dishonour of becoming the first Idol winner not to enter the charts at number one with her first single, Here I Am, which debuted in second position.

Crowded House launched their comeback by closing the Sydney leg of the Live Earth concert, with Matt Sherrod replacing drummer Paul Hester, who took his own life in 2005.

A brief power outage halfway through their set couldn't stop the band, as the audience helped carry them along, singing in the dark.

Actress and singer Toni Collette, who played with her band The Finish earlier in the day, called the Crowded House set the highlight of her day.

Missy Higgins, Paul Kelly, Eskimo Joe, Wolfmother and the John Butler Trio also did their bit for the planet by taking part in Live Earth in August.

Not all the stars of the 2007 music scene were old.

A group of teenagers from the Gold Coast made a big impression with their catchy hit, Just A Song About Ping Pong.

Operator Please will be celebrating their hugely successful breakthrough year after picking up an ARIA award, touring internationally, and releasing their debut album - though some in the band will be too young to legally drink to their success.

One of this year's other success stories was Sneaky Sound System, who took over the title of Australia's favourite dance act from Rogue Traders.

The trio of Black Angus, MC Double D and Connie Mitchell were nominated for six ARIA awards - the most of any artist this year - and ended up taking home two.

Keith Urban made his presence felt on the country music charts throughout the year, and thanked his wife Nicole Kidman for her love and inspiration at the ARIA awards. He capped off the year with an Emmy nomination.

Bob Dylan, Elton John, Justin Timberlake, Gwen Stefani, Pink, Beyonce, Good Charlotte, Eric Clapton, Muse, Tori Amos, The Killers, Christina Aguilera, The Cure, and The Pixies were some of the many international acts that toured the country this year.

And many more big names are about to hit our shores, with Bjork, Rage Against The Machine, Michael Buble, Bon Jovi, Celine Dion, Joe Cocker, kd Lang, Iron Maiden, Queens of the Stone Age, Smashing Pumpkins and Kelly Clarkson all confirmed to play shows around the country next year.


source; http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=341237

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