Sony Music Australia
Release Date: April 5th 2024
Reviewed by: Jonathan Andre
Shannon Noll – That’s What I’m Talking About (20th Anniversary Collectors Edition) (Amazon mp3/iTunes)
Track Listing:
Disc 1:
- Drive
- New Beginning
- What About Me
- Burn
- Sittin Pretty
- Learn To Fly
- Promises
- Tune In
- Prove
- Wise
- The Way She Loved Me
- The Way That I Feel
Disc 2:
- No Time
- Don’t You Wanna Stay
- Lift
- Shine
- Now I Run
- Lonely
- Won’t Let You Go
- Don’t Give Up (feat. Natalie Bassingthwaite)
- In Pieces
- Loud
- Drive (Live 2004)
- Learn To Fly (Live 2004)
- Wise (Live 2004)
- Better Be Home Soon (Live 2004)
- With Or Without You (Live 2004)
- Working Class Man (Live 2004)
- What About Me (Live 2004)
- Angels Brought Me Here
Shannon Noll has been in and around the music industry for quite some time. Since being the runner-up to Guy Sebastian (winner of Australian Idol, season 1) all those years ago in 2003; Shannon has been delivering powerful country/rock melodies over the years- songs like ‘Lift’, ‘Shine’, ‘What About Me’, ‘Now I Run’, ‘Learn to Fly’, ‘Drive’, ‘Everybody Needs a Little Help’, ‘In Pieces’, ‘Switch Me On’, ‘Living In Stereo’ and ‘Who I Am’ are just some of the many standout songs by Shannon over the years. We as a site reviewed Shannon’s acoustic album Raw, back in 2021, and since that time, Shannon has delivered another new-ish offering. That’s What I’m Talking About (20th Anniversary Collector’s Edition) released on April 5th 2024, and while this album is technically 20 years old, this 20th anniversary homage is a reminder, that music from yesteryear can still challenge and impact, all these years later. Standing at 30 tracks, this 2 disc album consists of the original remastered 2004 album, alongside live recordings of some of his standout radio-friendly songs throughout the years, as well as Shannon’s own version of Guy’s first radio hit, ‘Angels Brought Me Here’; to name a few.
Now let me just say from the outset, that this isn’t really your typical review per-se. Because disc 1 is the remastered album from 20 years ago, and disc 2 consists of standout songs from previous Shannon Noll albums, to say ‘yes, this song that was on an album years ago and is now present here on this deluxe edition album’ can seem like a real cop-out, so I won’t do that. Instead, do check out reviews of the original 2004 Shannon Noll album That’s What I’m Talking About, but what I will say about this 20th anniversary album is this- this is for anyone who has been a casual listener of Shannon Noll, or have just generally followed him on the radio, and want a ‘starting point’ of listening to this country-rock artist. It has the 2004 album in full, plus a few songs from the rest of his career, to get the listener started on the Shannon Noll journey. You can still be an avid listener of Shannon and enjoy this album, or you can be a casual listener of this underrated singer, like me (I actually haven’t heard a single studio album of Shannon’s, from start to finish, until That’s What I’m Talking About– RAW was an acoustic ‘best of’ project); and still enjoy this 2 disc album as well. Will this make me go back and listen to the rest of Shannon’s previous music? Maybe. But all in all, listening to these 30 songs has made me excited for Australian country music, in general. Yes, there’s Keith Urban, and yes, there’s The McClymonts, but maybe, just maybe, there’s something about Shannon’s music, that has me getting excited about other Aussie country singers- from Kasey Chambers, Amber Lawrence, Caitlyn Shadbolt and Colin Buchannan; to Steve Grace, Jasmine Rae, Kirsty Lee Akers and Kaylee Bell; to name a few.
Just one glance through the the track list of this 30 track album, and we can see some familiar songs throughout this double disc set. ‘Shine’, ‘Lift’, and ‘What About Me’ have all been on the radio throughout the 2000s, whilst tracks like ‘Drive’, ‘Now I Run’, ‘Learn to Fly’, ‘Loud’, ‘Lonely’, ‘Pieces’ and ‘Don’t Give Up’ are all present in this double disc album as well. And while I haven’t really listened much to Shannon’s music in the past (aside from ‘What About Me’, ‘Lift’ and ‘Shine’), I feel very much at home with these songs- there’s a sense of familiarity with these songs, even if I know I haven’t really heard them before. ‘Lift’ encourages us all to lift ourselves up from situations and circumstances that get us down…or at least allow ourselves to be vulnerable to even ask for help from others, and then they can lift us up on our behalf; while ‘Shine’ encourages us to be the impactful people that we are and it radiate our light and who are are as people, in the darkest of places that we can often find ourselves in. ‘What About Me’ a cover from the Australian rock band Moving Pictures; reminds us to not overlook the different, the downtrodden, and the people who often are the ones who are the most marginalised; whilst the Peter Gabriel cover ‘Don’t Give Up’ is given an Aussie twist, with Shannon dueting with Natalie Bassingthwaite to deliver a track that encourages us to not give up even in the moments when we may feel as though giving up seems the most ‘logical’ option- a song like that, hopefully encourages us to keep going, for the sake of ourselves, our family, friends and people in our lives that impact us the most. Then there’s Shannon’s own version of ‘Angels Brought Me Here’. While I myself still enjoy Guy’s version all the more, this version is unique and different. It may grow on me in time, but right now, I’ll stick with Guy’s version until…well, I’m sick of that, and then I’ll move onto Shannon’s rendition?
If someone said a few years ago, that I’d be reviewing Shannon Noll albums, I probably wouldn’t have believed them. Then again, I don’t think I would’ve predicted that I would listen to country artists like The Shires, Lindsay Ell, Lady A, Little Big Town, and Sugarland, nor Australian artists like Missy Higgins, Caitlyn Shadbolt, John Farnham, and Vanessa Amorosi…so I guess there’s that. Shannon’s music is…country rock, I guess? There’s a hint of Aussie country gospel star Steve Grace in Shannon’s voice, and maybe that’s a good thing, because I grew up on Steve Grace and his music- so I guess listening to Shannon’s music shouldn’t be all that different? That’s What I’m Talking About was a good experience, an unexpected one, and one that has made me appreciate Australian music all the more. Now, time to listen to more of Shannon, or hop right over to artists like Caitlyn Shadbolt or Amber Lawrence? Whatever the case, this is a perfect artist to check out, if you want some good ‘ol country rock in your system, and an Aussie artist at that. Well done Shannon for this 20th anniversary album, one that can hopefully be a starting point for others into the realms of Aussle rock, and into the realms of Shannon, the artist, arguably one of the Australia’s most underrated within the last 20 years or so.
5 songs to listen to: Learn to Fly, Drive, Don’t Give Up, Lift, Now I Run
Score: 5/5
RIYL: Guy Sebastian, Lee Kernaghan, Jessica Mauboy, Natalie Bassingthwaite, Sheppard, Steve Grace, The McClymonts, Keith Urban