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FEATURE MUSIC

Missy Higgins The Sound of White (20th Anniversary Edition) W hen Missy Higgins was still at high school, her sister entered one of her

at number one in September 2004, and returned to the top spot four months later, before spending another week on top in May 2005. All up, it spent seven weeks at number one, sold 700,000 copies, and won six ARIA Awards, including 'Album of the Year'. The 20th anniversary edition includes a live disc of all the songs plus one bonus track – a cover of the classic torch song Cry Me a River , featuring Higgins’ brother David on piano.

songs, All for Believing , in Triple J’s Unearthed competition. “Being at boarding school, I was a little bit detached from the real world and I’d never heard of Unearthed ,” the singer told us in 2004. “Then I got a call at school, saying I’d won.” Suddenly, Higgins was on the radio, with record companies chasing her signature. Worried that a major label would try to turn her into the next Britney Spears, she decided to decamp – going backpacking through Europe. Two years later, her debut album arrived, exhibiting a steely creative vision with songs raw and honest, sung in an Aussie accent. The impact was immediate. The Sound of White entered the ARIA charts

generation of Australian female artists. As Gordi said, praising the album’s honesty: “With nothing to hide and everything to give.” (Universal) Jeff Jenkins

Listening to The Sound of White 20 years on, you can hear how it influenced the next

out april 19

OUT MARCH 29

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