Three years on from storming her homeland with her incredible debut, 'What To Do With Daylight', one of New Zealand's great young singer/songwriter's, Brooke Fraser, returns with her eagerly-anticipated second studio album 'Albertine'. Recorded in LA with producer Marshall Altman, engineer Joe Zook and a stellar line-up of the world's finest musicians, 'Albertine' delivers 12 gorgeous new gems, stamped with an air of new found maturity and worldliness. Featuring the single 'Deciphering Me', this is immaculately crafted pop that will stand the test of time for all the right reasons. The album is named after a Rwandan orphan she met on a recent trip to Africa.
*Having originally been released in New Zealand on December 1, 2006, Albertine was released on May 27, 2008 in the United States.
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Almost Perfect| Posted October 23, 2008
New Zealand native Brooke Fraser, the writer and singer of Hillsong United?s Hosanna, Lead Me To The Cross and None But Jesus is my clear cut top new female Christian singer in the last 2 years. Her vocals are so great you can get lost in just listening to her sing, but that is a bonus as the songs on Albertine have some of the strongest lyrics of the year. Brooke's songwriting is deep and challenging like Sara Groves and fellow CCM newcomer Joy Whitlock and her voice is stunning like CCM stand-out singers Christy Nockels (Watermark), Tiffany Arbuckle-Lee (Plumb) and Canadian singer Sarah McLachlan, whom are all my favorite female singer-songwriters.
Opening track Shadowfeet is one of my favorite songs of the year, both musically and lyrically and really showcases Brooke's excellent singing voice. The bridge "You make all things new" will have you singing along in worship. First single Deciphering Me is a nice upbeat love song and very introspective. Love Is Waiting is beautiful and biblical and will certainly be used at weddings. The title song Albertine is named for an orphan in Rwanda with whom Brooke has a special bond. The lyrics and music are stunning on the song in particular this stanza: "Now that I have seen, I am responsible, Faith without deeds is dead, Now that I have held you, In my own arms, I cannot let go `til you are". Some other stand-out songs are Faithful, Hosea's Wife and Hymn. A song I keep coming back to is C.S. Lewis Song, an amazing ballad with a tribute to the Christian author's Screwtape Letters, which includes these challenging words: "There are two kinds of people: those who say to God, "Thy will be done," and those to whom God says, "All right, then, have it your way". Brooke writes and sings these amazing lyrics in the bridge of C.S. Lewis Song: "For we, we are not long here, Our time is but a breath, So we better breathe it, And I, I was made to live, I was made to love, I was made to know You". WOW! Absolutely amazing.
Brooke's album is almost perfect and is worthy of award consideration, and she is my choice for best new artist 2008.
Hope that Brooke Fraser's "Epilogue" is far away| Posted September 04, 2008
There was a lot of hype surrounding one of Hillsong’s vocalists, Brooke Fraser sophomore album, Albertine. Fraser struck gold in New Zealand with her music and the reception of Albertine has been glowing. In New Zealand there is no distention between Christian and secular music which allows her to send her messages to a wider audience.
Albertine’s music is mainly adult contemporary with some praise and worship and alternative mixed in. Fraser’s voice is the first thing that stands out about her as she can easily carry a song on her own, but thankfully she doesn’t have too on the single “shadow feet” a piano driven light pop track which really shines. "Hosea's Wife" is an impressive ballad where the her voice gets rather emotional plus the chorus is impressive. While musically “deciphering me” starts slow the album progresses at the second time through the verse in the acoustic song and “hymn” is an inspiring piano driven ballad.
The instrumental “epilogue” is really a instrumental intermission though it does have some impressive electronic hints. Though Fraser’s vocals are very passionate and many of her ballads are smooth and attractive, some are too simple and even others are almost lullabies. “The thief” is almost entirely lifeless except for her vocals, while the light pop “love where is your fire” contains plenty of emotion the tunes changes little, “seeds”, which undergoes a long after a long intro, doesn’t challenge the listeners. The title track has a great finish but it really stalls at the start of the song.
Though Brooke Fraser may enjoy success on both sides of the musical scene it’s pretty clear by just looking at her song titles who she is singing fore, although there are a few more relationship songs than is preferable. “Hymn” and “faithful” are both God centered tracks but they tend to be at the weakest side of her song writing. Among the good lyrics are Fraser’s stance in when things go bad ‘When the world has fallen out from under me /I'll be found in you, still standing’, and her reluctance to be lukewarm (‘Some urge me to be temperate /Lukewarm will never do’) (“shadow feet” and “love where is your fire”). Intelligence is required to understand some of her messages like “C.S. Lewis song” and “Albertine” which is about a Rwandan orphan she met on a trip to Africa.
"Hosea's Wife" is depressing song because it depicts man’s depravity very well but it does offer hope on the ultimate question (‘We are more than just/Blood and emotions /Inklings and notions /Atoms on oceans’). It’s pleasant to see Fraser include God in her girl/guy songs in the song “deciphering me” (‘It's truth, it's truth that shows us /If we'll walk in His light’); what’s not so pleasant is the amount of time she spends on relationship songs. “the Thief” depicts a lover in a questionable light so it’s unclear whether her relenting to him is good or bad ‘You're breaking into my heart/and I’m letting you” and we could have done without “love is waiting” which states includes the incredibly insightful following: ‘Honey hold on if you can /The bets are getting surer now /That you're my man’.
Brooke Fraser does a sparkling job of carrying a song with her voice, and for the most part her music is very solid with a few dull exceptions. It’s similar with her lyrics where some are deep, some are simple but still focused on the Truth, and others could have been scratched. Albertine hits a bull’s eye for the adult contemporary crowd but it may be too boring musically to attract a huge following yet.
GREAT ALBUM| Posted December 31, 2009
Brooke has a top 5 STAR album with Albertine. Her vocals are so amazing but then the lyrics to her songs are just as good and that is saying a lot! The album starts out with Shadowfeet which is a cool song that displays her wonderful voice. Love is Waiting is a very romantic song. She even writes a wonderful song to pay respects to CS Lewis which is very thought provoking. The title track is also one of my favorites. This was a great CD that will stand up to the test of time.
love, love, love brooke fraser!| Posted March 05, 2009
Every song shows just how amazing her voice is. Not only does she have a great voice, but she also has extremely thought-provoking lyrics. You can't go wrong with brooke fraser!
A+++++++| Posted March 04, 2009
This Cd is such a great album. Here is why: It is creative-lyrics make you think. She creates music that is not found in alot of other music. I might be somewhat biased because I work with the company that distributes her product. Still, when she was with Hillsong United, she had alot of cool music. This is her second CD
Very few artists have the kind of quality that she has.
The second reason why this CD is great is that she makes every song a hit because in each song is something that is different. I think of her as someone who has painted a nice picture with this CD. Seeing her live and meeting her last year was quite the deal.
The third reason is Shadowfeet. I cannot get that song out of my head. She has so many memorable songs that go with you throughout your day.
That is the true mark of a great album.
The fourth reason is she is nominated for artists of the year. Good enough if not better than that.
The fifth reason is that her vocals come across so clear as crystal.
That is the list of why you need this album.
the voice behind "Lead me to the Cross"| Posted June 04, 2008
I love Hillsong United and in listening to their music, I couldn't help but wonder who was the amazing voice behind "Lead Me to the Cross" and "Hosanna". Through a little online research, I learned it was Brooke Fraser. I was able to find her "Albertine" album on iTunes and bought it right away. It is a wonderful album that demonstrates how talented of a singer Brooke truly is and I couldn't believe I'd never heard of her before. I love the message of the song "Albertine" and enjoy listening to the album at work because of its soothing tone. If you enjoy Brooke's work with Hillsong United, buy this album on iTunes or Amazon.com... you will not be disappointed!
Truly Talented.| Posted June 03, 2008
"Albertine", by Brooke Fraser, is an incredibly well crafted album, sung by an incredibly talented singer/songwriter. At times her sound resembles Nichole Nordeman, sometimes Sarah McLachlin, and still at other times a bit like Sara Groves - which is nothing to balk at. All three of those ladies have an immense talent for writing thought-provoking songs and then delivering them in a way that always leaves me hitting the repeat button - and now, so too does Brooke. Her sound is a wonderful combo of alternative/folk/adult contemporary, and is artistic yet fully accessible at the same time.
I thought I had only just recently heard of her, but then realized I was already a fan from her songs, "Lead Me to the Cross" and "None But Jesus", which were penned for the Hillsong team. Surprise, surprise - just goes to show I should read the liner notes more often. :-)
The standout tracks for me on this album are, "Shadowfeet", "Deciphering Me", "Albertine", "C.S. Lewis Song" and "Hymn".
I highly recommend this album to anyone who loves artists who seamlessly blend art and faith, and do so with heart!
P.S. - Check out her very cool video to "Shadowfeet" at; http://www.myspace.com/brookefraser
Nostalgia| Posted March 24, 2008
This album is near and dear to my heart and is the soundtrack of the life I lived in New Zealand for 9 months. Brooke was introduced to me through my church down there and I instantly fell in love with her lyrics and the passion of her music. The story behind Albertine touches my heart. The album became my Friday Cleaning music and I brought it back to the States and have spread the love. I can't wait until the rest of America gets to know her amazing talent and falls in love with her.
Amazing talent| Posted February 25, 2008
Hearing the songs 'Shadowfeet' and 'Albertine' I was amazed by the beautiful voice of Brooke Fraser. Knowing she sings in the band Hillsong United I knew: I must get to know her own music.
On her website and myspace you can listen to the songs mentioned and also to 'Deciphering Me' and some songs of her debut album. I did that and decided to buy her album.
It was quite difficult to get it because it is (was?) only available in New Zealand/Australia. I was lucky being able to order it on a Dutch website (Bol.com).
About the album now: I really like her voice and the songs. Almost every song has a kind of climax where it works to, especially 'Albertine' and 'C.S. Lewis Song'.
You can hear Brooke's passion for music, for people and for God in her songs. As well in her voice as in the lyrics. The same goes for the musicians: you can hear their passion in the music they make.
This album is great when you want to wake up slowly or being tired after a day hard work.
Summarizing: this is a relaxed album! Great lyrics, great voice, great musicians!
Apart from all this: her story behind the title of the album and the title song of the album is great!
amazing| Posted August 10, 2007
This album is already doing well in Australia and New Zealand, i predict the rest of the world will be hearing a lot more of it. Brooke's voice is beautiful but its her songwriting that makes this album shine. She manages to craft songs that are deep and spiritually themed without ever sounding preachy. There's way too many good songs to start naming favourites. Its well worth the effort to find a copy.
Albertine is Awesome| Posted August 07, 2007
A friend of mine from New Zealand recently introduced this CD to me, and I absolutely fell in love with it! Brooke Fraser has an amazing voice with such a soothing sound, yet her message is a very powerful one as well.
With songs like, "Deciphering Me," and "Albertine" on the CD, you can't go wrong. If you can manage to get this CD in America, you should totally go for it because every single track is great!
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