Albertine [PA]

Performer: Brooke Fraser
Distributor: Redeye Music Distribution

Notes: On the strength of her 2003 debut, WHAT TO DO WITH DAYLIGHT, Brooke Fraser became one of New Zealand's top-selling artists of all time. Given the massive commercial success of her first effort, expectations were high for ALBERTINE, its follow-up. The album is reflective, intimate, and filled with fine songwriting. Fraser shares musical territory with such American adult alternative singer-songwriters as Norah Jones and Tori Amos, and her impressive voice and skills as a tunesmith indicate she might soon be sharing space on the charts with them. "Shadowfeet," "Deciphering Me," and "Love is Waiting" are among the highlights. The early 21st century has seen a wave of female artists that seem to have been influenced by Tori Amos, but have given Amos' piano-heavy approach a much more apparent pop spin. Case in point, Brooke Fraser, and her 2008 U.S. debut, Albertine. Already quite popular in her homeland of New Zealand (where her 2003 debut, What to Do with Daylight, has spawned several hits and awards), Fraser's sound is quite similar to U.S. pop artists of the American Idol era. No doubt Fraser certainly possesses a heck of a voice (as evidenced by such tracks as "Deciphering Me"), and can also cook up tunes that should have no problem crossing over to the upper reaches of the U.S. pop charts (the slightly Norah Jones-ish "Lover, Where is Your Fire"). However, as with the majority of pop/rock acts of the modern era, there's nothing all that musically groundbreaking that would make Albertine stick out from the rest of the pack. That said, as her first domestic release, Albertine does indeed show great promise, and could certainly serve as a building block towards something special. Keep your peepers peeled. ~ Greg Prato

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