We've only been covering New Zealand singer-songwriter Brooke Fraser for a few months now, but as far as being a new name, she's anything but. In fact Brooke's already released three full-length albums (her first was released in 2003), and is quite a substantial artist in New Zealand and around the world as she's mostly known for her 2010 hit "Something In The Water". However, if you're wondering why you've never heard of her music until now, it's likely because every album she's released up to Brutal Romantic has prominently been country-pop (a sound most of us [presumably] don't listen to). For whatever reason, Brooke's completely switched her style up with her fourth studio album, Brutal Romantic, and it's now more electronic-based. Epic crescendos and huge dynamics create wonderful, modern-sounding backdrops for Brooke to absolutely dominate with her awe-inspiring vocals, and her thick-with-substance songwriting shines through, too. From our point of view, we're loving her newfound direction, and we think she's made the right choice with her sonic switch-up, because Brutal Romantic is very impressive. From the album, we've already covered "Psychosocial" and "Kings & Queens", but now that the full album is available for streaming (via Idolator), we're highlighting two more favorites in "Start A War" and "Bloodrush" which you can find below. Brutal Romantic is officially out on November 18th, and you can pre-order the album on iTunes now.
Brooke Fraser