Brooke Fraser – Albertine

CD REVIEW

Singer-songwriter Brooke Fraser, an All Black’s daughter, is currently New Zealand’s second-best selling homegrown talent (after Hayley Westenra) — and her second album shows why.

Even more than on her fine debut, 2003’s What To Do With Daylight, Fraser exhibits a flair for catchy melodies as well as meaningful and sometimes deeply moving lyrics, all complemented by her lovely voice.

This is the kind of album that after repeated listening quietly creeps up on the listener with its hypnotic beauty, sense of peace and genuine soul.

A committed Christian, Fraser’s lyrics are often profoundly religious and inspiring.

The album’s title track, for example, is named after a girl Fraser met while doing volunteer work in Rwanda. In the song, a reflection on her experiences in Rwanda, Fraser sings: “Now that I have seen, I am responsible; faith without deeds is dead”

Admirably, the CD booklet lists a range of charities, with contact details, that work on issues such as human rights, development, abuse of women and children and human trafficking.

Listen to: Shadowfeet; Love Is Waiting; Faithful; Deciphering Me; The Thief; Albertine; Hosea’s Wife.