New Zealand eclectic comes stateside

You may have never heard of Brooke Fraser unless you live near kangaroos. But I’m telling you, it’s time you get familiar. The New Zealand artist is a hybrid of acoustic folk pop, jazz and Christian undertones.

Fraser’s songs are carried by her soaring voice, drawing Sarah McLachlan comparisons minus the high cheese factor.

Fraser’s spirituality complements her tunes without overpowering them — a rarity in a Christian genre that seems hellbent on warning others of damnation. Her songs are about life and all its gray matter.

What has plagued Fraser, however, is her tendency to talk about life in a way that is so introspective and cryptic; she veers into dark territory.

“Flags,” Fraser’s third LP, takes the singer to Los Angeles, where she decided to throw some of her rules for songcraft out the window.

“Something in the Water” suggests Fraser is at least having some fun as she reminisces about wine nights with friends sung over a beat with an addictive neo-country stomp.

Songs such as “Jack Kerouac” and “Coachella” are also sonically intriguing, with the former showing some Rasta-love to a man who inspired her own trip to LA.
The album’s closing track, “Flags,” is the thoughtful torch song, as Fraser contemplates why “innocents fall” and “monsters stand.”

Underneath the album’s variety in theme and sound stands a woman who doesn’t seem afraid to wave her flags of justice, peace and reflection in a pure spirit of truth and love.

That’s far more powerful than anyone who ever preaches on the platform of hate. Consider this album a collection of songs for a renewed world.