Brooke Fraser – Flags
Posted: November 22nd, 2010 | Author: Mike Mahoney | Filed under: Brooke Fraser | Tags: alastair vance, brooke fraser, Cd review, conner, Hillsong, mike mahoney, the joint review | 1 Comment »
Purchase Brooke Fraser – Flags 
Artist official site
| SYNOPSIS | |
| KLAMPERT: Coming Soon | |
| BYRD: What do you say about Brooke Fraser? I mean, I just don’t know a voice that I am as much in love with nor an artist who’s been able to make such an impact in the worship community while also hold on to a singer songwriter career that’s truly worth commenting on. I was really excited for this release, so much so that I was on her site watching many of the promo videos that she was releasing to preview and give some behind-the-scenes looks at the new release of Flags. To say my anticipation was high would be an understatement. However, I did one critical misstep in my anticipation, I feverishly listened to Albertine while biding my time and that backfired in my face with Flags. If Flags is anything, it’s a bold step into a creative direction away from Albertine. Not that it’s a bad thing for an artist to creatively explore ones self, but it’s bad for a fan to so passionately compare an artist against herself. I was absolutely disappointed with this CD after the first few passes and just was crushed. I came back to it a week later and found that I was in love with Flags!
There are pop sensibilities like with opener of Something in the Water but each track takes us further down the rabbit hole with Fraser’s musicality until my attention is simply settled by Who Are We Fooling, a genius track with guest Aqualung. From that moment on, I’m hooked for the rest of the CD and it’s a beautiful journey of incredible song-writing. I’ve seen some reviews of people criticizing the pace of this record where all the songs sound the same and they can’t tell one from another. You should hug these people and give them a lollypop and a coloring book. The richness of Fraser’s vocals are so thick here, they’re truly an instrument unto themselves. She’s truly gone from one end of the spectrum here to the other with pop to sundry ballads and laments. It certainly won’t please everyone and a die hard fan like yours truly, had to give it a second chance, but thank you Lord that I did. It’s been a blessing. |
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| MAHONEY: After first my first listen to this album, I sought out the opinion of one of the vocalists on our worship team, a college-woman who loves music and loves Brooke Fraser. The reason: I just didn’t get it. I heard eleven songs that pretty much sounded the same, like a bad country-music dream, with what should have been brilliant vocals buried in an over-produced mess.
She loved it, however, and sent me a link to an interview with Brooke about the album, trying to help me “get it.” So I gave it a week, and then gave it a couple of more listens, more carefully this time, aware of the place some of the songs came out of. There is no doubt about this: Brooke is a fantastic songwriter. I liked Albertine a lot, and this album shows a lot of depth and creativity. I don’t think, however, that Brooke is a fantastic producer. The songs are better than they sound here, I think, especially her own vocals!! Brooke is one of my favorite female singers, and to me, she sounds nowhere near as good as she does on Albertine or her United stuff. All that nit-picking aside, turns out there are some great songs here. ”Something in the Water” is fun and playful, “Betty” explores isolation and self-esteem issues in a light-hearted way, and “Crows and Locusts” and “Sailboats” are pretty amazing songs. I suppose I’m not exactly Brooke Fraser’s typical listener, and I probably won’t listen to this record to much. And that’s unfortunate. |
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| VANCE: I like quirky. I do. As soon as I heard “Something In The Water” I thought to myself I am going to love this CD. Then we have one of my all time favourite bands, Aqualung, make a guest appearance on “Who Are We Fooling”. That, and “Something In The Water” have to be my favourite tracks on here.
Her image on this CD bugs me a little. She seems a bit tarted up – even compared to Albertine marketing I really only know Brooke for “Hosanna”. And it just seems this album (the music and the image) is a huge departure from that era. I know people will think I’m being silly, but that’s just me. After the first couple of listens I didn’t find myself connecting with many of the songs. She is super talented and the album sounds great though. After giving it several more listens it is growing on me, but I don’t think it offers me any kind of longevity. I’ll have moved on to the next record I buy and probably not be back – except for the Aqualung track. |
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| BOTTOM LINE | |
KLAMPERT: Coming Soon Rating:   |
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BYRD: Don’t expect the same old Brooke Fraser release and allow your soul to soak in the richness of Flags. I’m certain not everyone will walk away with as much adoration I’ve found but those who do will absolutely LOVE Flags! Rating:  |
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| MAHONEY: Great songs lyrically, not so great execution. Rating: |
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| VANCE: It’s just not my cup of tea. Rating: |
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| MUST HAVE SONGS | |
KLAMPERT:
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BYRD:
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MAHONEY
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VANCE:
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| SONGS FOR CHURCH | |
KLAMPERT:
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BYRD: While not worship songs, I believe you could do these songs as specials or setups
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| MAHONEY:
I don’t think any of these would see use in my church, except maybe as a special. |
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VANCE:
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The Joint gives Brooke Fraser – Flags Overall Rating:
Disclosure of Material Connection: We received this CD free from the publisher to listen and post a review on our site. We were not required to write a positive review. The opinions we have expressed are our own. We are disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> > “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
I think Al got a bonus track that I missed: “Conner Byrd is crazy” wasn’t on mine