[VIDEO PREMIERE] Brooke Fraser // Betty

Ok... so I might be a little late. Four weeks late in fact. Yes, the amazingly talented and beautiful Brooke Fraser premiered the video for the second release off her recent album Flags, on her website four weeks ago. So yes, a little late. Sue me.

Betty, the track in question, was co-written by Fraser and Switchfoot front man, Jon Foreman. It's another up-beat, catchy tune that radio stations *should* love. It easily gets stuck in your head, and is definitely one of the stronger tracks off her latest release.

The video clip features Brooke waltz through a field of flowers, surrounded by what can only be described as butterflies (or tiny birds, ummm, I'm not sure) made out of origami. It's very cute. Simple, I like it.

Something in the Water was a great choice for a first single and charted in the top 30 in Australia - let's see if Betty can do better.

PS: I'm going to see Brooke perform at the City Recital Hall in Sydney on Sunday 30th January - stay tuned for my update on how brilliant she was!

Purchase the Deluxe Edition of Flags digitally now [ITUNES]

Tour dates announced! Brooke Fraser is coming peeps.

Last week I reviewed Brooke Fraser's latest (and greatest) album, Flags. It's still rotating quite heavily on my iTunes playlist, and I'm proud to say I know the words to almost every song now - LOL. It really is a great album, have you listened to it yet? Hmmm?

Anywho - New Zealand's most precious export has just announced her Australia tour dates, woo hoo! According to Brooke's official website, she hits Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane and Sydney from the 22nd - 29th January. Tickets go on sale Friday 5th October, via Ticketmaster.

To see the video for her latest single (and most successful to date), Something in the Water, visit my original entry about Brooke some weeks ago.

[ALBUM REVIEW] Brooke Fraser // Flags

 A few weeks ago I posted an article about one of New Zealand's best exports - Brooke Fraser. Brooke's third studio album Flags was released last week... and yes, it lives up to expectations.

The album kick starts with the lead single Something in the Water, which is a catchy pop song that commercial stations will like, funnily enough with just a little taste of country in it. Don't let country tab alarm you however, it ain't no Taylor Swift (thank God) as it works and definitely adds something a little extra to the track.

Betty (co-written by Switchfoot's Jon Foreman) is another catchy tune that you'll be singing in no time; as is Coachella (one of my favourites), which reminds me a lot of Lifeline off the What To Do With Daylight album. Either of those tracks could be released as singles and they would do well both on radio airplay and chart wise.

Another stand out for me is Who Are We Fooling? which features UK artist Aqualung. Great vocals, and for me I hear a different Brooke to which we've heard before. Crows & Locusts reminds me a lot of Australia's own Bertie Blackman - a little haunting, yet utterly superb.

And Jack Kerouac makes you feel like someone has thrown a little UB40 into the mix, reggae style 2010. I wasn't a fan of it originally, however as I write this listening to the track I've noticed I'm almost shimmying in my seat. Guess that means it's grown on me.

Overall, Brooke has delivered. Her vocals, writing and overall production of the album has matured, and for nothing but the better. Don't get me wrong, there is certainly nothing wrong with her previous albums, in fact Albertine is an all time favourite for me; however Brooke has grown and I love what I hear.

In the last week Flags has debuted at #3 on the ARIA Albums Chart - her highest placed album in Australia so far - and #1 on the RIANZ Albums Chart in New Zealand.

Flags is available via iTunes now.

Ellie Goulding with her Guns & Horses

I know it seems like this blog has turned into nothing more than a music update from pop artists around the globe, but hey, what am I to do when music consumes so much of my life?

Anywho, I have another music artist from around the globe. Ellie Goulding is a 23 year old singer/songwriter who hails from London, England. Singer/songwriters have really found their way into my music collection over the last few years thanks to my ex (Brooke Fraser, Missy Higgins, Florence and the Machine, Marina and the Diamonds, etc) - guess I got something outta that relationship - ha!

Ellie reminds me of a "poppier" (is that even a word?) version of Lisa Mitchell, yet there is still something unique in her vocals. She released her debut album, Lights, which rocketed in at #1 in the UK and spawned 3 hit singles, including the top 5 track Starry Eyed.

It's Ellie's track Guns and Horses though that really gets my attention. It's occupied my playlist for some time now, however it's only of late that I've found myself singing along randomly as I'm aimlessly pondering around the house.

Gotta say, I do love the video as well. I think the toy soldiers (or what ever they're meant to be) are a bit weird, but for some strange reason in the world that is, they actually work in the clip. Don't ask, just watch.

Your thoughts?

Ellie's album, Lights, is available via the Australia iTunes here.

AMAZING THINGS PRODUCED BY NEW ZEALAND #56 - BROOKE FRASER

It was back in 2006 when I discovered Brooke Fraser. The Australian iTunes Genius function had suggested I listen to her as an artist due to some similarities in my current music collection (which to be honest, could have been totally random/odd as my music collection consists of 115GB or 53 days worth of music - apparently iTunes tells me).

I took a punt and downloaded her then current album, Albertine, and literally fell in love.

 Brooke is a 26 year old Kiwi, singer/song-writer, and daughter of former All Black Bernie Fraser. Albertine was the follow up to her 2003 debut album What To Do With Daylight, which was written/produced after Brooke's trip to Rwanda with World Vision. It is there where she met the orphaned namesake for this album, Albertine.

Little did I know the album would be one of the most played albums in my music collection ever. It produced the singles Deciphering Me, Shadowfeet, Albertine and CS Lewis Song - the latter being one of my all time favourites.

Whilst I loved the album after purchasing it, it wasn't really until seeing her outstanding performance at Sydney's Enmore Theatre that it really sealed the deal. The acoustics, her humour, her humbleness and the rendition of the Simon & Garfunkel classic The Sound of Silence... still to this day it was one of the best gigs I've ever been to.

I took the time to then indulge in her debut album which is also a winner, a little rougher 'round the edges, but the track Arithmetic is pure song-writing heaven.

So, as you can imagine I've been patiently waiting for new music to surface. Brooke has been working, locked up in Los Angeles since February '10, however not long now as the new album, Flags, is released in New Zealand, Australia and the US in October '10. The lead track from the album, Something in the Water, was released locally last month and the video is below.

Personally, I just can't wait. Do yourself a favour and take some time out to listen to the brilliant human being that is Brooke Fraser. She is undoubtedly, one of the greatest things to come out of the young space that is New Zealand.