Flags

When I heard 'Something in the Water' I was completely surprised. This can't be Brooke Fraser? When did she go country? Well, she never did if you listen to the rest of the album. The first single off the album is a delightfully toe-tapping folk alt-country song, which is hard to dislike. It also happens to be right in the realm of what's popular right now. Taylor Swift, Mumford & Sons, Angus and Julia Stone - they're all taking bits of country and making it cool. So I was super pleased as I'm personally a huge fan.

Unfortunately, at first listen, the rest of the album only samples the style Something in the Water offers. 'Betty', co-written with Switchfoot's Jon Foreman, is a good track but is a bit of a letdown after the opener. Moving on quickly to the next, 'Orphans, Kingdoms', is back to the Brooke Fraser we know. And she does it very, very well. It's a stunning track and is one of the tracks that wonderfully tie in her original style with a new sampling of folk. It is my standout from the whole album. I can't really get past the lyrics "we are wandering where the wild wind blows, we are happy here 'cause the wild wind knows what we are...orphans, kingdoms." Best track.

'Who Are We Fooling?' is the fourth track co-written with Matt Hales aka Aqualung who also appears with Brooke in a duet. It is a beautiful, heart-breaking song and when I put this CD in my car on the way home from buying it, it was the first track I couldn't skip over from. It started playing and I couldn't stop listening. The harmonies are breathtaking. Their voices blend in so well together.

The next track is one I just can't get into. Even after multiple listens to this album, 'Ice On Her Lashes', is simply not a favourite. It starts off so slow and never really gets anywhere. Of course Brooke's vocals is magnificent anyway, but it's just a skippable one for me. 'Coachella' is a great song, one I can see getting lots of radio-play and lots of people getting sick of hearing it. I would be a good follow-up single to Something in the Water.

'Jack Kerouac' is the first track after the lead single to really show a different side to Brooke. It's a bouncy song with hints of reggae, I could imagine it being played on a beach somewhere in the middle of summer. I get this vision of a music video in California with lots of people dancing around on the beach with a fire at dusk, and then at the end someone drives off into the sunset. Or maybe that's just me?

'Sailboats' takes us back to classic Brooke Fraser. This could have easily appeared on her debut album. It's as beautiful as ever. Moving on to 'Crows + Locusts' which is a bit of a masterpiece. It's a storytelling song, which immediately reminded me of the style of Johnny Cash in both musical sound and lyrical approach. It's a long track, but definitely worth listening to. It tells the story of a woman in the midst of losing her farm to the earthly elements and the song comes to end as she breaks down but still holds her hope knowing that she still has her faith in the Lord.

The second last song seems to be a bit of a drinking ditty, which is something rather unexpected. It's one the few that has a slight folk country vibe, and it's a great song. It's a simple tune and very likable. You'll start a singalong without even realising. The final track is the title 'Flags' and it's a powerful way to end the album. Meaningful, breathtaking and classic Brooke Fraser.

Overall, Flags is a fantastic album. It's not what I was expecting from the first single but that doesn't make it any less of a great album.

Standout tracks are: Something in the Water; Orphans, Kingdoms; Who Are We Fooling? and Crows + Locusts. I'm really giving it 4.5 stars, and Amazon should employ a half-stars system...

Brooke Fraser is a Pop/Folk singer who sounds like a cross between Sarah McLachlan and Norah Jones, and "Flags" is her third CD. Hailing from New Zealand, she is one of the worship leaders of Christian worship band Hillsong United.

Lead-off single "Something In The Water" is perky Countrified Pop in an otherwise contemplative album. "Who Are We Fooling?" is a lovely piano ballad featuring Aqualung. "Ice On Her Lashes" touches on death and mourning against a gently swirling and dreamy backdrop, while the groovy "Jack Kerouac" has rhythmic African guitars.

"Sailboats" is a beautiful acoustic ballad, while the woozy "Crows + Locusts" (with biblical imagery) is simply incredible, my favourite, along with the tremulous string-swathed "Flags" which finds her singing "I don't know why the innocents fall, while the monsters still stand, and our lives blow about, like flags on the land", the most overtly spiritual lyrics. The latter two songs sound very Sarah McLachlan. What a delight this is!

Brooke has yet again surprised us with new tunes (as part of her "Legacy" quoted from "Here's To You"). Through her ballads, she comforts me with the hope that real love is out there. She sings about the kind of love that lasts and recovery from the kind that doesn't. My favorite is "Flags", where she expresses her discontent about unfulfilling human life. The themes of Brooke's works have always been worth my abundant admiration, not forgetting the musical arrangements and brave musical experiments. For all of you out there who seek for both enjoyment and meaning from music, she's one of those out there you need to invite in. Keep it up Brooke!

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