Steve Earle | I'll Never Get Out Of This World Alive
Honestly, I'm not a big fan of what you might call "country" music and I'd never even heard of Steve Earle until working at our local radio station in Grand Rapids - WYCE. Well, my ears have been opened and I just so happen to love Earle's latest release titled "I'll Never Get Out of this World Alive." The title itself gets your attention signaling to me something otherworldly. However, it's the music that really grabs you and draws you in as Earle sings about God, about Heaven and Hell, and about life in general. What makes this one even better is that Earle mixes things up - alt-country on some of the tracks, americana on others, even venturing into a more familiar area for me - folk. Interestingly, Earle is married to Allison Moorer, a signer/songwriter herself, who happens to be marketed to the Contemporary Christian marketplace on occasion. On the whole, Earle has released one of my favorites so far this year!
Brett Dennen | Loverboy
One of the albums that I can't quite get enough of lately has been Brett Dennen's latest titled "Loverboy." While not a Christian, Dennen does have a lot to say about life here and now as well as life eternally. In the song "Dancing at a Funeral," Dennen reflects on the shortness of life and our need to find joy even amidst the agony of death. On another track, the first single, "Sydney," he writes about "Sydney" who has been wrongly accused. The theme is unconditional love and a willingness to be there by a friends side at a moments notice. The opener "Surprise, Surprise" deals with the inevitable nature of trials and tribulations in this life. All in all, one of my favorites so far this year not for merely the issues Dennen deals with but also for the sheer beauty of the sound with some great hooks and melodies throughout.
Brooke Fraser | Flags
As a regular reviewer for local community radio station 88.1 WYCE, quite often I run across various artists that I'm not that familiar with. Then, upon listening to them for review purposes, I'm pleasantly surprised! One of those artists is New Zealander Brooke Fraser. Not only has she held a solo career for some time, she's also written a couple of different worship songs that we typically sing on Sunday mornings. Writing as Brooke Ligertwood (her married name) for Hillsong Church in Australia, she's penned the recognizable worship songs "Desert Song" and "Hosanna." Interestingly, however, Brooke has spoken out against the commercialized nature of Christian music and has decided to pursue her solo efforts in order to reach the masses. And reach the masses she has and continues to do on her most recent release. You can read the full review below.
Brooke Fraser ~ Flags
After two critically acclaimed albums - 2003’s What to Do With Daylight and 2006’s Albertine - New Zealand singer/songwriter Brooke Fraser is back with her third album titled Flags. After a few listens, this is what you find.
Of the pop sorts, the first single from the release, “Something in the Water” went to number one in her native land and has found worldwide success as well. It’s a catchy track that begs for repeated plays. Another track of a similar sort is the powerful and beautifully written “Orphans, Kingdoms.” Here Fraser eloquently writes: “Eat and drink for tomorrow we die / we will look our maker in the eye / raise a flagon and drink to your health / who is he that can conquer himself.”
“Betty” is co-written with Switchfoot’s Jon Foreman and Ben West of Detroit indie duo The Real Efforts of Real People. It tells the story of a girl who hides her Canadian-shaped birthmark - a veiled metaphor for all the other things she and others are afraid to show people.
After a period of disillusionment following the Albertine tour, it was at Coachella 2009 that Fraser became inspired once again after listening to one of her favorite bands perform that Saturday night - Fleet Foxes. This proved to be the inspiration behind the song found here, aptly named “Coachella.”
On the mellower side of things, both “Sailboats” and “Crows + Locusts” stand out for their majestic sound and beautiful songwriting.
While these are only a few of the standouts on Brooke Fraser’s self-produced effort - it would be well worth the time to listen to all eleven of the songs. All are good and unique in their own right. Simply put, you can’t miss!
~Reviewed by Jeff Bouma
Brooke Fraser ~ Flags
After two critically acclaimed albums - 2003’s What to Do With Daylight and 2006’s Albertine - New Zealand singer/songwriter Brooke Fraser is back with her third album titled Flags. After a few listens, this is what you find.
Of the pop sorts, the first single from the release, “Something in the Water” went to number one in her native land and has found worldwide success as well. It’s a catchy track that begs for repeated plays. Another track of a similar sort is the powerful and beautifully written “Orphans, Kingdoms.” Here Fraser eloquently writes: “Eat and drink for tomorrow we die / we will look our maker in the eye / raise a flagon and drink to your health / who is he that can conquer himself.”
“Betty” is co-written with Switchfoot’s Jon Foreman and Ben West of Detroit indie duo The Real Efforts of Real People. It tells the story of a girl who hides her Canadian-shaped birthmark - a veiled metaphor for all the other things she and others are afraid to show people.
After a period of disillusionment following the Albertine tour, it was at Coachella 2009 that Fraser became inspired once again after listening to one of her favorite bands perform that Saturday night - Fleet Foxes. This proved to be the inspiration behind the song found here, aptly named “Coachella.”
On the mellower side of things, both “Sailboats” and “Crows + Locusts” stand out for their majestic sound and beautiful songwriting.
While these are only a few of the standouts on Brooke Fraser’s self-produced effort - it would be well worth the time to listen to all eleven of the songs. All are good and unique in their own right. Simply put, you can’t miss!
~Reviewed by Jeff Bouma
