Award-winning singer? Yes. New Zealand native? Yes. Gorgeous? Yes. Talented? Of course! If you answered similarly to all of these questions, then you might be Brooke Fraser. And if you are Brooke Fraser and you’re reading this, I don’t mean to be forward, but I think I’m in love. I hope that doesn’t scare you off, because I think we would be great together. If you’ve read some of my other posts, you’d know that I have a thing for accents and sexy singing voices. I think you have both of those things.
Brooke Fraser got her start in late 2003 with the release of her first album What To Do With Daylight. Since then she has released two more albums with the most recent addition, Flags, reaching #1 on the iTunes singer-songwriter chart in the first week of sales. Booyah.
Her recent press release tells you why:
“Flags is a dreamy, alternative-pop collection that showcases her agile soprano, lilting melodies and knack for telling her stories through the lives of vibrant characters…”
Dreamy? Agile? Lilting melodies? Ok, I’m interested. Of course, you won’t believe it until you hear it, but we can help point you in the right direction. And if you’re a Chicago new music fan, you can check out Brooke Fraser at Lincoln Hall on November 24th. I’ll be there. With flowers. And chocolates.
Check out the video for “Something In the Water”:
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Eli “Paperboy” Reed – “Come and Get It”
We featured Mr. Reed in our Jukebox back on February 8, 2010. Shortly after that, Tank and I saw Mr. Paperboy live on stage at a show in Boston. Let’s just say we have a man crush on Mr. Eli. The much anticipated album, Come and Get It, drops on August 10. The first single, self-titled, is out now and we are all coo coo for coco puffs about it. Get to know this retro soul music before everyone else jumps on the bandwagon. You can trust us. We are trained professionals.
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Stacy Clark – “Touch and Go”
Well, we first featured Ms. Clark in our Jukebox back on October 26, 2009. We then tracked her down for an exclusive video interview. We are back at it again highlighting “Touch and Go” from her new album, Connect the Dots. Yeah, we have a slight crush on Stacy as well. This track wonderfully showcases what you can expect on her new album. Enjoy!
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Sons of Sylvia – “Love Left To Lose”
Unlike our two previous features in the Jukebox this week, we have not featured Sons of Sylvia before and we don’t have a crush on the guys…yet. This band of brothers are a country act, but they don’t sound like traditional country. Peaked your interest? I knew that would. Give the boys a spin and you might discover that you have a new crush.
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I was first exposed to the music of Matt Hales, Aqualung, with his 2005 release of Strange and Beautiful. That album was such a refreshing breath of fresh air in an industry that had been producing some stale music. Hales’ hinted in 2007 that Aqualung was done and I have been holding my breath ever since waiting for a new release. Thankfully today brings us Magnetic North. This couldn’t come at a better time seeing that all of that breath holding may have started causing me some irreversible damage.
Matt Hales
Magnetic North features all new material that was recorded in his new home of Los Angeles. Hales made the move to L.A. from the U.K. and it is clear that the sunny weather has helped him put together a warm and relaxed record that highlights his signature style. This record will no doubt solidify Matt Hales as a first rate singer-songwriter with a talent for creating music with meaning.
As warmer weather approaches many of us, I feel that Magnetic North will be the album that gets pulled out and put on heavy rotation. Each track is beautifully arranged and Hales’ soft voice is perfectly highlighted. Many tracks from the album are already getting picked up in television placement and I anticipate Aqualung will be back in the spotlight with this effort.
KC’s Personal Picks: “New Friend”, “Remember Us featuring Sara Bareilles”, “Fingertip” and “Reel Me In”
Listen to the album
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We first featured Erik Hassle as part of our Weekly Jukebox a month ago with his break through hit, “Hurtful”. That catchy track got us hooked and we were thrilled to pick up the full album, in early March 2010, when it was released in the U.S. market. Hassle’s got a singer-songwriter swagger with swirls of soul and R&B influencing his tone. There is just something about his music that makes you take notice. It might also be the fact that he is rockin’ a huge tangle of bright red hair on the top of his head.
Hassle's hair is hiding.
Hassle hails from Sweden and has blazing red hair. Prior to Hassle we only associated Sweden with ABBA and blazing red hair with Carrot Top. Thank you to Erik Hassle for being a musical Swedish export and for proving that red heads can be talented. And talented he is. Pieces is a solid collection of poppy songs that have that special something that gets you singing along. The overall sound of the album reminds me of the soulful stylings of Gavin DeGraw. The reoccurring theme of the album rotates lyrically around love and love lost. The up-tempo tracks and the slower jams both view relationships through the lens of young man that is trying to figure love out.
Hassle is now out on the road wearing his emotions on his sleeves and audiences are eating it up. It is just a matter of time before his music is landing smack dab in the middle of mainstream exposure.
KC’s Personal Picks: “Hurtful”, “Don’t Bring Flowers”, and “Standing Where You Left Me”
Erik Hassle’s video for “Hurtful”
Listen to the album
Buy the album
