So some of you may not have heard of the name Brooke Fraser. Hailing from New Zealand, this humble and lovely songbird has already made quite a name for herself in the Pacific region. The album Albertine was released in the U.S not too long ago, and she’s currently on tour. I managed to speak to Brooke over the phone while she was preparing dinner for some friends to just have a chat about her music, love life, and the debate about the best coffee in the world.

ZME Music: Tell me more about yourself?

Brooke Fraser: I’m from Wellington in New Zealand and I’m one of 3 children but I’ve been living in Australia since 2004 and currently we’re over in the States touring for about 5 months so at the moment we’ve escaped the winter and we’re in LA

ZME Music: How long have you been playing music for?

BF: I’ve been playing music for I would say, in terms of playing my own songs, on a basic scale since about 13, then more properly when I was 15 or 16, and I was fortunate enough to be signed straight out of high school, and so I’ve been playing music ever since as my full time occupation

ZME Music: How would you describe your music?

BF: I’d say my kind of influence in terms of other artists tend to lean more to the folk side of things. But I like to write songs for everyday people, and so it’s almost like a folk but with a decent sprinkling of traditional popular music to make that accessible to the wider public I suppose you could say.
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Artist name: Tristan Prettyman
Album name: Hello…x
Label: Virgin
Gender: Acoustic Rock
Release date: April 15, 2008
ZMErating: 9/10
Website: www.tristanprettyman.com

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I have been dying to review this album because I am such a big fan and I’ve been waiting for this release for eons, so pardon me if this review gets slightly biased. Hello…x is Tristan’s 2^nd studio album, following twentythree, which was released in 2005. When I got this album it’s not been released anywhere else, only in Japan and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. After 3 whole years, the music has changed very much, the previous album was more of an easy listening, beach-y and surfing type of music, while Hello….x has evolved into a much more bluesy and soulful sound, adding a little a dash of rock and country here and there.

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Singer/songwriter Tristan Prettyman had us dazzled by her beautiful acoustic guitar work from the very first notes that kindly graced our ears. Hear third album, Hello…x, is right around the corner, just a couple of week away and we couldn’t be more thrilled about its release, however till then we’ve got a treat prepared for Tristan fans and first-time listeners alike.

Much to our surprise we found that she isn’t just a talented musical artist, but a well versed fashion designer as well, having recently designed a custom Tristan Prettyman t-shirt herself, in conjuction with Elwood Clothing.

Tristan Prettyman t-shirt (Elwood Clothing) - click picture for detailed view

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Artist name: Counting Crows
Album name: Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings
Label: Geffen
Gender: Folk Rock
Release date: March 25, 2008
ZMErating: 10/10
Website: www.countingcrows.com

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Well boys ‘n’ girls it’s here! Don’t know if you were expecting it, but I certainly eagerly awaited their return. Without further ado, I’ll just get right into it and tell you about it. First of all, the name struck me; could it be related in any way with the novel with an almost similar title, written by Alan Sillitoe. Probably not, doesn’t matter anyway, it’s just interesting if you ask me. It’s fresh, original, and shows that they still have ideas. The good thing is that it resembles the Foos album In Your Honor; the bad thing is that well… it resembles In Your Honor.

Here’s Adam’s claim on it:

“Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings is the story of what happens when all the bright lights start to burn instead of glitter and you become more of a part of the shadow they cast behind you than the person you are in front. Produced in two parts by Gil Norton & Brian Deck, it’s about a flood of sin and liquor and dissolution and insanity and it’s about trying to rebuild the life you wrecked in the wake of that flood. It’s about the way it feels. It’s about me. It’s a Counting Crows album. We’re back. We were only ever as far gone as you can go.”

The thing is that it’s really easy to agree and to relate to him; the big life is tough. Keeping your head high and holding your breath amidst all these delusions is really tough;and it must be really really hard to strip down to your very core and expose yourself and make music and lyrics in this way.

The album is divided into two parts. The first part (the Saturday nights) is just surprisingly fast, heavy and scrappy… it’s great! A terrific reminder of their early days
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Tags: adam duritz, counting-crows

The famous Canadian singer/songwriter and poet Leonard Cohen, as expected, is set to soon head out on a tour this summer; his first tour in 15 years!

The 73-year-old artist, who was inducted last night (March 10) into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, will be backed on the road by Roscoe Beck (bass & vocals, music director) Neil Larsen (keyboard, accordion, brass instruments), Bob Metzger (guitar, steel guitar & vocals), Javier Mas (acoustic guitar, oud & string instruments), Christine Wu (violin, viola, cello & keyboard), Rafael Gayol (drums & percussion) and Dino Soldo (keyboard, saxophone, wind instruments & vocals).

Currently the mapped dates are a bit scarassed and mostly situated in Europe, but North American fans, especially Canadians, will have the please of seeing the old master in the flesh soon enough, as more dates are scheduled to be announced.

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Artist name: The OaKs
Album name: Songs For Waiting
Label: Self-Released
Gender: Indie/Folk
Release date: March 3, 2008
ZMErating: 8/10
Website: www.theoaksband.com

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Passion and meaning have somewhat started to fade away in today’s music, particularly in the more lyrically prominent scenes like folk and indie. The Oaks however, a Florida based band founded by college mates Ryan Costello and Matthew Antolick, are a different story, with potent lyrics, that convey a powerful message, as well as a great display of skillful musicianship. Much of their songs are centered around war and man’s auto-destructive nature, themes influenced by Ryan Costello’s two-year stay in post 9-11 Afghanistan, which led to the duo’s debut album conception. Now after expanding The Oaks to a six piece band, the group follows the same style and direction on their sophomore release “Songs For Waiting,” but with a much higher degree in sound quality and vibe.

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Artist name: Missy Higgins
Album name: On a Clear Night
Label: Eleven/Warner Reprise
Gender: Acoustic Rock
Release date: February 26, 2008
ZMErating: 9/10
Website: www.missyhiggins.com

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Missy Higgins is the kind of singer which you just have to love, for several reasons; she writes soulful music, without unnecessary sweets and flowers, her lyrics are actually very deep, without being fake or overly trying to impress but somehow manages to captivate you and take you into her soft world. Her videos are also great, touching the very essence of the song, without naked chicks, drugs and cars.What’s more about her is that you can really relate to her songs; they really tell a tale, with things most if not all of us have passed through, and you can really feel as if you were a part of the tune. Her first record was very good, and showed the unexplored potential within her, but also didn’t convince us beyond doubt that she would deliver again. But that’s exactly what she did !
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Justin Vernon or Bon Iver, as he’s better known in the indie music community, made a lot of waves, towards the end of last year, with his independently released debut album “For Emma, Forever Ago.” The intense passion and soul of the album can be sensed from the very first listen, probably because it was truly an album centered around a man’s quest for finding himself. Isolation and sorrow are of the album’s themes, probably because it was recorded during Justin’s four month stay in a secluded cabin, in Wisconsin. “The Wolves (Act I and II),” is one, among many, of For Emma…’s songs that have the power to move you, mostly because of the haunting chorus, but now also because of its extremely powerful video. The video features a beautiful winter scenery in the middle of, what’s probably, a Wisconsin forest, in which what seems to be Justin and director Matt(?) making a bonfire, that burns through out day and night. For Emma, Forever Ago has been re-issued by Jagjaguwar on February 19.

Tags: Bon Iver

A San Diego native, the acoustic talent Tristan Prettyman, definitely charmed from her first hello. This time around however, she’s truly spoiling us with a acoustic cover of Yael Naim’s “New Soul,” or as most of you know it: the song from the Macbook Air commercial. Even more reasons to eagerly await her sophomore album “Hello,” out April 15.

Tags: Tristan Prettyman

Artist name: Goldfrapp
Album name: Seventh Tree
Label: Mute
Gender: Electronica/Ambient/Pop
Release date: February 26, 2008
ZMErating: 9/10
Website: www.goldfrapp.com

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Well who ever thought, after making one of the most sexiest, sleazy and downright shocking album of the decade, in the form of Supernature, that Goldfrapp would release such a mellow fellow-up like the duo’s latest and forth album “Seventh Tree.” Most of Alison Goldfrapp’s and Will Gregory’s fanbase was built around the previous Black Cherry and Supernature albums, as well as various commercials in which Goldfrapp songs were featured, but what most people neglect is their chill-out, portishead-like debut Felt Mountain. Now, eight years since Felt Mountain, on Seventh Tree the duo has abandoned the electroclash exuberance that made them a worldwide phenomenon and chose a return to the roots, back to their debut’s vibe and ambient chill-out.
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Tags: Alison Goldfrapp, Goldfrapp