Album Review: Brooke Fraser - Brutal Romantic

After three albums exploring acoustic folk-pop, New Zealand artist Brooke Fraser has reinvented herself.

Enlisting producer David Kosten (Bat For Lashes, Marina & The Diamonds) and co-writers around the world, she executes a convincing switch into electronic, bombastic pop. She nails the style, her voice suiting the cinematic melody and production in gems Kings & Queens, Bloodrush and Magical Machine, while Brutal Romance best bridges the old and the new. It’s an impressive work, but if there is a flaw, it’s a niggling feeling of distance and anonymity in the precision, and a not quite personal touch.