It seems a lifetime ago that Something in the Water was the most-heard song in the land and Brooke Fraser's album from which the single came was beating allcomers on the album charts as well. That was 2010 and this is now.
Much has changed with pop music in the interim and first impressions of Brutal Romantic suggest that Brooke Fraser has taken a leap forward and her new music is totally relevant to 2014.
The lyrics are as good or better than her earlier efforts but it's the context of the songs that have changed remarkably. Her approach is much edgier and varied, and the songs are quite different in their style, without losing the essence of her vitality.
The lead single Kings and Queens is a standout and also a prime example of the new sound that Brooke Fraser has delivered. Psychosocial launches the album and is clearly chosen to rattle the cage and show us that she means business and isn't prepared to rest on her laurels and wants to demonstrate that Brutal Romantic is very much the sound of 2014.
Throughout the record we catch reminders of the Brooke Fraser of yore but those glimpses are matched by the new edgy approach.
