Albertine (album)
Encyclopedia
Albertine is the second album by New Zealand
singer-songwriter, Brooke Fraser
. It was released in New Zealand and in the Oceanic
region's iTunes
store on 4 December 2006. The album was released in Australia on 31 March 2007, where it peaked at #29. The album's lead single is "Deciphering Me
". The follow-up single is "Shadowfeet
" – a piano-driven ballad released in January 2007. Albertine became Fraser's second #1 album, and she became only the second New Zealand artist in history to have consecutive album releases debut at the #1 position on the New Zealand album charts. The first was by Blindspott
with their album End the Silence
earlier in the same year.
A deluxe edition was released on 10 December; a year after the original release. The deluxe version features a bonus CD of eight live recordings (including a cover of Simon & Garfunkel's "The Sounds of Silence"), an entirely new booklet and double gatefold digipack packaging. "C.S. Lewis Song" was released as a radio single to promote this re-release.
Albertine was also Brooke's U.S. debut, released 27 May 2008 and entered the Billboard 200 at #90 on 19 July 2008. Brooke is currently on tour in Canada and the United States to promote the album release in these countries. She will appear at numerous venues across the continent.
Albertine was also picked as an “Editor’s Music Choice” on Itunes USA which helped propel the album into the Top 10.
for World Vision
. There she met Albertine, a Rwandan girl orphan
ed by the 1994 genocide
. Fraser described the girl as "tall and beautiful".
Andree Farias from Christianity Today
said that "Albertine proves it is possible to strike the perfect balance between art and faith, while still remaining accessible to both sides of the Christian-mainstream divide."
Jesus Freak Hideout's
David Goodman described Albertine as "one of the most brilliantly expressive and musically well-crafted albums of its kind."
Mike Schiller from PopMatters
stated that "[Fraser's] songs do have a tendency to blur [the boundary between church and popular art] together, with the occasional beautiful, touching piece that grabs hold of all of the right nerves and doesn’t let go".
The Southern Cross identified Albertine as "the kind of album that after repeated listening quietly creeps up on the listener with its hypnotic beauty, sense of peace and genuine soul."
on 11 December 2006 at number one. The album was certified Platinum in its first week, selling over 15,000 copies. It remained in the top ten for twenty non-consecutive weeks, seventeen of those being in the top five. The album was certified four times platinum, with sales of over 60,000 copies.
Albertine was released in Australia
on 31 March 2007, and on 9 April 2007 it entered the Australian Albums Chart
at number twenty nine. The album spent just five weeks on the chart. It was certified gold, selling over 35,000 copies.
In the United States, Albertine made its debut on the Billboard 200 at number ninety on the week ending 19 June 2008.This was Fraser's first appearance on the U.S Charts. The album also peaked at number three on Billboard's
Christian Albums chart, number nine on the Independent Albums
chart, two-hundred-and-eighteen on the Digital Albums chart, and number four on the Top Christian & Gospel Albums Chart.
Deluxe Edition
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
singer-songwriter, Brooke Fraser
Brooke Fraser
Brooke Gabrielle Fraser Ligertwood, better known as Brooke Fraser is a New Zealand award-winning folk-pop and Christian music artist...
. It was released in New Zealand and in the Oceanic
Oceania
Oceania is a region centered on the islands of the tropical Pacific Ocean. Conceptions of what constitutes Oceania range from the coral atolls and volcanic islands of the South Pacific to the entire insular region between Asia and the Americas, including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago...
region's iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
store on 4 December 2006. The album was released in Australia on 31 March 2007, where it peaked at #29. The album's lead single is "Deciphering Me
Deciphering Me
"Deciphering Me" is artist/songwriter Brooke Fraser's sixth single, and her first single from her second studio album Albertine. The song debuted on the New Zealand Singles Chart at number forty on 23 October 2006 and on 4 December 2006, peaked at number four. It remained on the chart for a total...
". The follow-up single is "Shadowfeet
Shadowfeet
"Shadowfeet" is a song by pop singer–songwriter Brooke Fraser from her second studio album, Albertine. It was released as the album's second single in early 2007....
" – a piano-driven ballad released in January 2007. Albertine became Fraser's second #1 album, and she became only the second New Zealand artist in history to have consecutive album releases debut at the #1 position on the New Zealand album charts. The first was by Blindspott
Blindspott
Blindspott is a nu metal/alternative rock band from Waitakere, New Zealand. They were formed in 1997, originally consisting of Damian Alexander , Marcus Powell , Shelton Woolright , Gareth Fleming and Karl Vilisini, also known as DJ Dlay .-Formation and debut album :Blindspott began in 1997 and...
with their album End the Silence
End the Silence
End The Silence is the second album by New Zealand band Blindspott, released in 2006. Citing a desire to avoid sounding similar to Nu-metal acts from the U.S., and the departure of the former bassist and DJ of the band, Blindspott's second album departs somewhat from the format of their first release...
earlier in the same year.
A deluxe edition was released on 10 December; a year after the original release. The deluxe version features a bonus CD of eight live recordings (including a cover of Simon & Garfunkel's "The Sounds of Silence"), an entirely new booklet and double gatefold digipack packaging. "C.S. Lewis Song" was released as a radio single to promote this re-release.
Albertine was also Brooke's U.S. debut, released 27 May 2008 and entered the Billboard 200 at #90 on 19 July 2008. Brooke is currently on tour in Canada and the United States to promote the album release in these countries. She will appear at numerous venues across the continent.
Albertine was also picked as an “Editor’s Music Choice” on Itunes USA which helped propel the album into the Top 10.
Background
In 2005, Fraser travelled to RwandaRwanda
Rwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
for World Vision
World Vision
World Vision, founded in the USA in 1950, is an evangelical relief and development organization whose stated goal is "to follow our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in working with the poor and oppressed to promote human transformation, seek justice and bear witness to the good news of the Kingdom of...
. There she met Albertine, a Rwandan girl orphan
Orphan
An orphan is a child permanently bereaved of or abandoned by his or her parents. In common usage, only a child who has lost both parents is called an orphan...
ed by the 1994 genocide
Rwandan Genocide
The Rwandan Genocide was the 1994 mass murder of an estimated 800,000 people in the small East African nation of Rwanda. Over the course of approximately 100 days through mid-July, over 500,000 people were killed, according to a Human Rights Watch estimate...
. Fraser described the girl as "tall and beautiful".
Critical reception
Greg Prato from Allmusic said that "there's nothing all that musically groundbreaking that would make Albertine stick out from the rest of the pack. That said, as her first [United States] release, Albertine does indeed show great promise".Andree Farias from Christianity Today
Christianity Today
Christianity Today is an Evangelical Christian periodical based in Carol Stream, Illinois. It is the flagship publication of its parent company Christianity Today International, claiming circulation figures of 140,000 and readership of 290,000...
said that "Albertine proves it is possible to strike the perfect balance between art and faith, while still remaining accessible to both sides of the Christian-mainstream divide."
Jesus Freak Hideout's
Jesus Freak Hideout
Jesus Freak Hideout is a Christian music website. The website specializes in reviewing, previewing, and selling Christian albums. The website is known for its album reviews, independent music, artist interviews, concert dates and ministry through devotionals and prayer...
David Goodman described Albertine as "one of the most brilliantly expressive and musically well-crafted albums of its kind."
Mike Schiller from PopMatters
PopMatters
PopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
stated that "[Fraser's] songs do have a tendency to blur [the boundary between church and popular art] together, with the occasional beautiful, touching piece that grabs hold of all of the right nerves and doesn’t let go".
The Southern Cross identified Albertine as "the kind of album that after repeated listening quietly creeps up on the listener with its hypnotic beauty, sense of peace and genuine soul."
Commercial performance
Albertine debuted on the New Zealand Albums ChartRecording Industry Association of New Zealand
The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand...
on 11 December 2006 at number one. The album was certified Platinum in its first week, selling over 15,000 copies. It remained in the top ten for twenty non-consecutive weeks, seventeen of those being in the top five. The album was certified four times platinum, with sales of over 60,000 copies.
Albertine was released in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
on 31 March 2007, and on 9 April 2007 it entered the Australian Albums Chart
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...
at number twenty nine. The album spent just five weeks on the chart. It was certified gold, selling over 35,000 copies.
In the United States, Albertine made its debut on the Billboard 200 at number ninety on the week ending 19 June 2008.This was Fraser's first appearance on the U.S Charts. The album also peaked at number three on Billboard's
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Christian Albums chart, number nine on the Independent Albums
Independent Albums
The Billboard Independent Albums is a chart of the highest-selling independent music albums and extended plays in the United States, compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is used to list artists who are not signed to major labels...
chart, two-hundred-and-eighteen on the Digital Albums chart, and number four on the Top Christian & Gospel Albums Chart.
Charts
| Chart (2006–2008) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| New Zealand Albums Chart Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... |
1 |
| Australian Albums Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
29 |
| U.S. Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
90 |
| U.S. Christian Albums | 3 |
| U.S. Digital Albums | 218 |
| U.S. Independent Albums Independent Albums The Billboard Independent Albums is a chart of the highest-selling independent music albums and extended plays in the United States, compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is used to list artists who are not signed to major labels... |
9 |
| U.S. Top Christian & Gospel Albums | 4 |
Certifications
| Country | Certification | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia Australia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area... |
Gold | 35,000+ |
| Canada Canada Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean... |
Gold | 60,000 |
| New Zealand New Zealand New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga... |
4× Platinum | 60,000+ |
| United States United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
— | 16,000+ |
Track listing
Personnel
- Marshall AltmanMarshall AltmanMarshall Noah Altman is a Nashville-based record producer and songwriter who owns the Galt Line studio in Nashville, Tennessee. He was formerly an A&R person for such labels as Capitol Records, Hollywood Records and Columbia Records, as well as the former frontman for the alternative band Farmer...
– percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
, background vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
, engineeringAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
, string arrangementsString sectionThe string section is the largest body of the standard orchestra and consists of bowed string instruments of the violin family.It normally comprises five sections: the first violins, the second violins, the violas, the cellos, and the double basses...
, productionRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music... - Don Bartley – masteringAudio masteringMastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced...
- Stevie Blacke – stringsString instrumentA string instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. In the Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification, used in organology, they are called chordophones...
, string arrangements - Michael Chaves – electric guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
- Brooke FraserBrooke FraserBrooke Gabrielle Fraser Ligertwood, better known as Brooke Fraser is a New Zealand award-winning folk-pop and Christian music artist...
– vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, acoustic guitarAcoustic guitarAn acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, photographyPhotographyPhotography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
, string arrangements - Andy Hayes – assistant engineering
- Sophie Howarth – photography
- Sean Hurley – bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- David Levita – electric guitar, balance engineeringMix engineerA mix engineer, also referred to as "mixing engineer", is a person who, once all instruments, voices, and sounds, etc., have been recorded, creates what is called the final version of a song, hence the term "mix engineer"...
, mando-guitarOctave twelveAn octave twelve is a type of 12-string guitar fitted with a short-scale neck and a small solid body. It is tuned one octave higher than a standard guitar, giving it the tonal range of a mandolin, and enabling a guitarist to achieve a mandolin sound without learning mandolin fingering. The effect...
, marxophoneMarxophoneThe Marxophone is a fretless zither that has four sets of chord strings to be strummed with the left hand and two octaves of double melody strings, which are struck by metal hammers activated by the right hand... - Scott Ligertwood – photography
- Bob Ludwig – mastering
- Kristopher Pooley – piano, Fender Rhodes piano, organOrgan (music)The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
, Wurlitzer organ, synthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
, glockenspielGlockenspielA glockenspiel is a percussion instrument composed of a set of tuned keys arranged in the fashion of the keyboard of a piano. In this way, it is similar to the xylophone; however, the xylophone's bars are made of wood, while the glockenspiel's are metal plates or tubes, and making it a metallophone...
, photography - Aaron Sterling – drumDrumThe drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s, percussion - Gareth Stuckey – live sound mixingLive sound mixingLive sound mixing is the art of combining and processing a number of audio signals together to create a "mix" that the audience or performers at a live show hear. There can be a variety of different mixes required, depending on the performance requirements...
- Andre Upston – engineering, mixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
- Joe Zook – percussion, engineering, mixing
- Source: CD Universe, ArtistdirectARTISTdirectFounded in 1994, Artistdirect, Inc. is an online digital media entertainment company. It owns several websites including Artistdirect.com, UBL.com and the Artistdirect Network...
Release history
Standard Edition| Country | Date | Label |
|---|---|---|
| New Zealand New Zealand New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga... |
5 December 2006 | Sony BMG |
| Australia Australia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area... |
31 March 2007 | |
| United States United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
27 May 2008 | Wood & Bone |
Deluxe Edition
| Country | Date | Label |
|---|---|---|
| New Zealand | 4 December 2007 | Sony BMG |
| Australia | 25 November 2008 |