Customer Reviews

Brooke Barrettsmith

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I had never heard of Brooke Barretsmith prior to hearing her warm up for Barlowgirl recently. I had been missing something very good.

She has a beautiful voice and can really rock. Additionally, her lyrics are very focused on praising God. Unlike some artists, she is not afraid to use Jesus' name in her songs.

Hearing her perform in concert made me aware that this is a solid talent. After listening to this CD several times, I am very impressed. This will not disappoint. I recommend it.

Brooke has an incredible voice, powerful but not overbearing. And her lyrics are superb. Definitely worth having in your tunes library.

A solid debut that any artist would envy, Brooke has a lot of potential & is proud to praise her savior. My only problem with the album is that Brooke did not play any of the excellent guitars on it, but if that's my only problem it must be good right?

Right Now - The album starts off with a real rock `em stand up & improve yourself in this song. Although I loved the guitars at times the song struck me as being nothing more then an excellent filler. It took me a couple listens for it to improve in my mind & I would not consider it one of the high points of the album. (Rating: 4/5 stars)

More Real - An excellent show off of Brooke's vocals & a strong song that involves you emotionally. You just want to stand up & sing it as loud as you can, eyes heavenward. (Rating: 5/5 stars)

Farewell - The perfect song for anyone facing hard times & looking for a light at the end of the tunnel. Her vocals on this song are excellent; you get the feeling she's really talking to you & giving you hope. (Rating: 4.5/5 stars)

Quiet My Heart - A quieter, mellower song then the first three. Personally not my taste, I am not a big fan of songs that don't make you want to stand up & really move, but it does make you really think about what she's saying in the song. You can almost see her on her knees singing this. (Rating: 3.5/5 stars)

Breakthrough - Another filler song. The lyrics are not that memorable & it takes a couple of listens before they finally begin to sink in but the song is still pretty good & she gets in a couple of good yells. (Rating 3/5)

Father - Starts out kind of quiet & then really gets into it, you just find it really catchy at the end. Her vocals are excellent & it is a pretty strong song. (Rating: 4.5/5)

Anymore - A real upbeat song with Brooke's great voice really yelling. I'm not sure about the lyrics unless it's about breaking-up with your boyfriend & both of you hurting. Not the highest point on the album but almost there. (Rating: 4.5/5)

OK - A haunting song, once again highlighting Brooke's vocals, one you will find yourself humming when your not paying attention (Especially the: Be O, be O, be OK part.). (Rating: 4.5/5)

Quiet Streets - This & "More Real" are probably the best songs on the album. A real "stand-up for your beliefs" anthem with a great guitar. You'll find yourself eagerly anticipating this song when you use the iTunes DJ & singing along as loud as you can while your family gives you disbelieving stares. (Rating: 5/5)

Paper Tigers - The album ends on a softer note. An excellent song but not one of my favorites (Since I like upbeat songs.). Still, this album would be really missing something without it. (Rating: 4/5).

Overall Rating: (Rating: 4.2)

As I said before: a debut any artist would envy. This album is guaranteed to make it into your "Top 25 Albums I Like" list.

Brooke has a wonderful career ahead of her & she's already shown it by writing or co-writing all of the songs on this album. Hat's off to Brooke!

I saw this artist live with BarlowGirl and she tore it up. She was so popular, she sold out of cds on tour, so I had to try to find the album in stores, lucky Borders was around. Anyway, I recommend this CD. Her songs are real and express who she is. Breakthrough and More Real are talking to God. Great lyrics. Looking forward to a second album.

Brooke Barrettsmith is another alum of the hit show American Idol, Season 5 and her debut album draws comparisons to fellow alums Kelly Clarkson, Carly Smithson and established CCM veteran and multiple female vocalist of the year Natalie Grant, in that her style can best be described as power pop similar to 1980's pop icons Heart and Pat Benatar. Those are fair comparisons as you listen to the solid vocals and guitar riffs. In essence, this album is the Christian counterpart to 2007's My December by Kelly Clarkson.

Brooke Barrettsmith kicks it off with Right Now, a power pop song similar to Never Again by Kelly Clarkson. Other stand-out songs are More Real, the first single Farewell and Father. The album has a nice feel to it and is accessible, but possibly a bit too manufactured sounding and not quite raw enough. The second half of the album winds down and closes nicely with Paper Tigers a nice ballad with the encouraging lyrics "Look around, don't you fear, Paper tigers are your enemy, I know they seem real, Stretch out your hands and feel, The wind against your fingertips, And know that help is here, Right here". Solid debut by Brooke Barrettsmith and I'm looking forward to more.

This is an awesome album. Great music and lyrics, it's a must buy. Brooke has an amazing voice and an amazing message. I listen to it on my way to work everyday and it gives my day a positive start!

This album is FANTASTIC! Brooke has a unique style, a beautiful voice, and the music is great! Buy this CD and you'll be happy you did. We saw her live this past summer and she put on a great show. Her lyrics are very inspirational and she's a great role model for kids too! She's very talented!

This is such an amazing cd from Brooke Barrettsmith, its positive and uplifting attitude and she has a wonderful voice with christianity, this is amazing I was blown away, you rock Brooke. I would recommend this one to any music fan out thats looking for positive music, it will give a great feeling about things in life and with the peace of God and Jesus Christ, this ones definitly a winner and a must have for anybody who loves music or a fan of Brooke Barrettsmith. A++++++++++ for this cd, and good luck with your carreer Brooke and can't wait for yout next album in the future to come!

Singer/songwriter Brooke Barrettsmith bracht in 2003 als Two 4 One de independent CD Open Arms uit, in 2004 gevolgd door demo's met haar zus Leah. Samen deden ze auditie voor American Idol, waaraan we ook Mandisa en Kelly Clarkson te danken hebben. In 2006 bereikte ze een top-40 positie in deze competitie, viel op bij CCM rock vertegenwoordigers, kreeg een platencontract bij Essential Records, onderdeel van de Provident groep. Brooke roept zelfs in de credits: "I'm blessed to be at the greatest Christian label in the world!". Barrettsmith tourde inmiddels met Pillar, Wavorly en Building 429. In augustus 2008 was een titelloos debuutalbum het resultaat. Girl rock, geproduceerd door Aaron Sprinkle (Anberlin, Jeremy Camp, Kutless, The Almost) en Rob Hawkins (Fireflight). Laatstgenoemde band hoor je als het ware terug in de single Farewell. Quiet My Heart doet z'n naam eer aan, een verademing tussen de vele pittige rocksongs die qua agressiviteit in Right Now, Anymore, Quiet Streets en OK verder gaan dan Kelly Clarkson, hoewel Father een uitzondering vormt en Rebecca St. James in haar steviger nummers nadert. Afsluiter Paper Tigers neigt verdienstelijk naar de gothic / symfo rock van Evanescence. Piano en niet langer elektrisch gitaar heeft er de hoofdrol. Hoewel naamloos geeft deze CD een indrukwekkend visitekaartje af van een meid die kan schrijven en zingen.