Lisa Fraser
Midday Songs
Abish
Every once in a while, an artist comes along to demonstrate that the coffebar/singer-songwriter scene breeds more than over-ambitious no-talents and copycats. Lisa Fraser’s debut may not reinvent acoustic coffebar folk music, but her solid compositions, lovely voice and intricate yet subdued arrangements prove that this 23-year old is musically mature far beyond her years.
Midday Songs deals with identity and relationships in an intimate and intriguing manner. Fraser often sounds like a young Joni Mitchell with an attitude. Her delivery is sophisticated but never at the expense of intimacy, as witnessed on wonderful tracks like “Mr. Builder,” “Jack Frost” and “I See a Time.”
Her main strength is her voice, which is soft and comforting, with a sense of passion and urgency underneath. Her guitar playing is solid too. And the fact that Fraser does everything herself (excluding production) only solidifies the impression that she’s as self-made as her lyrics suggest.
Her songs aren’t the kind that cry out for attention, and upon first listen, Midday Songs may appear to be little more than another competent but unremarkable singer-songwriter album. But give it a few more spins, and Fraser will reveal herself to be something far more exciting.
Lisa Fraser: http://www.lisafraser.com/
