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Written by Jennifer Manjarez Tuesday, 17 June 2008 02:09

Blueberry Hill, St. Louis

With the modest and personable nature of Blueberry Hill's Duck Room, the night was full of audience interaction and comical banter from the moment the opening act hit the stage. Being as I wasn't familiar with the name William Fitzsimmons, I wasn't at all enthusiastic about the forthcoming hour I was going to have to endure in order to see New Zealand's own Brooke Fraser - relatively unknown in this country herself. Fortunately, from the moment Fitzsimmons stepped on the stage, he won over the audience with his modest comical nature despite his overall psychotic mountain man appearance. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised to hear the soothing sound that came from the aforementioned as well as how quickly the time went. Fitzsimmons' slow and folk-like version of the Go West song "King of Wishful Thinking" inspireda roar from the crowd of mostly twenty-somethings. By the end of his set, it became apparent that his overgrown beard was part of his shtick and it definitely played well with the crowd.

By the time Fraser stepped on stage the crowd was charged and in awe of her stature and appearance. With the looks of Alanis Morrisetteand the voice of a siren, Fraser, who easily stands a towering six feet tall, performed her entire set barefoot wearing a flowing, coral, muse-like dress. The night's set included an undeniably beautiful Alison Krauss-like version of Simon & Garfunkel's "Sound of Silence." An aura of nostalgia once again hit the audience and subtly shifted from ecstatic applause to a slow moving hush over the crowd. 

Even with her roots planted firmly in Christian music, Fraser's show came across as a beautiful cry out to social injustice instead of an evening of preaching. For someone who's not extremely fond of religious music, I was pleased to see a technically Christian singer not beating her crowd overthe head with the G-word. In fact, the entire night there wasn't a single mention of religion, but in its place, the pleasant feeling of unity purely on a humanitarian level. The only drawback to the entire night was the slight influx of young women constantly infiltrating your view around the room to get a photo op of what appeared to be their idol. Not to mention the inability to quite understand every word she uttered through her New Zealand accent even though she did assist the audience by using more American terminology.

Nevertheless, Fraser closed her set with the title song ofher newest album - and the track that is destined to be a success for her in the U.S. - "Albertine." Afterwards, she pretended to end the show but quickly came out with Fitzsimmons once again and they performed a song from his album Goodnight entitled "Afterall."

Brooke Fraser, as well as William Fitzsimmons, are undoubtedly two performers you don't want to miss. While both their albums are absolutely worth giving a listen to, their live performances offer a camaraderie and light-hearted ambiance that will leave you wondering whether you just took in a concert or a night of comedy. | Jennifer Manjarez