Monique Brumby

Like the Rockmelons, Monique Brumby's new album has been a work in progress probably longer than she cares to admit but, here, on Signal Hill, she reminds everyone why she was ARIA's best female artist in '97. Distinct melodies and strong as steel hooks and licks, Monique's style has always set her apart from the pack. For instance, the opener As Sweet As You Are is a killer ode Sinead O'Connor would gladly shave her head again for while Driving Home is more fun than 24 hours of 24. If commercial radio would just get behind her, the world could be her oyster once again.
- Sain Magazine - Reviewer: Shane Robert Cooper

Melbourne - Oz's unofficial cultural capital and home to so many musos, you could probably just go busker hunting at the weekend. Monique Brumby originally hails from Tasmania but uses Melbourne as her base for a career which has already won her two ARIAs ( Australian Brit Awards) for Best New Artist and Best Female Artist. A voice like a flower in the wind, her folky guitar - pop is optimistic and instantly likeable. If you're one of those people who needs labels, you could say she's somewhere in the region of Sheryl Crow, but I'm not like that, so I won't. Her new album, Signal Hill, has just been released to an eager Australian music press and it looks like another success. The opener As Sweet As You Are skips and jumps with happiness, but Brumby also uses her sometimes smokey voice to good effect with more melancholic tracks such as Eventide. I'd like to have some cynical sarcastic comment, but her voice is too sweet and I just can't bring myself to do it. - TNT Magazine

Local singer-songwriter Monique Brumby kicks off her new album Signal Hill with Sweet As You Are, a joyous piece of country pop. And, as on the opening track, Brumby's powerful, melodic voice shines right throughout this release. The first part of Signal Hill captures Brumby's joy of music and is heavily influenced by country roots music and female musicians such as Lucinda Williams. However, the mood turns darker further on as Brumby's flair for a sunshiny pop song disappears under layers of guitars. Toward the end, Eventide manages to recapture her gentler style, but is almost drowned out by brooding closer Prophecy. In a word: moody

- Herald-Sun (Melbourne) "Hit Supplement" - Reviewer: Danielle O' Donahue

Country/pop backed by shimmering guitars and driven by husky female vocals. Introspective and quirky, but full of sunshine. Monique Brumby is one of Australia's finest female pop singers and Signal Hill shows off her Alanis tinged vocals to a tee. From the opening verse of As Sweet As You Are, she introduces us to a world of open roads, human frailties ad the sundry grit of years. It's visual, passionate but simple music with clean production and uncluttered arrangements. For best results, listen to when driving. - Cheat Sheet

What an unassumingly sweet little groove! A bit of soul and funk flavour and a rich, warm production treat provides an appealing backbone whilst organ whirrs and backing vocals flutter around angelically and Brumby’s voice ranges from alluring whisper to gutsy but pure vibrato. The overall effect is bright and uplifting. - Inpress Magazine (Melbourne) - by Martin Jones

Good things may be in store for Melbourne singer Monique Brumby , who impressed her pop godmothers The Bangles when she played support on their first (belated) Australian tour. Bangles lead singer Vicki Peterson told a packed Palais on Saturday that the band was keen to get Brumby to the United States for gigs, having found her an excellent musical match. - Melbourne Herald Sun – “The Buzz”

One of Australia's most talented singer/songwriters, Monique Brumby, has already clocked up two ARIA Awards over the course of her career including Best New Talent back in 1996, followed by a Best Female Artist award and later a nomination for Song of the Year for The Change In Me. Delving further into her art on Into The Blue - Monique's third studio album - she shares the role of producer with Doug Roberts and delivers an album rich in the spirit of storytelling full of cascading melodies and heartwrenching narratives that can universally be related to. A highlight of the album is the final track, Melting, which features the vocals and songwriting of respected Australian musician Paul Kelly. The album will be backed by an online marketing campaign, a radio campaign, advertising in glossies, street press and daily press, performances and showcases. - The Music Network - New Albums To Retail (Issue 577)

Review from Pete Yorn show, 16/10/06 Prince of Wales Melbourne
Reviewer - Andy Hazel

Other opening act Monique Brumby is another performer comfortable with the stage, and how her career hasn’t taken off the way certain contemporaries have is an odd conundrum. Still, she makes a convincing case here for, if not mainstream success, at least a sizeable cult following with her supremely confident voice, easy between song banter and more than capable songwriting. It may be her spirited individuality – part Mary Margaret O’Hara vocal weirdness, part fearless storyteller Patti Smith – or that she’s not interested, but either way it’s a unique offering. That her prolific output is matched by the rigor with which she hones her songwriting skills means that it’s surely only time until she breaks, if indeed she cares to.


- Inpress

MONIQUE BRUMBY
Into The Blue
(Rajon Music)
Tasmanian singer, songwriter and guitarist Monique Brumby, who has released two previous albums in Thylacine (1997) and Signal Hill (2002), returns with Into The Blue, an album positively rippling with melody. Monique won two ARIA Awards – for Best New Talent in 1996 and Best Female Artist in 1997 – and continues to be a likeable and engaging home-grown talent both live and in the studio.
If you were lucky enough to catch the recently aired Girls Of The 80s special on Channel 31’s fun-packed Chartbusting 80s, you would have seen Monique and band kick out fantastic live renditions of The Bangles' Manic Monday and Suzanne Vega’s Luka. Monique, as always, was in fine voice and really made the songs her own. This is what sets her apart from many other artists: she actually sounds wholly and solely like herself, a fact that becomes evident on Into The Blue. Although absorbing a variety of influences and traversing a number of genres (folk, pop, rock and country) Monique is clearly and distinctly recognizable as herself. She is also a grand master of the almost subliminal hook. Into The Blue is one of those albums that stands up to repeated listens as the melodies progressively lock into the listener’s subconscious. Opening number Satellite, for instance, with its folky pop approach, boasts a gentle yet resilient central melody that you will be happy to hang onto even after multiple listens.
Other album highlights include Daisy Chain, a mesmerizing country-tinged gem, Wild Seed, which has some memorable and atmospheric electric guitar work, and Melting, the gently rocking duet she performs with Paul Kelly, which also features the stellar backing vocals of Kerri Simpson.
With her third album Monique Brumby has demonstrated once again that she is more than worthy of the critical acclaim that she has attracted over the years.

- Beat Magazine - reviewed by GRAHAM BLACKLEY

Reviewer: Ben Preece

MONIQUE BRUMBY
Into The Blue (Little Wind/Rajon)


Now forging a career as an independent artist, Monique Brumby is one of the standout female voices in Australian music.

We’ve come to expect no less than excellence from this lady and Into The Blue sees her, once again, in fine form. Combining fine songwriting and strong melodies with powerful storytelling and real, emotive lyrics, the album has possesses a fresh country twang that doesn’t quite board the next bus to Tamworth.

Paul Kelly, the Badloves’ Michael Spiby and Kerri Simpson pop up for guest performances but it’s Brumby’s voice that stands tall at centre-stage delivering a deep, thought-provoking performance on the likes of ‘Daisy Chain’, ‘Satellite’ and the title track. However it’s slow-burner ‘Janie’ that really stands out as a remarkable sonic moment to shed a tear over.

Overall, Into The Blue is a superb effort from a divine lady, a magnificent songwriter and above all a damn fine vocalist.
- Time Off Brisbane