Brandi Carlile – Brandi Carlile

Artist: Brandi Carlile

Title: Title

Label: Brandi Carlile

Rating: 9/10

CORPORATE LINE: Authentic. That’s the first word that springs to mind when you encounter Brandi Carlile. From her rootsy bell-clear voice to the palpable emotion that seeps through every song on her stunning debut album, everything about this 23-year-old from rural Washington state is the real deal.

Deeply driven to be an artist, Carlile’s life-long love affair with performing began when her musician mother brought her out onstage at the Northwest’s version of the Grand Ole Opry. Carlile sang Roseanne Cash’s “Tennessee Flat-Top Box”. She was 8.

Growing up in the isolated foothills of Ravensdale, 50 miles outside of Seattle, Carlile turned to music for company. “Ravensdale wasn’t a town,” she says. “We were the only house around for acres and acres. Being in the middle of nowhere, it wasn’t the kind of place you brought friends back to, so I just hung around the woods and built forts and played music with my brother and sister. That’s all we did. And we thought that’s what everyone else in the world did, too.”

THE GREAT:
“What Can I Say” – Harkens back to the days when country meant more than a twang and a pretty face. What’s most interesting is that Carlile isn’t a country singer—instead she makes music that is undeniably great.
“Follow” – Underneath that folksy, country, pop there is an element of Radiohead’s “Creep” right until Carlile’s voice exploding into the chorus. Comparisons aside this is a song that is only one taste of her brilliance.
“Closer” – Beautiful. You can imagine yourself riding in the car staring into space dreaming about life and love as the world passes you by.
“Throw It All Away” – You don’t know whether to be happy or sad as the song bounces around your head with one of the most delicious melodies you’ll hear.
“Happy” – Not happy by any means—and yet it makes you feel so good to hear a song this lovely.
“SomeDay Never Comes” – I’m at a loss for words. This is bliss.

THE AVERAGE:
Nothing average.

THE BAD:
Nothing bad.

FRANKLY: Brandi Carlile has crafted what is simply a magnificent debut. The fact that it is a debut is even more astonishing. Easily the best album I’ve heard this year—maybe in a few years! So good and so comfortable that there is a sense that this album has been a part of my collection forever!

+ Charlie Craine