I have noticed that I tend to write a lot about women with amazing voices. That theme will continue today with Brandi Carlile. However, while I usually talk about the Amy Millans of the world, who deal in resplendent bliss, for once, I’ll be going in a slightly different direction. Carlile has a rich, strong voice, with a bit of country twang, that sounds right at home belting out some good old fashioned rock and roll.
I’ll get the Jeff Buckley comparison out of the way right here. They’re very similar. It’s almost eerie, really. She even does a cover of Buckley’s cover of “Hallelujah,” just in case it wasn’t obvious enough. But who wouldn’t want to sing like Buckley if they could? She can. She can do soft and tender. She can do light and peppy. She can do the sustained note that bends and sways around the music. She can do highwire act between a cracking falsetto and an alto that cuts like a knife. Anything else you want, she’s probably got it somewhere.
Her debut album Brandi Carlile came out last summer, but I only heard of her in the last few weeks. It would have easily made the top 10 of 2005 if I had known about it at the time. As it is, I’ll just put it on repeat and enjoy. It’s been many moons since I’ve heard a record as fresh, carefree, and beautiful as this one. It’s primarily acoustic, but still manages to rock pretty hard, proving once again that rock and roll is all about attitude, not about amplifiers.
Also, she had a song on the soundtrack for The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. Don’t laugh. It’s actually a pretty good movie.
Two songs for your pleasure that exemplify what makes her great: great melodies, lush harmonies, a little bit of pop, a little bit of soul, and that voice.
What Can I Say
Fall Apart Again
Plus, some great live tracks are available at Best of the Bunch.
She’s coming through New England on her current tour just as I’m leaving. And then comes back in May when I’ll be in Mexico. And then goes to Michigan two weeks before I’ll be there. And then to the Pacific Northwest a month and a half after I leave. Doh! I hope on the next tour the timing works out better because, more than almost any other artist right now, I’d really like to see her live show.