Brandi Carlile

Every single song on Brandi Carlile’s latest album, the Firewatcher’s Daughter, is wonderful. You should listen to the entire album and then you should go back and listen to each song independently. Together the songs are a force of sound, with influences from rock, blues, country, and folk genres. Alone, each song has beautiful lyrics and compelling themes that make you want to listen to them over and over again.

Stranger At My Door, the song containing the title of the album, is the stand out song amongst an album of stand out songs. What sets it apart is the song's indictment of religion and it's use of fear to separate ourselves from those who believe or act differently. The refrain is especially powerful and very timely given recent developments in the U.S. and Britain.

There’s a chilling absolution that we’re given at our birth

A powerful delusion and a plaque upon the earth

But nothing scares me more than the stranger at my door

Who I fail to give shelter, time, and worth

There is also the rocked out "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" tune at the end of the song which really just seals it with a mic drop. 

The Firewatcher’s Daughter was Brandi’s fifth studio album and if you look back to her earlier albums, it seems she’s been working up to it throughout her musical career. From the angsty rock album, The Story, to the country and gospel inspired Bear Creek, Brandi has been fine-tuning her songwriting skills and vocal style. She and the Hanesroth brothers, Brandi’s right and left hand guys, guitar players, co-song-writers, and family members, have become musical legends in their own right. Here’s a little tour of the journey to greatness.

What Can I Say – From Brandi’s debut studio album, this is a classic that Brandi often still performs live today. I saw her do this without a mic at the Beacon Theater in NYC. Seriously, she was able to fill the theater with sound and it was good!

Again Today – This song just gets me every time. I am not afraid to belt this song out in the comfort of my own car. Even with windows up and AC on, people may still hear me singing, “Not today, NOT TODAY-AY.” A song that is slow to start with soft laments ("the path of least resistance is catching up with me again today") builds into a musical powerhouse - both vocally and instrumentally. And then brings it back down again. "Was it ever there at all? Or have I lost my way?"

Looking Out – This was my favorite Brandi Carlile song for a long while.  The album cut rocks out but I also had the pleasure of seeing her perform it in a softer style, much like the one below. I like the story behind it as well, a hint of Brandi's internal processing of the world outside of her own. 

That Wasn’t Me – I had to listen to this song a few times before it won me over. Now, I think it is such an amazing piece of art. I feel like she started to really tap into something here. It's a heart-wrenching, yet hopeful and relatable, song to which she brings such emotion. "I'm not asking you to move on or forget it but these are better days." It is easy to be blown away by the amazing pipes on this woman, but she appropriately plays it down here and let's the emotion come through (though her voice is still exactly on point).

And, of course, there’s the Story. It’s probably the most well-known, chart-topping Brandi Carlile song, and rightfully so. It was like she was saying, “here I am world, I am a force to be wreckened with!” The Story was also the title of the album containing the song and the first Brandi Carlile album that I heard. For about a year, I listened obsessively to it. Though the Firewatcher’s Daughter may objectively be her best album to date, the Story will always be my quintessential Brandi Carlile album.

Also from the Story, and to take this blog post out, my favorite Brandi song. One that reminds me of my family and friends back in Michigan, and so perfectly sums up what it's like to leave after each visit.