Bloggerhythms

From its cover to its overall mood  Who Believes in Angels  looks and feels more like a classic Elton John album from the 70s than one from Brandi Carlile. You're in for a surprise if you expect this ten-song set to sound like her breakthrough record,  The Story , or any other music she's made. Even so, don't be deceived. This isn't an Elton John release featuring guest star Brandi Carlile. It's a true collaboration from two artists who truly admire each other and love working together. At no point does the rock icon - age 77 - try to upstage or condescend to his much younger friend (43). She often overpowers his voice on the duets and takes the lead on many others. Carlile has always been considered an Americana artist, but she has rocked hard in the past and does so here. At the same time John hasn't sounded this interested since his chart-topping days. Who Believes in Angels is much closer to Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and Capta...

We all know that record sales are not calculated the same way they were thirty years ago when people were still buying physical copies of the music they loved. Things have changed so much in the modern era of streaming that it's much harder to gauge the popularity of a track today, but even with knowing that my favorite song of the 21st Century deserved a better fate. It's also the most current song to appear on this countdown. Sadly, Brandi Carlile's best known single, "The Story," is her only one to ever score a place on Billboard's Hot 100 where it only climbed to #75. Fortunately, the album of the same name did better. It peaked at #41 and that was good enough to earn the young singer-songwriter a gold record. Produced by the great T-Bone Burnett, "The Story" - written by Carlile's close frien...

Amanda Shires was not happy as she toured the country in support of her latest album back in 2016. She noticed the obvious lack of women artists being played on country radio nationwide and decided to do something about it. The result was this eponymous debut album by The Highwomen , the supergroup she organized hoping to give the women of country music a higher profile. Accepting Shires invitations to join her were Natalie Hemby , Maren Morris , and Brandi Carlile , all established country stars with their own careers. The ladies took their name, The Highwomen, from the similarly named all guy supergroup who got together in 1985 as the Highwaymen, famous for its lineup of Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson, and Willie Nelson. It's hard to put together a band with more star power than one involving those four legends but that doesn't mean you shouldn't listen to this excellent set of songs. This highly collaborative album includes a lot of social commen...

For her fifth studio album Brandi Carlile decided it was time for a change. Her subject matter remains the same, she still writes about missing her youth, family, friends, and how much they all mean to her. The difference is how these subjects are presented. On The Firewatcher's Daughter the veteran but still young artist continues to record songs with folk inclinations but she also rocks like never before and the album has a looser feel to it because everything was recorded in one take. Nothing was over rehearsed. The twelve song album still has the Hanseroth twins by Carlile's side and they serve once again as full collaborators, not just as prominent sidemen in her band. The trio composes together and separately sharing writing credits almost equally. The only area in which the star dominates is vocally. She continues to be the lead voice on all of the songs and is the dominant personality and frontwoman of her domain. "Mainstream Kid" has a definite ...

Here's a little something different today. Folk-rocker Brandi Carlile, along with the twins, Phil and Tim Hanseroth, have just issued the official video for "Keep Your Heart Young," an excellent song from her latest album, Bear Creek . Together the song and video will really make you smile. The brief three minute film was made with the help of fans who sent Carlile their home clips for inclusion in the final product.

A little late, here are Bloggerhythms' picks for the best releases of 2012. 1 – The Avett Brothers – The Carpenter The country-rocking outfit from North Carolina does it again with their second terrific album in a row. The banjo driven "Live and Die" couldn't be more catchy if it tried and you really need to listen to the great power-pop treat, "I Never Knew You." Most of the album is country music with a rock attitude. Great arrangements, songs, and vocals are everywhere. Rick Rubin has really turned the brothers into stars. Details here . 2 – Brandi Carlile – Bear Creek Carlile's always mature song-writing blooms into full adulthood on this, her fourth, full length, studio album. Reflecting on her childhood and sometimes demonstrating a spiritual side she never displayed before the young singer-songwriter and her ever-present cohorts, the Hanseroth twins, gave us a top notch set of inward looking, philosophical songs. The ballads are sw...

Brandi Carlile is all grown up now even though she's still young at age 31. However, on her new CD, Bear Creek , she's already reflecting back on her childhood ("Keep Your Heart Young" and "Just Kids"). She fondly remembers her youth and hints that we should hold onto it for as long as we can even while we enjoy the increased wisdom that comes with growing older. Carlile is also beginning to show a bit of a spiritual side. There are religious references in the CD's liner notes and in the lyrics to the mighty rocker "Raise Hell," the sweet sounding "That Wasn't Me," and the cerebral "100". Not only have Carlile's songs grown even more introspective over time Bear Creek sounds gorgeous too. Her always pleasing vocals are as powerful as ever, and her sense of melody is even more pronounced, perhaps because the new disc is more country influenced, offering less rock than all three of her previous studio efforts...

Another decade is rapidly drawing to a close so its time to ask where the past ten years will find itself in the annals of American history? When someone speaks about "The Roaring 20s," "The Sexy 60s," or "The 70s," (also known as "The Me Decade") people instantly conjure up certain images and news events associated with those time periods. Will this decade eventually do the same and acquire a nickname that will stereotype it forever? Is there a common cultural theme to identify the first decade of the still young century? If you have a good moniker for where we are today please let me know. As always, there was lots of news. The decade marked the election of the first mixed race President of the United States, but for most Americans, the single most important historical event was the tragedy of September 11, 2001 and its aftermath that we are still living with today. The past ten years were not the best years for war or peace, or for many...

Twenty-eight year old Brandi Carlile just released her third CD last week to much deserved critical acclaim. Unlike 2007's The Story , produced by T Bone Burnett, Give Up The Ghost , is a more rocking affair with Rick Rubin at the helm. The livelier first half of the disc trumps the more folky singer-songwriter oriented songs of the second half but that does not mean Carlile should have left the quieter stuff on the cutting room floor. To the contrary, the second half only pales by comparison. If tracks one through five were released as a separate EP, and songs six through eleven were issued the same way, and you listened to either one without ever hearing the other, you would still be very impressed by everything you heard. The buoyant melodies, harmonies, and arrangements of the rockers may have you tapping your toes even while Carlile continues to be a serious songwriter. The opening track, "Looking Out" contains the heavy lines, "I laid a suitcase o...

It's always a pleasure to find a young adult who appears to be wise beyond his or her years. Such is the case with twenty-five year old Brandi Carlile who proves with her songs that she is one who indeed may be far more mature than her age may indicate. Playing music that can best be categorized as folk-rock, Carlile writes thought provoking lyrics that prove she has intelligence, feelings, and despite growing up in extremely rural surroundings in the state of Washington, she knows there is a world that stretches far beyond her horizon. The Story , Carlile's second CD, has the acoustic folk music ("Josephine" and "Have You Ever") that is obligatory of most female singer-songwriters, but this young lady also likes to rock. The title cut is a very catchy and melodic rocker that very well may be the song of the year. The talented twin brothers, Phil and Tim Hanseroth, who have been in her band from the beginning are more than just sidemen. In addition to...