March 2018 Singer Songwriter Record of the Month - Brandi Carlile - By The Way I Forgive You

March 2018 Singer Songwriter Record of the Month - Brandi Carlile - By The Way I Forgive You

Blind Tiger Record Club’s Singer Songwriter Record of the Month - Brandi Carlile - By The Way I Forgive You


I first heard Brandi Carlile live October 16, 2006 at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville.  I had discovered her self titled debut roughly a year earlier when it first released and I was immediately hooked.  Her vocals were haunting and deceptively powerful.  The harmonies she created with twin collaborators Tim and Phil Hanseroth were something special.  At that performance, Brandi was opening for Shawn Colvin.  After all, it was her first record.  Shawn was great.  I have always been a fan and she did not disappoint, but for me; I was there to see the opener.  It was all about Brandi and she blew me away.  Huge, powerful vocals always held back so they don't loose their punch.  Just a great show.

Her second album, The Story (2007), was in many ways her breakout album.  Billboard positioning, TV and Film placements and critical acceptance. She put out three studio albums since then, Give Up The Ghost (2009), Bear Creek (2012), and the Firewatcher's Daughter (2015), which was nominated for a Grammy for Best Americana Album.  She has become a staple in Americana and Folk, but she is a crossover into many genres including pop, rock, and alternative country.

By the Way I forgive You is already one of the strongest releases in 2018.  I have a feeling we will be talking about this record at the end of the year and wouldn't be surprised to see her garner her second Grammy nomination.  The album was recorded in Nashville and produced by none other then Dave Cobb (Jason Isbell, Chris Stapleton, Anderson East, Sturgill Simpson) and Shooter Jennings.  The Album debuted at #5 on the Billboard 200 (Her highest position), #1 on Billboard Folk and #1 on Billboard Rock, which only continues to show her ability to cross genres.  The first single off the album is "The Joke" and it is currently at #8 on Triple A radio. 

The album has a few surprises like "Hold Out Your Hand".  It may be one of Brandi's best songs.  "The Joke" is amazing and really showcases her vocal power.  Then there are soft, beautiful tracks like "Whatever You do" and "Harder To Forgive". 

If you have been a fan of Brandi Carlile (and her twin co-creators) in the past, then you will be pleased to hear this latest offering.  If you haven't paid attention to her before; stop!  This is an artist you need to hear and there is nothing wrong with starting your Brandi Carlile experience with this latest album.

B.T.R.C. - David W. Williams

JOIN BTRC TODAY AND RECEIVE BRANDI CARLILE'S BY THE WAY I FORGIVE YOU IN YOUR FIRST SUBSCRIPTION BOX!!

 

 

TRACK LISTING
1 Everytime I Hear That Song
2 The Joke
3 Hold Out Your Hand
4 The Mother
5 Whatever You Do
6 Fulton County Jane Doe
7 Sugartooth
8 Most of All
9 Harder to Forgive
10 Party of One

 

What critics are saying about By the Way I Forgive You

Cozy up to the year's early standout: On her sixth LP, veteran songwriter Brandi Carlile teams up with co-producers Shooter Jennings and Dave Cobb for a moving and righteous piece of Americana-infused pop. Across the 10-track LP, the folk-tinged singer belts with gusto, whether offering nostalgic, harmonized forgiveness on album opener "Everytime I Hear That Song" or a shoulder to cry on with anthemic ballad "The Joke." She flexes her country roots on the quaint "Fulton County Jane Doe," which references the opening chords of Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's Worth" before telling a tried-and-true story of a long-lost memory of a girl with "Jesus on [her] hand." The album's strongest moments, however, are Carlile's riskier departures towards the LP's end. She hits a bouncy pop chord on the tender "Harder to Forgive" and settles into a booming Adele-meets-Joni moment with lonely, reflective tour de force "Party of One," a delicate masterpiece that teems with the most effective delivery of the album's underlying tones of forlorn, affectionate sadness.
It's the sound of an artist laying it all on the line.
By Jewly Hight for NPR Music, Review: Brandi Carlile, 'By The Way, I Forgive You'