WERS 88.9 fm - Album Review: Brandi Carlile - Give Up The Ghost

December 28^th, 2009

Brandi Carlile's third album, Give Up the Ghost, is one where her vocal talent is extremely evident. The opening track, "Looking Out," might be a typical girlie piece, and lyrics like, "Afraid of inquiring minds, / Afraid of being left behind," are easy to discredit. However, she sings in a deeply soulful manner. Her voice shakes and cracks at times, but this is an effective tactic that Carlile seems to have mastered to her benefit.

Carlile's second song, "Dying Day," has a KT Tunstall vibe to in the way that Carlile strums her guitar and belts each note. This piece is a bit more on the country/indie side, but she incorporates seamless harmonization and a beautiful use of strings. This blend seems like it'd be a bloody mess, but Carlile manages to pull it together in a cohesive manner.

She did this with the help of quite a motley crew. Famed artists such as Elton John, Tom Petty, Benmont Tench, Chad Smith, and Amy Ray of The Indigo Girls contributed to Give Up the Ghost. It's a fantastic sign of talent when musicians of this caliber are willing to back a relatively new artist. The help of Amy Ray is pretty apparent. An Indigo Girls sound pours through Carlile's music.

She's a young musician, but Carlile has all of the talent in the world. You may initially hear her tunes and think, "I've heard this all before," but it's slightly different with Brandi Carlile. She blends the ethereal, the raw, the country, the indie, the folk and exposes her soul to the rest of the world.

On the whole, Give Up the Ghost is Carlile's most honest effort yet. She lends herself to listeners by exposing her inner most thoughts and feelings. This is not an easy task for anyone, as it can typically be a transparent effort. Give Up the Ghost is a noteworthy effort, and makes for a great listen.

-By Jacquelin Voegtlin