Brandi Carlile Soars in “The Firewatcher’s Daughter”
An injustice has been done friends and neighbors. Though there’s nothing but happiness flowing towards Brandi Carlile for finding herself with the #1 album at the top of Billboard‘s Top Rock Albums chart, and having arguably the most successful release of her career despite making the switch from major label Columbia to indie label ATO, still this unapologetic country music advocate is left wondering why Carlile’s services have been abdicated from the country realm when she clearly resides more firmly in that world compared to others, and could be such an asset to this crestfallen and female-deprived genre.
Brandi Carlile is exactly the type of strong-willed, vibrant and inventive female artist country music needs, yet country’s charts continue to be crested by the likes of interlopers such as Sam Hunt. Can we trade Sam Hunt to rock for Brandi Carlile, players to be named later, drafts picks, and/or cash considerations?
Everyone wants to talk about where to find relevant female talent for country music, well here it is. Everyone wants to talk a big game about how country music needs to “progress,” when there’s a progressive country artist right here under their noses. Everyone wants to make a big deal about country artists “coming out,” but the cat’s been out of the bag about Brandi Carlile for years. And beyond all of those concerns ancillary concerns, Brandi Carlile and her twins constitute one of the most vibrant and alive sounds in the greater roots world, and they are a highly valuable asset to the music-scape no matter where the powers that be decide to slate them.
The Firewatcher’s Daughter is the best album Brandi Carlile has ever released, and one of the best albums of 2015 so far. Chalk it up to finally having the unfettered creative freedom of an independent label partner, the lapse in time between releases that reached its most elongated point in her now decade long career to allow the songs to maturate naturally, or just blame the fire of inspiration burning brighter than ever, but this record is an energetic and engaging effort of songwriting and spectacular performances and production from cover to cover. It’s a career-defining record.
The Firewatcher’s Daughter is a heavily thematic album, though this may take a few listens to reveal itself. The album tasks itself with measuring love and distance in this poetically spatial manner, hoping to enhance understanding about the nature of human cohabitation in life. Numerous songs deliver lines articulating such appreciation, devotion, and sometimes downright symbiotic need, that the natural motors of self-reflection about one’s own relationships with others are sent into high gear.
Is there some rock music here? Certainly there is, but arguably not in greater measure than the roots poking out from these harmonious and earthy compositions. Of the rock offerings, there is still plenty worthy of being enjoyed by country-leaning ears. One song that strays from the theme of the album is the raucous “Mainstream Kid.” Stimulating visions of Joan Jett, Brandi struts out of her comfort zone to prove a point with punctuation marks and serrated sentiments about the nature of the music biz and how it gobbles up creativity in the pursuit of popularity. A song like this from anyone else may come across as spiteful or even self-absorbed. But amongst Brandi’s other offerings, it’s sheer brilliance.
“Blood Muscle Skin & Bone” and “Alibi” are the album’s other overtly rock moments, and both are aided by Brandi’s unhinged, raspy, and old-school approach to them, fitting well into the album’s narrative.
But acoustic and harmony-based music is the foundation of The Firewatcher’s Daughter, and these woody, hearthy tones enhance the effect of Brandi’s emotionally-laden accounts of the pining heart strained to tears by distance. It’s a very believable storyline coming from a musician who must lead a life on the road, but it’s driven home by masterful use of language, and vocal performances that are some of Brandi’s best. Her tone cracks and quivers, soars and fails at all the very right moments, making you shiver from her ability to articulate emotion.
The only sidestep comes at the end when Brandi decides to cover The Avett Brothers’ semi-famous “Murder In The City,” and almost as a way to convey that it’s a sentiment outside of the theme but still a cousin to it, Carlile is uncustomarily curt in her delivery.
The Firewatcher’s Daughter may not be classified as country, but it could be, and probably should be, or at least should set a standard for how to take country and roots music in a new direction without clipping the ties to the original roots of the music, and doing so in a way that inspires and enhances the feelings of life, instead of automating them into mundane audio patterns.
Two guns up.
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March 17, 2015 @ 5:29 pm
This is the first new album so far this year that I thoroughly enjoyed from beginning to end.
March 17, 2015 @ 5:54 pm
No one bad or even boring or lukewarm song on the entire track list.
March 17, 2015 @ 10:43 pm
Agreed. I found myself replaying tracks after hearing them.
March 17, 2015 @ 5:47 pm
WOW, This is the first I have ever heard of her but I will now be downloading everything I can find of hers. Thanks Trig for bringing her voice too my ears.
March 17, 2015 @ 6:01 pm
Man, I must just be crazy or something, because I love, LOVE Brandi Carlile. She’s one of my favorite singers in any genre. Every album she did before this one, I’ve played hundreds of times… I was MAJORLY excited for this to be released. I listened to it once, the second it came out – doubt it will get played more than another time or two, just to see what I’m missing.
I guess it’s not that I found it to be bad, but compared to her previous work – this is so subpar. I think the thing that annoys me the most is all those damn layered background vocals. It overpowers the songs, it overpowers her own vocals, it overpowers all the music.
I was SO disappointing I think I might have even whimpered just a little.
March 18, 2015 @ 6:47 am
This has been my exact reaction. I feel like I’ve been listening to a completely different album from what the critics have been listening too. It’s overproduced, ironic considering it’s both an indie record and the organic nature of the recording process. There are songs that could have been just perfect if they’d stopped with the layering and allowed them to shine. “Stranger at my Door” is for me, the perfect example of this. The discordant feedback at the end of the song is the audio equivalent of a two-by-four to the head making sure the listener understands the song. Yes, we get it, but the song has a stronger impact if you stop it right before that feedback starts.
And then the cover of “Murder in the City” was such a disappointment. Brandi does amazing covers usually; her cover of “Folsom Prison” is one of my favorite covers of all time. But this one seemed to loose the emotion behind the song, possibly because Brandi, who is a stronger singer then either of the Avett Brothers, over sang the song and it lost the conversational, casual nature that so appeals to me.
There are good songs on the album, songs that I will definitely put into heavy rotation on my ipod, but there are just a couple that take my overall impression of the album way, way down.
March 18, 2015 @ 9:54 am
I never had a sense that the album was overproduced. I think the layered harmonies are natural to Brandi’s sound since she regularly sings 3-part harmonies with the twins. Maybe a couple of the tracks went a little overboard, and I understand your issue with the discordant feedback, but one of the things I enjoyed about the album and production is at times its allowed to become a little unhinged and fuzzy, and that conveys a lot of anger and emotion in my opinion.
I agree about “Murder In The City” being undersung, and I can only think she did this on purpose. I’m not exactly sure why though, except to convey something that I’m not sure actually translated.
I try to sequester myself from other opinions before I write my reviews so I really haven’t see what other critics are saying about it, but maybe there’s something specific to this album that makes it appeal to Critics’ generally jaded ears. This album felt really alive to me, when most of the time when I’m listening to music, I feel like I’m listening to something through greyscale.
March 18, 2015 @ 10:05 am
My issue with the overproduction is not the layering of the vocal harmonies, but rather the many, many layers of various instruments that, in my opinion, overwhelm the songs. Which is why I listed “Stranger at my Door” as my example. The harmonies and even harsh music added a lot to the song, but the discordant feedback in the last couple of seconds pushed the song from powerful to over done. The songs, like “The Eye” where the vocal harmonies were allowed to stay in the forefront of the music are the strongest on the album.
March 17, 2015 @ 6:02 pm
Glad to hear this album delivers. I very much like the idea of a Brandi Carlile-for-Sam Hunt trade. Who do we call to make it happen? Do we have to cover some of the salary cap hit?
March 17, 2015 @ 6:24 pm
Coincidentally, I bought this album to listen during a 6-hour roadtrip to Nashville (to see Beth Hart and Matt Andersen). Driving TO Nashville….
March 17, 2015 @ 6:37 pm
Bought this on a whim when it came out. Was absolutely blown away. Simply stunning album.
March 17, 2015 @ 7:00 pm
Great review, Trig.
Although, I wish I had the same experience with this album. I saw her open for Ray Lamontange back in 2011 and fell in love with her live show, but that has never translated to her albums. “Firewatcher’s Daughter” gets close, but in a Lilith Fair kind of way, which comes over rather stale – to me.
But I’ll keep it in rotation for awhile.
March 17, 2015 @ 7:06 pm
I’m torn on this one. Had never heard of her before and, honestly, don’t really care if I ever hear that particular song again. But there was absolutely something about that song that makes me want to hear more. It’s like that particular song didn’t really click for me, but I could hear that “X factor” that makes me interested-I’m definitely looking into her stuff now. Thanks, Trigg!
March 18, 2015 @ 12:50 am
This, along with Allison Moorer’s new record only confuses me more on what exactly mainstream radio is trying to do. Neither Carlile’s or Moorer’s records are country. But both are more country than anything played on the radio. And both are so much better in quality.
It’s like radio purposely eschews anything of substance or quality. Luckily in this day and age of technology, I don’t have to be subjected to terrestrial radio. I’m also not a big fan of XM/Sirius.
As country radio moves further and further away from anything remotely resembling country music, where do artist like Carlile fit in? It just seems like good music is being pushed to fringes. I’m afraid that mainstream music will eventually become the mono-genre that Trig has predicted.
The sooner country and pop and rap collide into one genre and implode the better. Because that’s what it is going to take for good music to make a comeback.
*This vodka-induced ramble brought to you by Grey Goose.
March 18, 2015 @ 9:50 am
“This, along with Allison Moorer”™s new record only confuses me more on what exactly mainstream radio is trying to do. Neither Carlile”™s or Moorer”™s records are country. But both are more country than anything played on the radio. And both are so much better in quality.”
I’m not sure Allison will receive any mainstream attention …Brandi may because she is ” current” …but I agree with your quote above …
March 18, 2015 @ 5:17 pm
Not saying it’s good or bad, but the track “If I Were Stronger” from Moorer’s album sounds like a song recorded by Martina McBride 15 years ago. I mean I thought it was McBride the first time I heard it – vocals, piano, content. McBride could have a hit with this song.
March 18, 2015 @ 4:01 am
I feel like I’ve been missing out on something great here. I’ll definitely be looking into this album.
March 18, 2015 @ 7:51 am
Hey, Trigger. Just curious. Have you heard Sam Hunt’s Between the Pines mixtape that came out before he signed his record deal? I think it sounds more like an aspiring country artist and prefer it hands down over his album.
March 18, 2015 @ 9:47 am
I haven’t heard that particular mix tape, but I have heard some of his early recordings (some of which may have been on it) and there’s no doubt he was a decent songwriter and even had some country influences in his music. Then here comes Shane McAnally and they hatch a plan to take over the country world with EDM. As much as we throw around the word “manufactured” to describe music, Sam Hunt is one case where that is completely true.
March 18, 2015 @ 9:56 am
“manufactured” is the perfect term to describe ALL of these wannabe acts , Trigger . There is no personality , no point of view , no character , no ‘meat’ to make you think or involve a listener beyond the ‘sonics’ mainstream pop and country have been conditioned to expect . There is some interesting hair and shiny teeth …so yeah ….’ manufactured’ says it all .
March 18, 2015 @ 9:47 am
I’m gonna disagree slightly with your take on this album , Trigger . I think this could be in the running to be the defining ‘mono-genre’ album and as such may garner a following – for the moment . Brandi seems to be incorporating as many influences and trends as she can in this outing . Granted the arrangements do lean towards the stripped acoustic-y ” Lumineers” approach on much of it , but I hear the influences of Mellencamp , Mumford and sons , Phil Philips , Steve Earle , Melissa Ethridge CSN ,Hozier , Black Crowes …and many others .
Lyrically , I’ll give it ‘ fresh ‘ but fresh doesn’t always translate to relate-able , understandable or timeless …sometimes ‘fresh’ emanates from a very self-centred place and doesn’t want, need or concern itself with the responsibility of connecting literally . Yes , I think Brandi’s voice and performances connect and maybe that’s all that matters ….but lyrically I’m not so sure .
This is in no way a country record …and outside of the seemingly acoustic guitar-centric arrangements and some nice 3 part vocal stuff , I don’t hear any traditional country elements in the music or the lyric . I like Brandi and I especially like her alongside much of what I hear in the pop genre …certainly more than I like country radio . But this is pop music in lyric , in energy and in its influences current and past .. pure and simple . Liking it is subjective , but I’m not sure it furthers the cause we’re all about here at SCM .
March 20, 2015 @ 1:04 am
“The Eye” sounds very, very country to me sonically and vocally.
March 20, 2015 @ 5:34 am
Dust InThe Wind , Find The Cost Of Freedom , More Than Words , After The Goldrush , … I think ” The Eye ” owes more to these pop acoustic/ vocal arrangements as it does any country song . The Eye is a beautiful track .
March 20, 2015 @ 11:08 pm
I think it’s folk.
March 19, 2015 @ 4:59 am
I had never heard of her, but I saw her follow Jason Isbell at the Ann Arbor folk festival in January and she was awesome. This record is awesome. Imagine if the twins were twin Bob Wayne’s, they’d rule the world.
March 19, 2015 @ 9:41 am
Can we trade Brandi for country and Sam for pop please?
March 19, 2015 @ 3:48 pm
Where is the sonic line between rock and country. I would argue that it is defined primarily by two factors:
1) The ratio of acoustic to electric instruments.
2) The strength of the drum beats.
March 21, 2015 @ 11:30 am
This is an excellent album, not one bad song on it. It’s not full on country, but if you just like good, well written and thought out music, this is a good buy.
March 24, 2015 @ 3:58 pm
Picked this up today. It’s fantastic.
June 18, 2015 @ 11:31 am
As usual, I’m a little late to the party… There are a couple of times that the Edward Sharpe/Lumineers studio tricks (handclaps, heys and hos) are really annoying. It actually almost seems like an afterthought, completely unnecessary to the song. I’m ok with skipping those tracks. Brandi’s voice and songwriting are undeniably captivating. The ballads on this album are instant classics.