Brandi Carlile

Brandi Carlile

Brandi Carlile is an American singer-songwriter from Ravensdale, Washington, born in 1981. Her work sits across alternative country, Americana, country, folk rock and singer-songwriter styles, and her songs are also described as drawing on pop and rock influences. She is a member of The Highwomen and records on Southern Oracle Music LLC and Unisus Music.

Career

Carlile releases her debut album, Brandi Carlile, after Columbia Records signs her in late 2004 on the strength of songs she records at home. The album brings together those early recordings with newly cut material.

After that release, she leaves Seattle and tours with the Hanseroth brothers, Tim and Phil Hanseroth, who have already worked with her on early recordings and independent regional shows. The trio becomes the core of her band, and they spend much of the next two years touring and developing the songs that later appear on The Story.

By the end of 2006, Carlile headlines shows and supports artists including Ray LaMontagne, The Fray, Chris Isaak, Tori Amos and Shawn Colvin. She also appears on Rolling Stone's list of 10 Artists to Watch in 2005.

Recordings and recognition

Her second album, The Story, appears in 2007 and is produced by T Bone Burnett. It includes a collaboration with the Indigo Girls on “Cannonball” and is recorded in an eleven-day session with Carlile, the Hanseroth twins and drummer Matt Chamberlain, aiming to capture the force of her live performances.

The title track becomes her best-known song, and the vocal crack in the recording happens by accident during the session. Carlile describes the result as technically wrong but emotionally right.

Her wider audience grows when Grey's Anatomy uses “Tragedy,” “What Can I Say” and “Throw It All Away,” and later features a version of the “The Story” video alongside footage from the programme. The series also uses “Turpentine” in a special episode connected to Private Practice.