I was introduced by my ex-wife, actually. She went to see Shawn Colvin with a friend and raved about the opening act, so I started listening to Brandi Carlile around when The Story came out.
I liked her first few albums a lot. They were acoustic-based, singer-songwriter Americana albums. I loved songs like "The Story and "Have You Ever" from The Story. Giving Up The Ghost offered more gems like "Dreams" and little treasures like "Oh Dear". Bear Creek continued along that path with a folksy sound.
The next two albums I just couldn't get into as much. The Firewatcher's Daughter came out right around when my mother died, so that's perhaps unfair to judge. By The Way, I Forgive You had some gems ("The Mother" may be my favorite song of hers just because of one line: "welcome to the end of being alone inside your mind"), but overall I didn't love it as much as her earlier work.
Where does In These Silent Days leave you as far as wanting to hear more of Brandi Carlile?
Like my Whitehead post, my criticism is only a reflection of my enjoyment. I didn't think the last two albums were bad; they were just a different direction. Artists need to do that, and it seems like there's a lot of identities for Carlile and her songs. In These Silent Days makes me curious and eager to hear what she does next. She gets back to those acoustic and folk roots with some stunning vocals and poignant lyrics. ITSD makes me want to buy a concert ticket, honestly.
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