Brandi Carlile brings a passion and soul to her recent record that feeds the credibility and grit of the classic American singer-songwriter with her folk based rock album, “The Firewatcher’s Daughter.”
The album incorporates tunes of fairly simple composition yet with powerful meaning and writing that hits home. Carlile’s style provides a dynamic range as her voice and guitar picking jumps from calm and melodic to pure voice-cracking emotion that refuses to be unheard.
The lyrics illustrate the veteran writer trying to hold on to something as time continues to pass, and not without the obstacle of hardship. On the track, “Wherever is your heart,” Carlile sings, “You lose so many things you love as you grow/ I miss the days when I was just a kid/ My fear became my shadow, I swear it did/ Wherever is your heart I call home.” The verses resemble the struggle of fighting loss and life as the years pass by.
The album also provides a strong acoustic and natural sound as known to the group Carlile plays with, although the new songs bleed in an electric edge. Carlile is more than a sweet voice and pretty face.
“The Firewatcher’s Daughter,” Carlile’s sixth studio album, demonstrates the artist’s steady improvement and quick experience in musicianship, with her chart ranking at No. 4 with the record, according to Billboard.com. And with ATO records for the first time, a solid choice was made apparent as Carlile moved from Columbia records.
The lyrics also reveal a sense of content with the idea of aging, as Carlile begins to reach the realm of an experienced artist. In the song “Beginning to feel the years,” she sings: “The hard times that I had/ Really don’t seem all that bad/ Yesterday is long ago and far away/ And I’m beginning to feel the years/ but I’m going to be ok/ as long as you’re beside me along the way/ Going to make it through the night/ and into the morning light.” It’s an American folk album through and through with a touch of rock, bringing Carlile to light as one of the greats in song writing.
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