Saturday, May 05, 2007

The Story - Brandi Carlile

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It's fair to say that any album that has T-Bone Burnett at the producing helm is already in my good books. Throw in some heavily positive critical reaction to the album, and a smidgen of KT Tunstall comparisons for good measure, and it all sounds like something that I should very much like.

Sadly, there's just something about The Story by Brandi Carlile that doesn't quite grab me.

The songs are pleasant enough, and it is true that Carlile has quite the voice, but it's just nothing that I haven't heard before, and haven't heard done better. Such, I suppose, is life. I can't particularly fault the record in any harsh terms, but I can't sit here and pretend that I'll be listening to it over and over again.

Even the fact that this album was recorded "as live" hits me more as a gimmick than anything else.

I know full well there are going to be many many people who completely disagree with me on this one, and to them I apologise. But this does absolutely nothing for me.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yup! I certainly disagree. But it's cool - - it takes all kinds to make up a world.

I find this album to be a revelation. While The Story gets all the pub, upon further listenings it now is my 5th or 6th favorite track on the album.

What is evident is that this is music that needs to be digested. Too much of today's music relies on hooks and familiar riffs. Carlile and the Hanseroth brothers are writing deeper stuff - - kind of like how Dylan wasn't as easily digested as, perhaps, The Monkees.

IWFICON said...

Thanks for the comment.

I can take your point as well. It's certainly not one that I'll be "giving up" on in that sense. Maybe with more listens it will strike that chord with me.