Brandi Carlile Shines in Charlotte, NC – Show Review

14 years ago Liv Carter 1

It only takes a few notes to realize that Brandi Carlile has the voice of angels …. one on each shoulder. On one, the sounds of the ethereal and angelic, the other – a set of powerhouse vocals that catches you by surprise. Raised in a family of singers (she mentioned her mom is a country and western singer and her sister, Tiffany, sings as well), one cannot mistake the natural gift of her vocals. If angels could yodle, I’m convinced they would sound like Brandi.

An almost packed house at Charlotte’s McGlohon’s Theater felt the same way. With an almost sell-out crowd of 700+, her fan base spared no emotion in showing how much they love her, her music, songwriting and live performances. Her band includes twins Tim and Phil Hanseroth (playing guitar and bass respectively), Josh Neumann on the cello and Allison Miller on the drums. It is a triple threat when an artist can not only write with such depth, raw emotion and honesty, sing so fresh as if she had just written the songs that morning and have the musicianship of a fine band. Brandi has it all.


Not being familiar with Brandi or her music, it was a treat to go into the show with no expectations and leave very pleasantly surprised. Playing songs off of all 3 of her albums (Brandi Carlile (2005), The Story (2007) and Give up the Ghost (2009) the evening was a mix of indie pop, folk, alternative country, a dash of country and western with plenty of that “coffee shop music sound” thrown in. It is no surprise that the Starbucks iTunes pick of the week on December 8, 2009 was ‘Dying Day’ off of her latest cd. Last night’s crowd, as well as tonight’s crowd in Nashville, receive the treat of seeing her latest music video for ‘Dying Day’, filmed during the show. The song is sung completely unplugged and with the eager clapping of enthused fans, it was hard to hear her sing but thankfully technology will fix that for the music video!


The acoustic version of ‘I Will’ (from her most recent album) was sung with the passion of an artist who dubs the song her “favorite and wordiest song ever written.” Her duet with her younger sister, Brittany, on ‘Calling All Angels’ was very angelic sounding, indeed, except this writer had a hard time making out most of the words, with the chorus being the exception. Brandi did, however, spend time telling us how Tiffany is a hair dresser and loves it when she joins her on tour so they can sing and have great hair together. Brandi then launched into a Bob Dylan song her mother playfully dubs “the angry song” – ‘The Times They Are A-Changin’ – which showed another musical side to Brandi. This girl can rock! However, make no mistake, there is a country-western bone that runs through her core (notable country inspirations are Roy Orbison, Patsy Cline and Johnny Cash) and this was showcased as she sang the Johnny Cash song, ‘Going to Jackson’. The house was on its feet! Yee Haw!


As Brandi took a turn at the piano (she plays both guitar and piano), she told of another musical inspiration, Elton John, and how she had the thrill and honor of working and writing with him on the song ‘Caroline’, on her latest album. One thing about Brandi, she is completely genuine, humble and sincere. Nothing shines clearer than the truth and she is completely transparent. I never felt like she was trying to “put on a show” or trying to get me to feel one way or another. She just is …. pure. The size venue last night I thought was perfect for her artistry, her personality and her obvious close-knit connection to her fans. As I observed the crowd, it felt like being in a warm, cozy living room environment, among friends. She is an artist that creates that kind of feeling – she is innately likable!


One of her piano solos, ‘The Story’, played along with her very talented cellist, Josh Neumann, was hauntingly somber without the sound of the full band, but still it drew me in. Somewhere in the recesses of my memory I knew the song sounded familiar. I soon learned that it was featured on an episode of the ABC television show, “Grey’s Anatomy.” Part of Brandi’s appeal is that she writes what she feels, plays it how she feels it, sings it with raw emotion and conveys it all to the crowd with a professionalism and skill that, sadly, is lacking in far-too-many, “promoted” talents today. If you get a chance to see her live, do it; you won’t be disappointed!

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Liv Carter

Liv Carter

Liv is a career coach for creatives, and the people who work with them.
She holds several certificates from Berklee College of Music, and a certificate in Positive Psychology from UC Berkeley.
Her main influences are coffee, cats, and Alexander Hamilton.
Liv Carter

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