The title of Brandi Carlile's new album is a line that recurs throughout the opening track, Every Time I Hear That Song.
It's addressed to an ex-lover, and it contains sadness and regret and tenderness, but also a touch of getting-the-last-laugh vindication. In other words, it's full-blooded, emotionally nuanced, and true to life, and it sets the tone for the rest of this gripping set.
Carlile has worked with big-name producers before in T Bone Burnett and Rick Rubin, and here she teams with one of Nashville's hottest right now, Dave Cobb, as well as Shooter Jennings.
The music incorporates country, folk, rock, and pop, and even when strings are employed, as they often are, the arrangements remain terse and spare, sharpening the focus on Carlile and her songs.
- Nick Cristianto/TCA
