Brandi Carlile

[Libby]

I just discovered this singer. I heard a song on a commercial, and I thought the lady had a unique quality to her voice, and I thought the song was sounded beautiful and original. So I looked up the lyrics I heard, and found the official video on Youtube.
Apparently she lives VERY close to me! Like within 5 miles!

Check it out! It really is a great song!

"The Story": www.youtube.com/watch?v=xq-ZmAYLeB8&feature=related

You can hear clips of all her music at www.brandicarlile.com

And a few full songs at her myspace: www.myspace.com/brandicarlileband

[Libby]

I really enjoy the video of this song because of Brandi's expression. I think she's a very original artist because of her songwriting, her voice, and the way she uses her voice to express the emotion of the song. She sounds the most beautiful at the very end. I wasn't too sure about the break in her voice towards the end of the song, but now I think it enhances the emotion of the song even more (if you don't like rock, then you probably won't like it at all).

[John H]

Sept 3, 2013 22:49:33 GMT Libby said:

I'll buy their album when somebody here buys one of Brandi Carlile's albums, just because I told you should.

Which one do you recommend?

[Libby]

Sept 4, 2013 6:25:05 GMT John H said:

Sept 3, 2013 22:49:33 GMT Libby said:

I'll buy their album when somebody here buys one of Brandi Carlile's albums, just because I told you should.

Which one do you recommend?

I'd recommend Give up the Ghost, but I'm not sure all her music would interest you, or even her voice. She has a very versatile, unique voice. It can sound soft and beautiful, but other times more rough. Think Melissa Etheridge or Janis Joplin (though she's nowhere near Janis Joplin as far as grit). Not all her songs are on the very happy side, either. But she's an excellent songwriter, as is her band. Her guitarists are identical twins. She even has concerts in England. In fact, I think someone very close to her is British, as well.

I was only kidding though, John, I won't require you to buy her albums. i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif

[John H]

Sept 4, 2013 21:07:43 GMT Libby said:

Sept 4, 2013 6:25:05 GMT John H said:

Which one do you recommend?

I'd recommend Give up the Ghost, but I'm not sure all her music would interest you, or even her voice. She has a very versatile, unique voice. It can sound soft and beautiful, but other times more rough. Think Melissa Etheridge or Janis Joplin (though she's nowhere near Janis Joplin as far as grit). Not all her songs are on the very happy side, either. But she's an excellent songwriter, as is her band. Her guitarists are identical twins. She even has concerts in England. In fact, I think someone very close to her is British, as well.

I was only kidding though, John, I won't require you to buy her albums. i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif

Thanks, I'll give Brandi a listen As you said yourself, I do like rather a lot of artists i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif

Back to ABBA, I remember one of my first gifts to my wife-to-be was an ABBA album. 12" vinyl in those days
But whether or not I buy anything from Brandi, I won't require you to buy ABBA's either

And totally back on topic I really loved Hayley singing SOS More than I expected.

[Libby]

Haha, thanks John. I certainly won't require you to buy anything you don't want, either.

Well, I posted a link to one of her live performances on FB, and Martin said it was screeching and out of tune. I have never heard her sing out of tune, and it was most definitely NOT screeching. She is not a soprano, but she goes from singing a fairly low voice all the way up to those higher notes, and I've seen people call it falsetto. That seems kind of weird to say for a girl, but I think I see why, because it's sort of like when guys, with lower voices, suddenly go up to a high, falsetto range. When my sister heard her voice, she thought it sort of resembled yodeling; and I think I see what she means, because of the constant fluctuations in notes and tone of voice. It is a very difficult technique, there aren't many singers who can do that. For me, it adds to the emotional interpretation of her singing. I love hearing her sing that way.

I've heard that Kate Bush is on the screechy side, so it shows you don't have to be have a perfectly pure, crystal clear voice to be a decent singer/artist. Brandi is far more than just a singer, which is what makes her so good.

I'll try posting another song (or maybe 2) on FB where her voice is more on the soft side when she hits the higher notes, not as much roughness involved, so maybe nobody will imagine any screeching.

[martindn]

Yes, I agree with your interpretation, it seems there is a hole in the middle of her voice that separates the low register from the high, and the "roughness" is probably why it sounds like screeching and out of tune. I tend to put that kind of thing down to lack of control, but I suppose it could be deliberate, and I suppose some people might like it (I don't, for me it grates on the ear). Many singers deliberately sing out of tune anyway, I think they call it "jazz" or something. I would be interested to hear her sing something in a softer style.

Martin D

[Libby]

Sept 6, 2013 17:41:15 GMT martindn said:

Yes, I agree with your interpretation, it seems there is a hole in the middle of her voice that separates the low register from the high, and the "roughness" is probably why it sounds like screeching and out of tune. I tend to put that kind of thing down to lack of control, but I suppose it could be deliberate, and I suppose some people might like it (I don't, for me it grates on the ear). Many singers deliberately sing out of tune anyway, I think they call it "jazz" or something. I would be interested to hear her sing something in a softer style.

Martin D

Martin, for the last time, she does not sing out of tune. And there is no "hole" in her singing, she deliberately does that, and I think she has very good control of her voice. She is also not a "jazz" singer, she's an indie rock, folk, pop singer. And, if she doesn't always maintain complete control of her voice, it's usually due to her raw, emotional way of singing, and that is what I enjoy most about her. Hmm, I do believe Hayley had a similar difficulty with her emotion singing for the Memorial Day concert, and yet it was still a very beautiful performance. I do wish she would have done better, though. Actually, I wish she hadn't had to sing that song, because it also may have been a bit of a strain for her, as well.

Emotional catches or wavers of the voice do not always mar a singer's performance for the worse. If a singer never showed emotion in their singing, it would be quite dull. Hayely had a gorgeous voice to back it up with, so I never cared. But Brandi's music is all about emotion, there's not one song I can think of where she doesn't add just the right feeling to it with the way she sings, even the way the instruments are played. And she's done that since the beginning.

In case it interests you, Brandi never had any formal training, she talks about practicing singing in the house when nobody was around, teaching herself to sing. So, all her singing is her raw, natural voice.

Martin, so you just don't enjoy her type of voice, and that's okay. I don't enjoy Katherine J. or Jonathan Ansell's, but to imply that she's a bad singer is totally inaccurate. I would never say that about KJ or JA, their voices just don't suit me, that's all.

I shouldn't care too much about the opinion of someone who doesn't like Josh Groban, who is an amazing singer (even Hayley says he has a wonderful voice), so I think I'll have to ignore you about this from now on.

I don't suppose the approval of someone like Elton John would mean anything to you? He collaborated with her on a song on her 2nd album.

[martindn]

Hi Libby,

I enjoyed Elton John's first album. After that he went downhill in my opinion, and became less interesting. He is a competent musician, but not a great one I would say. I'd say much the same about Josh Groban. Some of his songs I enjoy, but his voice does not grab me like Hayley's. Perhaps that is because I am male.
But then some male voices do Grab me. Andrea Bocelli, Pavarotti for sure. I like Mario Frangoulis and even Aled Jones. Nat King Cole, Roy Orbison, Freddie Mercury. But they all sing in tune, and if they don't it grates on the ear.
Eva Cassidy is a case in point. She had a fabulous voice, but too often wandered off from the melody she was supposed to be singing, and every time it destroys the magic for me.
Some people think that great music is about power. Others think it is about image. Tonights X Factor, indeed every X Factor, is an example of that. Horrible tuneless nasal whining is considered great singing, what matters it that it shows "emotion". Well, I might be old fashioned, but for me it doesn't work. You have to get the basics right. The things that matter in a singer are primarily power, range and control. They have to get those right first, if they don't nothing else can redeem them. Only then can we get through to things like interpretation. Emotion, well emotional incontinence turns me off actually. It is like "ham" acting, just false and over the top. I have always loved Hayley for her subtle shades of emotion, that seem to be lost on some people.
I guess Libby you like what you like and I like what I like. Nothing wrong with that, we are all different. Sometimes we coincide, sometimes we don't. I put all those Who tracks on that facebook post, and wonder what you think about them.
Here is a track from perhaps my favourite folk band. I have to be careful not to post any commercially available material or the mods would be on my back, but this is a live performance. Eventually the band got involved in Scientology and after that their music went downhill. But this is from their early career. www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOyiDIUhbAE
There aren't too many songs of theirs that are available as live performances on YouTube. It was a long time ago. But if you check out youtube you can find wonderful songs like "The First Girl I Loved" and "The Hedgehog Song" that use the commercial recordings.

Oh, here's another live one.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=52vEFiOuC74

Some incredible playing on that. But never mind, like most of my favourite artists, their best performances are live and the records don't do them justice. In fact it is easy to subscribe to the view that you cannot understand any artist until you have seen them perform live. And I have never seen either Josh or Brandi Live. Or even ABBA for that matter (which might just about get me back on topic). I have seen Bjorn Again though (an ABBA tribute band) who were very good as tribute bands have to be to be credible.

Oh, and in case you are wondering (I'm sure you are not), the words in my footer at the bottom of all my posts are a quote from one of their song lyrics (ISB, not ABBA)..

Martin D

[Bamafan]

Wow, this has gotten way off-topic, and a little tiresome. I know we need to be honest and all that about Hayley and her singing, but bickering about unrelated things is nonconstructive and degrading. It's not even about ᗅᗺᗷᗅ, for heaven's sake! It also makes me a little sad.

-Taylor

[martindn]

Yet Taylor, you could end up discovering some new music....

You are of course free to form your own opinions about it.

This might be the wrong thread, but general discussions about music are rearley "tiresome".

Martin D

[Bamafan]

Well, your first point is true through and through. I've actually discovered several new artists through the forum, all of which I like quite a bit (and some of which I can attribute to you and Libby). Eh, I just don't like bickering, I find it tiresome. It didn't quite seem to me like it was just a good-natured discussion. I could have interpreted it wrong, though, I make mistakes quite often. Human error is an amazingly persistent thing.

-Taylor

[Libby]

Off-topic discussions aren't degrading, otherwise we wouldn't have an off-topic board.

This all started because I said I wasn't familiar with the song Hayley was singing, and everyone thought I was crazy and should rush out and buy their album. I mentioned Brandi because she's an artist I like, and so I was making the point that just because you are very familiar and like an artist doesn't mean someone who isn't is crazy. And I still stand by the belief that Brandi is an outstanding artist, and she has lots of fans to back this up. There is nothing over-the-top about her emotional interpretation. It's all genuine as far as I can tell.

I'm not a fan of Elton John either. But just because you don't like him doesn't mean his opinion on other artists means nothing. Hayley said recently that he was one of her dad's favorite artists.

I'd rather not continue this discussion anymore, either, if it's okay with anyone else. It is getting very tiresome. I wouldn't even care if all our posts arguing about who's heard of who, and who's a good singer and who's not, were deleted.

I would also ask people to give me the freedom of saying I don't know a song without being met with shock and dismay.

[Martin]

Hi All
I'm glad we all agree the discussions are now way off topic so let's accept that any further "tiresome" comment will either be moved or deleted.

Martin

[John H]

Sept 7, 2013 23:37:00 GMT Libby said:

I would also ask people to give me the freedom of saying I don't know a song without being met with shock and dismay.

Libby, you are not alone

My interest in (and therefore knowledge of) pop music just about finished with ABBA. Many songs covered by classical crossover artists are actually new to me. For instance, Earth Song was apparently written by someone called Michael Jackson but the first time I heard it was in a recording by Sisca. People told me I should listen to the original but quite frankly I didn't want to after hearing this
www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1PB77sq1dY

BTW, Brandi's album is on order I'll let you know what I think after I have listened to it - but probably not here i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif

John