Review by Doug Cornell

At the risk of totally destroying any credibility I have, let it be known that I watch "American Idol."  My favorite singer this year was Bo Bice. That guy had the one thing everyone else lacked - stage presence.  He had an authentic, southern-rock voice, he chose his songs well ("Vehicle" was amazing), and he commanded the stage.  All of the girls, even the farm-girl from Oklahoma that won (what was her name again?) looked as if they were terrified of the stage. 

It's a good thing for the American Idol chicks that Brandi Carlile didn't compete.  She would have made them all want to go home after the first performance.  Carlile, from Washington state, is the real deal.  Her self-titled debut album is a stunning collection of rootsy American music, sort of a mixture of Patsy Clyne, Joan Osbourne, and Wilco. Vocal melody is the core component, while pristine arrangements of strings, guitars, keyboards, and percussion keep the songs moving.

The album opens with "Follow," which wisely gives us a brief taste of Carlile's unique voice accompanied with only an acoustic guitar.  Each verse builds upon the previous, and the volume and intensity rises to a level found most recently in the work of the magnificent Roy Orbison.  You could search for years for music that contains 1/10th of the beauty of this track and never find it.  This is the real deal.

This album is so full of stand-out tracks that it's difficult to single them out.  "What Can I Say" is a definite sing-along track, "Closer to You" has a delightfully light, up-tempo beat, "Throw It All Away" has a vocal chorus hook that is not to be missed.  "Fall Apart Again" will be your most-played iPod track...

Each of the ten songs on this album are suitable for adult-contemporary radio, but hopefully Carlile won't fall victim to the "Good Morning America" sort of pabulum that is so common with female singer-songwriters these days.  This album is worth owning on its own merit.

Download a Free MP3 from Brandi Carlile, "Throw it all Away"