Brandi Carlile’s 10 Best Songs: Critic’s Picks (2024)

It’s tempting to refer to the 2019 Grammys, at which she’s nominated for three of the four major awards (song and record of the year for “The Joke,” album of the year forBy the Way, I Forgive You) as Brandi Carlile’s breakthrough moment —but that would shortchange a stellar career in the world of folk rock, which has been glittering since her self-titled 2005 debut.

Along the wayup to 2018’s Grammy-nominated mission statementBy the Way, the Washingtonianhas been churning out delicate folk, rock and Americana driven by keen songwriting and a voice that to this day can still surprise with its bristling strength, alongside delicate, forlorn balladry.

It’s been no easy feat to retain Carlile’s standard of output; never one to rest on her laurels, the 37-year-old has teamed with a variety of producers over her six-album career, including Rick Rubin, T Bone Burnett, Jay Joyce and, most recently, Dave Cobb and Shooter Jennings – when she’s not opting for the DIY route, of course. And that’s not even mentioning Phil and Tim Hanseroth, the twin brothers who’ve been her songwriting (and occasionally producing) partners and part of her backing band since the beginning, lending trademark flourishes all across her discography.

To commemorate her Grammy nominations and her new cover story inBillboard, we’re narrowing it down to the 10 best offerings of Carlile’s career so far —from the singles to the deep cuts, the ballads to the barnburners.

10. “Cannonball” (The Story, 2007)

It’s easy to imagine “Cannonball” on any number of T Bone Burnett-helmed film soundtracks. The man behind the boards of Carlile’s sophom*ore recordThe Storylends timeless, ethereal production to a song that’s already imperishable,thanks to rich backing harmonies from the Indigo Girls and a light, lilting melody that’s given free rein by its sparse instrumental accompaniment.

9. “Dreams” (Give Up the Ghost, 2009)

Rarely does Carlile veer into straightforward pop, and the closest she’s come single-wise has to beGive Up the Ghostlead effort “Dreams.” Not that that’s a bad thing; the rollicking number, with its tinges of roots rock, effectively showcases both sides of the singer’s vocal range, from restraint on the verses to impassioned belting once the chorus hits.

8. “Closer to You” (Brandi Carlile, 2005)

The highlight from Carlile’s debut LP is also one of her first that hinted at her eventual move toward Americana, rather than singer-songwriter-y folk rock. “Closer to You” is a song of the road and of the longing that springs from it, and the shuffling beat makes it all the more effective a travelin’ song — hence, probably, its inclusion on the soundtrack of 2001’sThe Sisterhood of Traveling Pants.

7. “That Wasn’t Me” (Bear Creek, 2012)

There’s definite soul in the music of Brandi Carlile, as plainly evidenton “That Wasn’t Me,”Bear Creek‘s lead single and spiritual center. The lyrics are particularly resonant for those facing addiction, urging the admission that struggling with these compulsions are not the sum of their dependence (“Whatever you see, that wasn’t me,” she croons).

6. “Every Time I Hear That Song” (By the Way, I Forgive You, 2018)

By the Way, I Forgive You‘s opener is a mission statement. Along with establishing the origin of the album’s title, it sets the stage for a record further steeped in traditional Americana than anything in Carlile’s discography that preceded it, thanks to co-production duties from Dave Cobb and Shooter Jennings. “The Joke,” which immediately follows, is the LP’s centerpiece, sure, but “Every Time” is the mood setter —and on its own, it remains a damn good slice of folk, with its lush harmonies a particularly extravagant feat.

5. “Mainstream Kid” (The Firewatcher’s Daughter, 2015)

It ain’t every day we get a song from Carlile’s discography with this frenetic a tempo, and even rarer so one as electric as “Mainstream Kid.” Perhaps, then, its placement on this list is in part a byproduct of its deviance, but that doesn’t make the wailed vocals and muscular guitar riffs any softer-hitting.

4. “The Eye” (The Firewatcher’s Daughter, 2015)

Credit where credit’s due: the brothers Hanseroth are Carlile’s secret weapons both on stage and in the studio, and there are few more palatable examples of their importance than “The Eye,” which finds the twins harmonizing beautifully with Carlile throughout its entirety over delicately picked acoustic guitar. Carlile’s the main attraction in all of her material —and rightfully so, of course —but it’s “The Eye” that’s the toughest to imagine without her cohorts.

3. “The Joke” (By the Way, I Forgive You, 2018)

A number of songs from Carlile’s six-album catalog would have been worthy of her maiden song and record of the year nominations at the Grammys, but “The Joke” —given those nods atthe 2019 ceremony —is perhaps most fitting. Written as an attempt to recapture a “vocal moment like ‘The Story,'” as Carlile says producer/co-writer Dave Cobbput it, “The Joke” makes its mark not only via her soaring, bombastic vocal effort, but also (and more importantly)its lyrical content, which proves a beacon of hope for the underrepresented and misunderstood.

2. “The Story” (The Story, 2007)

What more can be said about the song (and resulting album) that made Brandi Carlile a household name? How about the fact that, in a career known for expert songwriting, Carlile didn’t actually write it? “The Story” is a Phil Hanseroth-only affair (not even brother Tim contributed), with Carlile’s longtime collaborator weaving an earnest tale of belonging and destiny that’s catnip for music supervisors. But in the spirit of the song’s distinguished “I was made for you” refrain, “The Story” was made for Carlile, and no vocal but her own could have exalted it to its status as her signature release. Not convinced? By the time her voice breaks before the final chorus, you will be.

1. “Party of One”

“I am tired,” Carlile declares twice shortly before the halfway point of “Party of One,” and boy, do you both feelandhear it in her weary, weathered voice. It’s as though the entirety ofBy the Way, I Forgive Youwas recorded in one take and Carlile, running on fumes, is simply letting the swell of strings in the outro, carry her home. Later, she recorded a duet version of the tune with Sam Smith, but don’t be distracted by the flashy guest appended to the title: the real tour de force is the original, a career-defining concentration of powerhouse vocals and laborious, meticulous songwriting.