Brandi Carlile - "Live at Benaroya Hall" Album Review
April 25, 2011
If you haven't yet - go out and listen to Brandi Carlile's "Live at Benaroya Hall" in it's entirety courtesy of Paste Magazine.
Not that there was a single doubt in my mind, but this album really is incredible. It comes about as close as you can get to capturing the brilliance that is a Brandi Carlile show (though I’m still holding my breath for a live DVD). Including the curtain call as a track on the album really gives you that feeling of actually being there in a fancy theatre with the soaring curtains on stage, the buzz of anticipation for what you know will be an awe-inspiring performance palpable in that cavernous space.
This arrangement of “Sixty Years On” is quite different from any I’ve heard before. The beautiful string section just before Brandi begins singing lends so much drama to the performance. With that build-up, you know something worth paying attention to is coming. And the bold symphony part in the middle of the song is interesting – it sounds almost regal, like you’d expect royalty to step onto the stage at that moment. It’s overall the most dramatic arrangement on the album, and speaks volumes to what a symphony can add to a song.
“Before it Breaks” is very similar in sound to how we’ve been hearing it on tour over the past couple of years, with the addition of a larger string section. It still features Brandi on piano – I’m proud of her for still taking on the piano part even when there are classically trained pianists who she could have handed the task off to. I love, love, love “I Will” in general, but this is not my favorite version. It feels less emotional than the vocal delivery on “Give Up the Ghost”.
A high-energy version of the single from Give Up the Ghost, “Dreams” is up next. This one is so smooth after probably hundreds of live performances that it’s pretty flawless. Interesting comments by Brandi after this song is over “I know that one was going for Allison anyway. You’ve gotta throw it a little harder to hit the drummer”. Would love to know what that was about – leave a comment if you were there and saw this happen!
Turpentine is one of my favorite live Brandi songs – especially with the backing of a full symphony. As anyone who has seen this band live knows, there is always a break in the middle of the song where Brandi teaches the audience to sing a three-part harmony. I love that this is finally on an album, so I can hear it outside of standing in the crowd surrounded by voices.
Then comes “The Sound of Silence” – a beautiful Tim and Phil Hanseroth cover of the old Simon and Garfunkle standard. And I know I’ve probably said this about this song before, but those twin voices have such a creepy harmony. If this song doesn’t give you chills, I’m not sure what will.
The Story – Probably the most popular Brandi Carlile song, even though this song is a carry-over from Tim and Phil’s Fighting Machinists days. But she brought that wonderful, soaring, cracking note to it. You may remember recently hearing this song on the musical episode of Grey’s Anatomy, sung by Sara Ramirez (Callie Torres on the show), as well as a few versions of it sung by American Idol hopefuls.
Oh boy, “Pride and Joy” – this is a fan-freakin-tastic symphony song. This song was made for soaring sound of a symphony, especially the string and horn sections. And I’m so glad to finally have the cello ending on a recorded version of this song. I am always a little disappointed expecting it on the Give Up the Ghost version – this version certainly won’t let you down. Next up is a cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” that’s been an on and off staple of Brandi Carlile live shows over the years. Made so much more arching and dramatic with the accompaniment of the symphony.
A cover of Alphaville’s 1984 pop-standard “Forever Young” rounds out the album. This cover is a recent addition to Brandi’s live performances, and another where she takes a seat at the piano. Nice to hear the audience chime in when Brandi says “You know you wanna sing it”. Josh Neumann’s cello part is also hauntingly beautiful on this tune.
Also on this album are tracks of “Looking Out” and “Shadow on the Wall”, which weren’t stand-outs on the album to me. I’d recommend picking up this album on May 3 – not only because I’m a borderline fanatical Brandi Carlile fan (see, full disclosure…), but it’s like many other live albums that capture the mood and atmosphere of a live show that you can experience anytime you want (without the sometimes-rude crowd, expensive drinks, and long lines for the bathroom).
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