MINI GRAMMY AOTY REVIEWS: BY THE WAY, I FORGIVE YOU - BRANDI CARLILE

Credit: Brandi Carlile, Elektra Records.

BY THE WAY, I FORGIVE YOU by BRANDI CARLILE

Folk is not normally a genre I listen to, and maybe this album has changed my mind.

As I've previously discussed, the Album of the Year nominations this year were very R&B and Rap heavy as far as genres went, so I was excited to give one of the new album's that wasn't a listen.

Until now, I'd never heard of Brandi Carlile but after listening to 'By The Way, I Forgive You', I can't for the life of me work out why. The album was a mix of heartbreaking lyrics, powerful vocals and a genre hybrid of country/folk/indie. The fact that the tracks were a little messy, along with the uncertainty of genre, actually worked in Carlile's favour with this album. It allowed it to be completely honest, and with such agonizing themes to many of the songs, this was absolutely the way to go.

An aspect of the songs I really enjoyed was that you can hear every single instrument being used. There's no random sounds or electronic feedback, it is just vocals and instruments and the simplicity of this is really what made the album. You can imagine these songs sounding exactly the same live as they do on the album and that's something you don't necessarily feel often anymore, especially with the music in the top 40 right now.

It seems Brandi Carlile's nomination has come out of nowhere, but in reality, maybe it hasn't. Carlile has been making music for a long time (over ten years) and clearly perfecting her style with every album she released, and 'By The Way I Forgive You' is the culmination of her talent. Before researching her, I would have said she was the dark horse, but she could easily be a frontrunner. Artists like Drake and Cardi B have the public vote, but it wouldn't surprise me if Carlile is the favourite amongst the people on the Grammys that really know what they're talking about.

THREE WORDS TO DESCRIBE: POIGNANT, POWERFUL AND PRETTY-DAMN-GREAT.

RATING OUT OF 5: 4.5/5

COULD IT WIN: YES.

Listen on Spotify HERE
Listen on Apple Music HERE
Buy on Brandi Carlile's Website HERE

Written by Ruby Crowhurst.