Singer and songwriter Brandi Carlile has again found the sweet spot between critical and commercial success.
Her latest, “By The Way, I Forgive You,” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Rock Albums Chart in March, selling at least 41,000 copies the week of its release, according to the publication. It also debuted at No. 1 on the Americana/Folk Albums chart. The same week, it was No. 5 on the all genre Top 200.
NPR, AV Club, Variety and Rolling Stone reviews were strong for the disc, too.
Hear her play music from that record and more from her six-album career Tuesday at Harvester Performance Center. Another Washington-state native with a similar name and her own songwriting credentials, Brandy Clark, will open the show.
Carlile wrote all of “By The Way, I Forgive You” with her longtime musical partners, “The Twins,” Tim and Phil Hanseroth. They address underdog kids in “The Joke,” a drug-addicted suicide victim in “Sweet Tooth,” a still-miserable ex-lover in “Every Time I Hear That Song” and an anonymous homicide victim in “Fulton County Jane Doe.” Her voice breaks for effect, soars in other spots and registers authenticity throughout. The production, shared between Dave Cobb and Shooter Jennings, combines multiple genre elements seamlessly.
For Carlile, who has performed at three FloydFests, it will be a first stop in Rocky Mount. Her opener, Clark, played a double-bill at the Harvester with Charlie Worsham in April 2017. She opened at Berglund Coliseum, in Roanoke, for Alan Jackson in 2015. Clark has co-written hits for Kacey Musgraves (“Follow Your Arrow”), The Band Perry (“Better Dig Two”) and Miranda Lambert (“Mama’s Broken Heart”).