Best of: Brandi Carlile

For years, Brandi Carlile has been turning out beautiful tunes about the human experience. Her newest release, By the Way, I Forgive You, being no exception. The album is a powerful collection of 10 songs spanning themes such as love, loss, memory, addiction, and so much more. Take a listen and I’m sure you’ll have it playing on repeat all year long.

Can’t get enough of February’s Artist of the Month? Here are five videos to celebrate Carlile’s amazing career so far:

“Turpentine”

Uploaded in 2008, this performance of “Turpentine” from Carlile’s second studio album, The Story, is the oldest video on the Brandi Carlile YouTube page. Pick a part and get ready to sing backup vocals with the rest of her Boston audience!

“Dreams”

Carlile debuted on Music City Roots live from the Loveless Café on June 16, 2010. She and the band give it their all in this high-energy performance of “Dreams” from her 2009 album, Give Up the Ghost.

“A Promise to Keep”

“A Promise to Keep,” from Carlile’s Bear Creek album, is a touching song full of keen observations about the way life works. The ambling guitar picking beautifully mimics the ways in which we continue on in the process of moving on from loss.

“The Things I Regret”

“The Things I Regret” is one of my personal favorite Brandi Carlile songs. In this video from the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado, Carlile shows off her skill as a performer. Flanked by twins Phil and Tim Hanseroth, Carlile brings an energy and power to the stage that is truly captivating.

“The Mother”

There is no mistaking the pure love in Carlile’s eyes as she serenades her daughter, Evangeline, in this performance of “The Mother” from By The Way, I Forgive You. The song is just one example from Carlile’s newest album of the ways in which the artist has grown and gained new life experiences to share with her listeners.

Photo credit: Alysse Gafkjenh