Dive Verdict: 2.5 of 5 Stars
Some voices just aren’t meant for studio polish. Brandi Carlile’s is one. Bristling with raw power that ruptures above smoother tones, her voice tears at the edges of Give Up the Ghost’s nitpicked acoustics.
It’s like trying to capture Loretta Lynn inside the concert hall sound of Whitney Houston. Violently, rapturously feminine, Carlile’s pipes demand fire, not over-production.
“Pride and Joy” should be a resounding success. With Carlile pouring gritty regret into excellent lines such as, “All your mountains turn to rocks/All your oceans turn to drops,” it’s the kind of thing meant to slam you right in the gut.
But it’s all covered up in over-the-top piano and strings, blunting the impact of Carlile’s performance.
The up-tempo numbers suffer as well. Featuring rollicking piano from Elton John and wonderfully honky-tonk singing from Miss Carlile, “Caroline” is a near perfect bit of barroom fun.
But barroom fun isn’t meant for clarity. Carlile’s words should have to fight over the din of clanging chords and furious strums. There’s no such struggle here. Instrument levels are dropped during the verses. Solos are boosted above the arrangement. There’s nothing ramshackle about it, and the song becomes forgettable because of it.
Carlile’s songwriting is solid — emotionally vivid and grounded in just the right amount of familiarity. And her vocals are superb. But the production strips away the immediacy, leaving Giving Up the Ghost a pristine shell of what could have been a rough-and-tumble triumph.
