Brandi Carlile

With her tastefully emotive songwriting and soulful alt-country style owing as much to Radiohead as it does to the Opry, Brandi Carlile defies humdrum singer-songwriter clichés. Performing since she was 16, the Washington-born musician signed with Columbia Records in 2004 based solely on the merits of her home recordings, but the resulting studio debut proved that a little polish goes a long way. The sweeping, tuneful songwriting of 2009’s Give Up The Ghost received an appendix in the form of XOBC, a stripped-down set of love songs (with covers of The Beatles and Bryan Adams) sans Ghost super-producer Rick Rubin—or collaborator Elton John. The songstress’ most recent album, Live At Benaroya Hall With The Seattle Symphony, is a live recording that sees her covering the likes of Leonard Cohen and Elton John in addition to performing original work from past albums.

Updated 08/03/2011