“Brandi Carlile defies categorization—she is country, she is pop, she is Americana—but most of all, she’s out to make the world a better place.”—The Cut
Only a global pandemic could have forced Brandi Carlile to hit pause. After two hard-fought decades-in-the-making, Carlile was in the midst of experiencing the biggest highs of her acclaimed career thus far. From a show-stealing debut at the 61st GRAMMY Awards, to her first sold-out arena show at Madison Square Garden, to an ever-growing number of awards and accolades, all-star collaborations and countless other staggering achievements.
Finding herself stuck at home outside of Seattle in the rural foothills of the Cascade Mountains, Carlile had no choice but to slow down, reassess and realign her priorities. Luckily for Carlile, home happens to be a 90-acre compound shared with not only her wife, Catherine, and two daughters, but also her chosen family: longtime collaborators and bandmates Tim and Phil Hanseroth as well as her cello player Josh Neumann among an ever-growing contingency.
It was during this time that In These Silent Days took shape. Inspired by the mining of her own history while writing her #1 New York Times Best Selling memoir Broken Horses, the new ten-song record chronicles acceptance, faith, loss and love and channels icons like David Bowie, Freddie Mercury, Elton John and Joni Mitchell—the latter two who, by some sort of cosmic alignment of the stars, have turned out to be close friends in addition to being her biggest heroes and inspirations.
Reuniting with producers Dave Cobb and Shooter Jennings, the album takes Carlile’s voice, which The New York Times says, “sounds like an element of nature,” and pushes it to even greater heights and dramatic peaks. From the anthemic first single “Right On Time” to the intimately romantic “You and Me On The Rock” and the blistering “Broken Horses,” the songs tell a story of connection and empathy in the midst of distance and estrangement and showcase an artist continuing to push herself and widen her arms around an inclusive, ever-growing island of misfits.
About Tanya Tucker
Outlaws. Movie stars. Washed out rodeo cowboys. Songwriters. Fashion designers. Guitar pickers. Real people. Late-night denizens. Superbowl Half-Time shows. Studio 54. Honky Tonks. Sedona. The Opry. Austin. Music City. New York City. Madison Square Garden and Carnegie Hall. Awards in the ’70s, ’90s, and ’20s, #1 records in every decade but the 2010s.
Only Tanya Tucker can claim a resume like that: one long on living, not judging, creating, not looking back. When 2019’s acclaimed While I’m Livin’ won the GRAMMY for Best Country Album, and its poignant single “Bring My Flowers Now,” not only won Best Country Song but was also nominated in the all-genre Song of the Year category, it was a powerful statement about authenticity, about staying power and about greatness. But that doesn’t always make the follow-up any easier.
Tanya Tucker has seen, done and been places most people can’t imagine and she’s done it at a pace that would kill mere mortals. A child thrust into stardom with a series of precocious hits, the iconic “Delta Dawn,” “Would You Lay With Me,” and “Blood Red & Goin’ Down,” among them, she then released a pair of wild and brash rock records at 18, then returned to country music in her 20s to ultimately take the CMA Female Vocalist of the Year Award in 1991. Along the way, she’s been a cutting horse champion, played dives, arenas, stadiums, and the Houston Rodeo, created headlines, and wrung out the absolute last drop out of every moment.
