the perfect song?

date header separator

Wednesday, September 24th, 2008

the perfect song?

in a recent conversation with a friend, i boldly declared that brandi carlile’s downpour is the perfect song. it really is. it features an incredibly soaring, yet restrained female voice, sweeping, emotionally stirring strings and intelligent lyrics. if i’m in just the right mood, it can bring me to tears, no matter how many times i’ve heard it now.

just as boldly, after picking up jenny lewis’ new record, acid tongue (which i hope to write a full review of soon), i think downpour has some competition. the title track from acid tongue is a beautifully stripped down song that marries perfect harmonies, engaging lyrics and and a vocal performance by jenny lewis that—much like carlile—soars while still being delicate and emotional. jenny lewis is one of my favorite songwriters because she knows how to tell a brutally raw and honest story while still coming off as somewhat “untouched” and pure. her voice is delicately powerful and she knows how to use it to move the listener the ways she wants.
anyway, you can take a listen for yourself. (by the way, the person singing the harmony in the chorus is chris robinson of the black crowes…another unique and amazing voice.)

acid tongue:

downpour: