We Don't Get It

We don't get it. There's been so much hype over this Brandi Carlile character for so long, and we finally "broke down" and went to see her last night at the Triple Door. We're not sure what all the buzz is about.

Is it because she's got a voice with so much power, it could stop a speeding bullet in mid air? Is it because her backup boys -- the "twins" -- are cute and playful with a whole lot of stage presence? Is it because her grandmother comes to her shows and sits in the front row, so Brandi can joke with the woman about shouting the f-word? Or is it just because she's tall and gorgeous with a sweet sense of humor and a tongue-in-cheek adoration for country music?

Whatever it is, it was all there last night, we guess. Everyone else was hooting and hollering and having a grand old time. When she closed the show with her version of "Folsom Prison Blues," you'd have thought you were watching Cash himself, if only he were tall, gorgeous, and female.

Anyway, we don't get it. But we do promise to keep listening to her new album The Story over and over again until we understand the buzz. And if we have to go see her when she comes back on June 1 to play another hometown show for her birthday, shit, I guess we'll have to do that, too. Seattlest isn't afraid to take one for the team.