"The Eye" by Brandi Carlile

The Eye opens with a single acoustic guitar and Brandi Carlile's voice, close and unguarded. The recording puts you in the room. No wall of reverb; no percussion backstop; no safety net. The stereo image stays intimate: guitar and vocal centered, a lavish three part harmony and strings fill in the sides without crowding the mix. Dynamics do the heavy lifting. It is the kind of song that rewards a system that can hold both whispers and crescendos. This track has legit brought tears to my eyes in a dark room on a rainy night.

Listen for: On a good pair of speakers the room opens left and right without ever losing the center. One of the Hanseroth twins' harmony lines doubles Brandi on the final "eye" of the chorus, slightly left. Focus there once and you will hear it every time.

Note: This track was featured on the Seek HiFi Better Together MXTP

Better Together MXTP

Voices joining to create something more than the sum of their parts. An audiophile mix tape of fantastic vocal harmonies.

Seek HiFiWade Meredith

Data

Song: The Eye
Album: The Firewatcher's Daughter
Artist: Brandi Carlile, The Twins (Tim and Phil Hanseroth)
Genre: Americana, Folk Rock
Year: 2015
Length: 3:32
Engineer: Jerry Streeter, Trina Shoemaker (mixing)
Producer: Brandi Carlile, Phil Hanseroth, Tim Hanseroth, Jerry Streeter, Ryan Hadlock, Trina Shoemaker