Brandy Clark Releases New Single “Same Devil”
With very little notice or fanfare, Brandy Clark released brand new music this Wednesday in the form of the single “Same Devil” and what a mid-week treat it proved to be. It’s the collaboration many of her fans have been waiting for, featuring vocals from fellow Washington State native Brandi Carlile who also produced the track, her talent and sensibilities in this regard having already earned her a Grammy this year for co-producing the Tanya Tucker album “While I’m Livin'” .
The all-female write sees Brandy collaborating with rising star Hailey Whitters (the two wrote together for Hailey’s amazing album “The Dream” released earlier this year) and established Nashville songwriter Marla Cannon-Goodman, the three coming up with a truly thought provoking and well observed song who’s hauntingly beautiful yet simple production perfectly focuses the listener’s ear on the all-so-important lyrics… the two BC’s having to connect remotely to record the song due to current Covid-19 restrictions.
I really love the way it begins with Brandy practically speaking the opening lines, almost ” fly on the wall” documentary style and totally non-judgementally… with a stripped back acoustic guitar accompaniment she describes the unfolding scene as a drug dealer prepares to sell his wares to a prostitute, or as she more eloquently describes it ” a guy selling baggies by a telephone pole to a dime bag girl who’s going to sell her soul”. At the same time the girl’s mother sits at home nearby “waiting on a call she hopes she never gets”. Carlile’s backing vocals which kick in early on are almost gospel-like, the accompaniment building gradually and eerily as Clark’s varied social (and political) commentary continues, the crux of the song being that although very different in our views and lifestyles, we are actually and ultimately all more connected than we think… or as Brandy says “Same Devil is about how we all have different paths, different problems, different addictions, different beliefs that all take us to the same exact places. I really was drawn to the dark and raw quality of the idea. What Brandi Carlile brought to the song production wise and then vocally made it take on an even darker and deeper tone. It feels explosive to me”. And I must say, it sounds pretty explosive too!
Stream/download “Same Devil” here http://brandyclark.lnk.to/SameDevil
Article written by Lesley Hastings (twitter.com/lesleyhastings)
