Brandi Carlile’s “Returning to Myself” Gives New Perspective on the Meaning of Life

Brandi Carlile’s “Returning to Myself” album cover reflects the themes discussed throughout the album. Carlile’s confident and grounding expression keeps the photo focused despite the hands reaching at her face. Photo Creds: YouTube

Carrie Bradbury, Review Desk Lead

It is hard for an artist as renowned as Brandi Carlile to continue to shock the music industry, but her most recent album, "Returning to Myself” does just that. At age 44, Carlile found herself feeling incredibly alone, despite her profound climb in the music industry and new connections built with some of music's most famous performers. Taking a step back from her usual upbeat, folk songwriting, Carlile dives deeper into her past and produced an album, made up of ten tracks, that are written truly for herself. Fans are inspired to think about their own life while listening to “Returning to Myself” due to the inspirational and heart-felt lyrics.

I found the album to be a lyrical masterpiece that captured the emotions and struggles that arise in any creator's life. Every song tells a piece of Carlile’s story. From meeting her greatest inspiration, Joni Mitchell, to her realization about what it means to be human, the album gives listeners a new perspective on fame and identity. While some of the songs were slow and uninteresting, three songs especially stuck out to me due to their upbeat music and lyrics.

“A Long Goodbye” is my third favorite song on the album due to the nostalgic lyrics about being a teenager paired with a soft drum that keeps rhythm throughout the song. Traveling the world and seeing the things which are unimaginable for a 17-year-old are two of the main themes within this song. Carlile brilliantly ties together the fears which haunt us all, while also telling a story of friendship and promises. This song is the tenth track and the last one on her album. I think it serves as a perfect conclusion to the story which she is telling throughout every song. Carlile returns to her ongoing theme of loneliness and finding a place in the world as she ends the song by saying, “I know I had to lose my way to be found by you.”

Taking a shift from topics discussed in other songs, “No One Knows Us,” my second favorite song on the album, dives into themes related to war and death. Carlile preaches through the song to hold onto every moment you can because people never know when the end will come. While these topics seem dark and unenjoyable to think about, Carlisle makes the song into something easy to listen to and understand. 

My favorite song on this album is “A War With Time,” which tells the story of Carlile growing into an adult and finding her purpose in life. The song starts slow with quiet music that allows for the listener's focus to be on Carlile's lyrics, which follow a poetic rhythm. The lyrics of this song are what makes it my favorite, since it feels as though you are listening to a poem written by Carlile for you, personally. With topics such as PTSD, loneliness, and growing up in a broken home, this song is relatable and impactful for many listeners. The upbeat chorus of this song offsets the darker themes in the lyrics and makes it the most relatable for younger ages. This is the perfect song for anyone struggling with identity and finding out who they are, as well as just an enjoyable song to listen to. 

I found the majority of this album to be somewhat boring, especially compared to her albums in the past. I enjoyed reading her lyrics while listening to each song, but other than her lyrics, I felt that the album could have been much better. I appreciated the backstory of the album and I think knowing that it was focused on her own personal growth before I listened to the songs made the lyrics make more sense. I hope that the next time she releases an album there will be more of the upbeat ones which I enjoyed on this album. Overall, I liked the stories told and themes discussed within “Returning to Myself”.