Artist of the Week: Brandi Carlile

Brandi Carlile, one of Rolling Stone's "10 Artists to Watch in 2005", will release a third studio album "Give Up the Ghost" across United States on October 6. Explaining about what the effort is dealing with, she said, " 'Give up the Ghost' is a metaphor for dying. It's bleak if you see it that way, but I think it's about growth. It's about transition."

Indeed, there is nothing bleak about Brandi's music. A follow-up to her second set "The Story", this new album is produced by Grammy-winning music maker Rick Rubin. Also, it features "Caroline", a duet track between Brandi and Elton John.

"He's my greatest influence since I was really young, about 11 years old," Brandi said of her collaboration with Elton. " 'Tumbleweed Connection' is maybe my favorite record of all time, that or 'Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy'. We felt like 'Caroline' had the same funky piano vibe that he had all the way through 'Tumbleweed Connection'. We went through the channels; I knew the worse he could do was say no. He didn't say no. He said yes."

While waiting for the album to arrive in stores, music lovers can stream its songs entirely on Billboard.com which has brought them forward for free stream since September 29. "Your subconscious tells you so many more interesting things than what you conscious mind tells you day to day," Brandi told the publication about what inspired her to make those new songs.

Brandi Carlile is currently promoting the album with a series of traveling shows which will run through October 24 in Seattle, Washington. She recently added another concert date on February 21, 2010 in Miami, Florida. More info about her forthcoming shows can be found on her MySpace.