When Brandi Carlile released her song “The Story” on the album of the same name in 2007, the song immediately became a “pullover” song for me. In other words, the song is so moving that if you first hear it in the car, you have to pull over to do nothing else but listen to it.
The fact that the song was later used in a television show (Grey’s Anatomy) and TV commercial (General Motors) did nothing to reduce the power of the song. Other artists, like Sara Ramirez and LeAnn Rimes, have covered the song, although the original still remains the definitive version.
But now Carlile is revisiting her entire 2007 breakthrough album with other artists covering songs from The Story for a good cause. The new album with an incredibly long name, Cover Stories: Brandi Carlile Celebrates 10 Years of The Story – An Album to Benefit War Child, features such artists as Kris Kristofferson, Jim James (My Morning Jacket) and Pearl Jam. And all proceeds go War Child U.K., which works to help children in refugee camps displaced because of conflicts.
But who do you get to cover the title song, which is so memorable because of Carlile’s aching vocals? Well, you find a living legend with a great voice and a heart, which is what Carlile did. Dolly Parton takes on “The Story” on the new album. And while she may not make you forget Carlile’s version, Parton does what she does so well. She gives a powerful and heart-breaking vocal that is an immediate classic.
Listen to Dolly Parton’s version of “The Story.”
Cover Stories: Brandi Carlile Celebrates 10 Years of The Story – An Album to Benefit War Child hit stores and the Internet on May 5, 2017.
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