When it comes to songwriting, Brandy Clark is a seasoned pro. “I was about nine when I took my first whack at it,” she told G&G on our Whole Hog podcast. The forty-four-year-old has come a long way since then. Along with racking up a host of writing credits on songs like Miranda Lambert’s “Mama’s Broken Heart” and Kacey Musgraves’s classic “Follow Your Arrow,” the Nashville-based singer-songwriter has put out three full-length albums of her own, earned six Grammy nominations, won a CMA award, and solidified a reputation for smart, playful lyrics that pack an emotional punch.
Her just-released new album, Your Life Is a Record, finds the Washington state native articulating the many phases of love gone wrong, with poetic meditations on heartbreak (“I’ll Be the Sad Song”), fiery kiss-off anthems (“Long Walk”), and an up-tempo post-mortem on a lost relationship (“Who Broke Whose Heart”).
Stream the album’s excellent lead single, “Who You Thought I Was,” below. It’s a freewheeling number that speaks to the good that can come from a breakup—namely, the part that makes each individual strive to be better.
Clark will hit the road at the end of this month, with shows across the country and several dates with Kentucky up-and-comer Kelsey Waldon. See the full list of dates here.
