Brandi Carlile "The Story” (Columbia)

Brandi Carlile "The Story” (Columbia)

Adult alternative The late Jeff Buckley's influence is still deeply felt: his jaw-dropping vocal range and pained delivery drafted the blueprint for Radiohead's mid-'90s maturation and Coldplay's "Parachutes,” but until Brandi Carlile's self-titled 2005 debut, there had been no high-profile women who took Buckley's example to heart. But while "Brandi Carlile” had a stripped-down, campfire immediacy, producer T-Bone Burnett gives her follow-up disc, "The Story,” the widescreen sonic palette that could power Carlile into iconic status.

The changes are not immediately noticeable with the first track, the country-rocking "Late Morning Lullaby,” but then Carlile deploys her gorgeous upper register to the chorus, "Only beautiful, beautiful bright eyes lie” as cellos saw and pounding guitar chords rumble beneath her, and "The Story” becomes a different tale. "My Song” and "Wasted” date back to the early 2000s, but each song benefits from Burnett's "Joshua Tree”-style expansive production.

Burnett deploys such drama judiciously. He has the good sense and taste to give "Have You Ever,” "Cannonball” and "Josephine” more intimate arrangements. But Carlile's poignant and personal songs deserve the rich embellishment many of them receive. Culminating in the searing, 10-minute closer, "Again Today,” "The Story” is just beginning for this expressive singer-songwriter.

— George Lang