Tristan Kinnett September 29th, 2020 - 9:07 PM
Singer/songwriter Brandi Carlile teamed up with Soundgarden to release versions of two Soundgarden classics, “Black Hole Sun” and “Searching With My Good Eye Closed.” It was released on September 26 as part of recent Record Store Day events via Elektra as a 12’’ vinyl called A Rooster Says.
The collaboration brought Carlile and her backing band together with Soundgarden guitarist Kim Thayil, bassist Ben Shepherd and drummer Matt Cameron. For those who missed the vinyl, Carlile has shared snippets from both tracks.
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Thayil made a comment to Spin about Carlile’s performances, “It was amazing. She nailed both songs, but ‘Searching With My Good Eye Closed,’ there’s this thing her voice does in the verse… I don’t know how to describe it, but it just evokes tears. It’s really moving and beautiful. It’s strong and vulnerable. It’s fragility and power. It’s a small move but it kind of made the song hers.”
He continued, “I guess I can describe things this way: There are certain performances that I’ve seen or heard that have sent shivers up my spine. Chris [Cornell] certainly did that for me. The first time I saw Eddie Vedder sing with Mookie Blaylock. Jeff Beck doing the Beatles’ ‘A Day In the Life‘ instrumentally. It’s so moving that your eyes well up and you get that shiver. Brandi’s performance of ‘Searching With My Good Eye Closed‘ did that for me, too. That’s the power of music.”
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Judging from the snippets, Carlile put a lot of power into her vocals for the covers, adding a different emotional texture to them. Instrumentally, they sound twangier, more suiting for Carlile’s Americana leanings. The original tracks are much heavier since they’re big grunge songs from the band’s heyday in 1991-1994. The late Chris Cornell’s vocals are irreplacable, but Carlile at least pushed the songs in a new direction.
Carlile originally performed “Black Hole Sun” with Soundgarden during a tribute concert to Cornell in January 2019. This year, she appeared at a live stream tribute concert for John Prine as well as live stream shows supporting small businesses, other COVID-19 relief efforts, tornado relief and more. She also released a music video for her song “Carried Me With You” after it appeared in Pixar’s Onward.
Photo credit: Boston Lynn Schulz
