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\n\tFollowing her 2018 breakthrough, By the Way, I Forgive You, <\/em>Brandi Carlile<\/a> embraced many roles: Brandi the Underdog, a singer who conquered the mainstream after a decade of hustling; Brandi the Steward, ushering in the resurgences of icons like Elton John<\/a>, Tanya Tucker<\/a>, and Joni Mitchell<\/a>; Brandi the Author, with her 2021 bestselling memoir; and Brandi the Collaborator, following her supergroup the Highwomen and her production work with Brandy Clark and Lucius.<\/p>\n \n\tNone of these roles left much space for Brandi the Artist, or Brandi the Person. That\u2019s the thesis of Returning to Myself,<\/em> Carlile\u2019s eighth solo album. It\u2019s a frequently moving, occasionally spellbinding, and sporadically frustrating statement that represents Carlile\u2019s finest work since By the Way<\/em>. But it\u2019s more than a return to form, pointing toward new textures in Carlile\u2019s voice, sense of melody, and instincts as a co-producer (alongside heavyweights Aaron Dessner and Andrew Watt).<\/p>\n \n\tSee \u201cNo One Knows Us,\u201d the album\u2019s memoiristic centerpiece (\u201cEighties movies and Everclear\/What if we\u2019re gay?\u201d), and the one that best utilizes the yin-yang of Dessner and Watt. Other highlights: the gorgeous verse melody on soft rocker \u201cHuman,\u201d the hushed acoustic ballad \u201cAnniversary,\u201d and \u201cYou Without Me,\u201d a gut-punch meditation on parenting adapted from her recent Elton John collaboration: \u201cHeavy are the hands,\u201d she sings, \u201cthat you are free to slip right through.\u201d<\/p>\n