Twenty Greatest Albums of the CU Era: Brandy Clark, 12 Stories

Brandy Clark’s 12 Stories was a throwback to the nineties in the very best way, as it marked the arrival of a fully formed singer-songwriter for the ages. Early comparisons to Kacey Musgraves were inevitable, given Clark co-wrote “Follow Your Arrow” and the album opener “Pray to Jesus” mines similar territory to “Merry Go ‘Round.” But the two singer-songwriters have diverging points of view that are informed by different experiences. Musgraves observes small town life from the perspective of someone destined to leave it behind, while Clark’s gift as a writer is truly seeing those who never have the opportunity or societal privilege to leave.