By Kathryn Reed

STATELINE – A combo of Johnny Cash and Joan Jett is how my friend Kim described Brandi Carlile after seeing her at MontBleu on Aug. 2.

Carlile is hard to pigeonhole into a particular genre of music. It’s a little of this and little of that, making it all Carlile. The energy of this 30-year-old is only overshadowed by her incredible vocal range.

To hear her live in her prime is phenomenal. She sounds so humble and real. Stardom does not seem to have struck this Seattle singer-guitarist-pianist.

Brandi Carlile plays to an appreciative MontBleu audience Aug. 2. Photo/Kathryn Reed

She was complimentary of the near-full crowd at the Stateline showroom, changed up the song lineup to accommodate requests and sent more picks into the audience than are the norm.

A cellist, female drummer, a pair of twins and a guy dividing his time between guitar and piano make up the band that brings her music to life.

And, yet, she could probably do without them because of her stellar musical abilities. She might do like Jewel did at the same venue four summers ago and just bring a guitar on stage with her next time.

While their music is not the same, and Carlile has a bit of maturing to do on the stage, she is well on her way to leaving her mark on the music world.

After all, in 2005, Carlile was named one of Rolling Stone’s “10 Artists to Watch.” She had signed with Columbia Records the year before.

While she doesn’t have any more Nevada tour dates for this year, she will be in California in September.