Colbie Caillat - Coco (2007)

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Sweetness rules on Colbie Caillat's debut, Coco, which is perhaps only appropriate for an album bearing that name, but the record doesn't play like a toasty mug of chocolate on a winter's day, it's a sugary lemonade on a breezy summer afternoon. It's light and comforting, a familiar blend of sunny pop and singer/songwriter tropes that flirt with cliche but never sound hackneyed -- a lighter, brighter spin on Norah Jones that sounds like an ideal soundtrack to a few hours in a cozy coffeehouse or a montage on Grey's Anatomy, whatever comes first. If that gives the impression that Caillat is a little calculated -- and if her music-biz heritage (her dad co-produced Fleetwood Mac's Rumours and Tusk) gives the sense that she may have had a silver spoon, and if her celebrated MySpace popularity is also initially suspect -- then as an album Coco shows no crassness or coldness: it flows easily and, yes, sweetly, filled with gently ingratiating melodies and delivered with warmth and a casual charisma that proves to be quite endearing by the end of the record. Caillat doesn't attempt anything approaching a major statement -- the album is filled with songs about love and life -- but that's her appeal: she sings about simple, everyday things in an unassuming manner, letting her melodies and girl-next-door charm carry the day, and they do so winningly on this nicely mellow debut. Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

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Tracks:
01. Oxygen
02. The Little Things
03. One Fine Wire
04. Bubbly
05. Feelings Show
06. Midnight Bottle
07. Realize
08. Battle
09. Tailor Made
10. Magic
11. Tied Down
12. Capri



Colbie Caillat is a wonderful young talent, and it shows through on her debut album. Listened to by millions on MySpace, Colbie is just starting to be heard on radio and in the mainstream.
Although this record does not compare to Colbie's live performances where her heartfelt emotion shows through, it is still as quality a pop record as you will find.
01.) Oxygen: 4/5 Great start to the record, sets the tone of a laid back but thoughtful record
02.) The Little Things: 5/5 My personal favorite, great melody and great lyrics.
03.) One Fine Wire: 4/5 Another quality pop song, really catchy!
04.) Bubbly: 5/5 Colbie's single, and deservedly so! A wonderful song, expect to be hearing it on radios across the country soon.
05.) Feelings Show: 4/5 Simple song that wears its heart on its sleeve.
06.) Midnight bottle: 2/5 Not the best, strays from what makes a lot of Colbie's other songs so great.
07.) Realize: 4/5 Deep song, a must hear.
08.) Battle: 5/5 Another really heart felt song, one of the best.
09.) Tailor made: 3/5 Nothing to really make it stand out, but fits well in the record.
10.) Magic: 4/5 For anyone who likes a mellow love song.
11.) Tied Down: 5/5 Another favorite, some great reggae influence.
12.) Capri: 4/5 Wraps up the record wonderfully, acoustic guitar and Colbie.
Amazon Customer Comment


Even without MySpace, singer/songwriter Colbie Caillat is sure to have found an audience, but her oft-accessed page accelerated the process, mostly on the strength of the effervescent "Bubbly." On her first full-length album, the California native conjures up clear skies and warm breezes. Not that the lyrics revolve around her stomping grounds of Malibu and Ventura County, but her mellow melodies sound like products of those places (co-writer Jason Reeves' ukulele playing reinforces the beach music impression). Instead, Caillat sings about love in all its guises, as on "Capri," a tribute to a mother-to-be. The daughter of audio engineer Ken Caillat (Fleetwood Mac's Rumours), who provides production assistance, Colbie combines acoustic pop, light jazz, and blue-eyed soul on Coco. Despite her young age--22 at the time of its release--the record seems likely to attract an older audience, although her sunny singing manages to sound centered and spirited at the same time. Coco doesn't offer anything startlingly new, but its relaxing vibe is hard to resist. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Product Description
Singer/songwriter Colbie Caillat is one of the most celebrated artists to emerge from the growing talent pool of digitally-savvy self-launched artists, whose rise to prominence as the #1 unsigned artist on the popular myspace site has been largely due to her refreshing sense of understatement.
With no marketing push and only the power of the music behind her, Caillat became a sensation on the social networking site. Rolling Stone highlighted her as one of the top female artists on myspace. Ultimately, her number of friends swelled to more than 100,000. Her profile has been visited over 3 million times, and she has more than l0 million plays. She's currently averaging 50,000 + a day.
The songs on Caillat's debut album COCO mirror the Malibu-born Caillat's low-key, refreshing style. Armed with her acoustic guitar and her dusky vocals, she evokes the same gentle, yet spirited style of her musical influences John Mayer, Bob Marley, Lauryn Hill and The Weepies. The laid-back tempo of Hawaii, where she spent twice annual family vacations, is echoed in the music.
"She's the real thing," stated Monte Lipman, President of Universal Republic Records. "From her unique songwriting skills to her powerful but understated presence, Colbie has connected to millions of music lovers simply through the power of her music.


Who is Colbie Caillat? From the CD pix, she looks like a real pretty version of Jennifer Aniston, wholesome, all American girl. There's a mention of her being from MySpaceMalibu, so you expect light and breezy, but it's actually pretty mature and well thought out lyrics that gets your attention, even with the soothing acoustic guitar, the lyrics are pretty serious like "Midnight Bottle" about subduing one's loneliness with a drink(she was 22 at the recording of this CD) or moving away from a bad relationship in "Battle."
The first track "Oxygen" sets the tone of this album with her deep, smokey Rickie Lee Jones voice. With modest beginings, Colbie can be the next big thing, her understated grace and inate talent as a musician might be key to her success. She kinda reminds one of a female version of Jack Johnson or Donovan Frankenritter. So folks looking for something alternative to listen to, this is it.
Amazon Customer Comment


Not my kind of music, but I came across it on a forum, and I thought it might be of interest.