Coco

OK, I'll admit it, I'm getting old. How do I know? A while back my HS-aged son and I were driving down the street and I was listening to an oldies rock station. After 3-4 songs my son turns to me and says, "Dad, just because something's old, that doesn't make it good." Ha! Good one! It's true.

Luckily, I don't listen only to only old stuff that he may or may not like, I keep my ears open for new music that might appeal to me.

I remember hearing "Bubbly" on the radio and liking it. I did a little checking and found that it was by a gal named Colbie Calliat. I then visited Amazon's MP3 music store and checked out other music of hers. I can't say that I like everything that she does, but I liked a lot of it.

The best way I can describe Colbie Calliat's music is that it is fresh and happy. We need more of that in the world. I like the upbeat tempos and the hesitations that have become a trademark of her tracks. Sure some people will say that it's just way too much sweetness and light, and if this were all I ever listened to I'd have to agree, but this album "Coco" is a welcome addition to my music collection, and tracks from it appear regularly on my playlists.

So when I saw Coco included in one of the lists of $5 albums on Amazon, I snapped it up. There are several songs on the track that I like listening to at work, mixed in with the rest of my "old" stuff and other new stuff.

All in all, a pleasure to listen to. Inherently listenable music, happy, and uplifting. Thanks Colbie.

5 stars.

Discovered Colbie by accident while surfing the local radio dial and heard her new song 'Falling for You' and could not get enough of it. When I ordered her BREAKTHROUGH (Deluxe Edition) and COCO (Deluxe Edition) I didn't know what to expect. BREAKTHROUGH is pretty good...COCO to me is brilliant!! Not to compare her with anyone (she is a style of her own) but she reminded me a lot of Diana Krall on Monster drink. Colbie has got to be one of the better singer/songwriters of this generation. How could BREAKTHROUGH not top COCO is beyond me. Don't think about getting the standard edition of this masterpiece. Get this deluxe edition before it is too late and kick back and enjoy the smoothness of this AWESOME artist. Don't normally write reviews for CDs, usually reviewing movies...but Colbie Caillat is one to make me hear things differently. Looking forward to seeing her in concert. You cannot put into words the emotion she spreads to this man's heart. Am I in heaven. or what? Enjoy this masterpiece, it's 75 minutes of heavenly beauty!!

Colbie Caillat is not your average valley girl. OK, she did work as a receptionist in a tanning salon and she was no stranger to Malibu surf, but Colbie was not going to limit herself to the boundaries of Thousand Oaks, California. She knew the world had more to offer and she wanted to explore it. At 19 years old, Colbie began to write songs and learned to play guitar. She was really good at it.

Her Dad is a renowned recording engineer and record producer and an inspiring coach. As Colbie learned the basics, she got a chance to do some demo work for some of her Dad's clients. She also took voice lessons from Michelle Mindel and auditioned her compositions to her friends. With a little experience and refinement, it all started to make sense. Maybe Colbie really could make a living with her music.

It was time to switch gears. Instead of recording other people's songs, she started to record her own material. In between takes for demos, Colbie would casually sing her own tunes. A couple of times recording engineer Mikal Blue, on the other side of the glass, rolled on Colbie's warm-ups and an informal demo reel of her own was formed. Her Dad heard some of these takes and was taken! She really had a lot of potential!

Word of mouth can be a wonderful thing. Colbie's friends also loved her songs and helped her post them on-line. Her quiet MySpace Music site began to attract a lot of attention. First, dozens of people dropped by every day, then hundreds and then thousands. Do you think people like her music? The last time I looked, Colbie was approaching 30 million total hits! Her first CD, entitled 'Coco' will soon reach double platinum in sales. In her words 'it's a diary of my life and all my emotions put to music.' It's also really sweet listening.

Two songs already are memorable radio standards. Colbie's playful 'Bubbly' is a delightful expression of new love. If you realized how 'Realize' was written, you'd have to laugh. Colbie had the basic riff and needed to build up the song. She handed it over to her friend who actually wrote the core of the lyrics. Colbie did not realize until later that the song was addressed to her! I especially enjoy the syncopated groove of 'Feelings Show.' You are bound to find your own favorite. Colbie offers refreshing diversity in her fresh well recorded debut. 'Coco' has been high on the charts since it was first released a year ago. Her fame is deserved. You simply can't miss.

Not only is it a big seller, 'Coco' is also very important from another aspect. Colbie's CD reaffirms that the traditional music industry, ruled by large media corporations, no longer has a monopoly on America's music. Thanks to the open public access of the Internet, Colbie truly is a star created by her peers. We have been waiting for this liberating revolution for decades. Finally, new acts have a chance to emerge based on quality instead of promotion dollars.

Colbie has a busy year or two ahead. She'll be touring America this summer opening for John Mayer and also performing as a solo act. In September, she'll earn more frequent flyer miles visiting many cities in Europe followed by a four gig tour in Japan. In the studio, Taylor Swift is teaming up with Colbie to write and perform a song on Taylor's new album. Colbie is also readying her own second CD for release in the summer of 2009.

Can't wait? Check out Colbie's pure fun cover and video of the Little Mermaid classic 'Kiss the Girl' recently released by Disney. Colbie has also leaked a couple of versions of a fresh song called 'Droplets' to be released as part of her new CD next summer. It's a duet with her songwriting pal Jason Reeves that is so genuine it's bound to be embraced. You'll also hear Colbie on the best-selling Christmas song of 2007 called 'Mistletoe' available digitally on-line. Listen carefully to Jason Mraz' third album 'We Sing, We Laugh, We Steal Things' and you'll hear a familiar voice on track three called 'Lucky.' I'll know what I'll say when 'Coco II' is ready for pre-orders: "Will you count me in?'

It's not easy to find really excellent singer/songwriter, but in Colbie Caillat the talent has been found as she's an amazing artist. The arrangements are kept simple and the words flow smoothly. Sometimes Colbie's voice reminds us of Carly Simon and the songs of California sunshine, ... then at other times there's a shot of reggae rhythms mixed into the arrangements which just lure the listener to the beach and relax. In a few words "Coco" is an excellent CD and Colbie is one of the new great artists of our time. Get the Deluxe Edition as it has a number of additional songs on it and it's just a joy to listen to each song over and over again.

I have been in the "Music" Radio business from the late 60's. I got into radio for the music, being appreciative of the talent .
I teach radio at a Community College and I kept hearing Colbie on the school station and kept writing her name down for further exploration. After finding 5 or 6 scraps of paper with her name on them, I finally ordered "Coco" The cd and the Artist have quickly become a member of my "Favorites". Colbie's voice, the way she sings the songs, the instrumentation and the subjects, combine to produce one of those "magical" albums. All songs are great! 5 starts!