Colbie Caillat: Starbucks or Sundress today?

I picked up Colbie Caillat’s debut CD Coco because my wife had become enamored with her infectious single “Bubbly.” In her words it was “the perfect balance of sexy and poppy.” And there’s some truth to that. The challenge for Colbie will be defining her sound. She needs to determine if she wants to make heavy, breathy “Starbucks music” or breezy, happy “Sundress music.” Or maybe like her debut CD Coco, she offers us a cocktail of both.

I’m not going to be too hard on Ms. Caillat. To read her liner notes you get the overwhelming sense it’s hard not to like Colbie. Sure she looks like Friends era Jen Anniston, sure she can really sing. But it also feels like if you spent an hour with her you’d say, “she’s actually really great.” Coco is a promising debut for sure.

Her live shows and second album will tell the world if Caillat achieves mainstream appeal like Sarah McLaughlin, Sheryl Crow, Natalie Merchant, etc. of if she plays to a niche like Missy Higgins (although Australia is a big niche), Alice Peacock, Tift Merritt, etc.

So what precisely is the difference to “Starbucks music” and “Sundress music” you ask? It’s simple. Starbucks music is heavier, and places emphasis on authenticity. Think Amos Lee, think Norah Jones—there’s a little more librarian, little more rainy day to it. About half of the songs on CoCo have this melancholy strand coming through them. Caillat pitch is so low that at times she sounds closer in vocal to say a John Mayer or Jason Mraz than she does her female contemporaries. This range could potentially open new doors for her as she determines how to best utilize that Joss Stone, flapper scratch.

That said, Colbie sounds more at home when she has the sand between her toes. “Bubbly” as a song is foreplay from a woman’s perspective. It’s slow, sensual, and starts in the toes. The other sunny song on the record, and one that might even be better is the lead track “Oxygen.”
Colbie is so convincing singing “Baby, if I was your lady” that you trust her when she says “I would make you happy, I’m never going to leave.” Not bad for 21-years young.

“Feelings Show” is another upbeat number with a great little “Love is pretty crazy baby take it real slow” twisty slide vocal. Caillat uses her deep voice here well, holding court over a groovy little number. Put a choir behind her, and I have the sense Colbie could really bang on the pulpit vocally. It’s got some Lauryn Hill wiggle to it. Nice.