Ok, so I found something to mix in with my Mandy Moore rotation these days – Colbie Caillat’s new album CoCo.

It has that Southern California vibe that reminds me of the time I got to stay in a beach house that belonged to my mom’s friend. The doors and windows were always open because there weren’t any bugs to speak of and the weather was perfect, perfect, perfect. So I had three or four days of gauzy sheer curtains blowing in the breeze and that fresh ocean air smell all through the house. Flip-flops and sarongs as standard dress. Lemon trees in the backyard. Spontaneously arranged seashell collections on the porch. That’s where I go when I listen to CoCo. Not a bad place to be taken back to in my mind!

And apparently appropriate, since she IS from California. I can see what the people reviewing her on iTunes mean when they say things like she’s writing “Beach Music” and they would love for her play with Jack Johnson sometime.

Colbie’s voice is sweet and soothing, and overall the beats are light and bouncy, even on the slower songs. Favorite songs of the moment: Bubbly for the super cute lyrics and tune, Tied Down for the ukulele and reggae vibe, Feelings Show for the catchy chorus that gets my head bopping every time. Honestly though, I really just like the whole album! Every song is good, so no need to skip around or fast forward.

My lovely cousin pointed me to Colbie’s MySpace page a few months ago and I signed up to get updates right away because I knew I’d be wanting to hear more! One of those MySpace success stories, Colbie ventured out into the public arena by posting a few songs on her page. When she put Bubbly up she suddenly skyrocketed to be the number one unsigned artist on MySpace, a position she held for four months in a row! Of course record companies took notice, and since she already had a huge fan base and real life feedback that she was a success, she was able to sign with a company that would give her full creative control. I think her fans will agree it’s a good thing, Colbie knows what she’s doing and has a good thing going. I could listen to her pure, simple, sweet sound for a long, long time.

UPDATE – where to buy CoCo:

Download on On iTunes
Download or buy CD On Amazon