In a certain sense, all of
Colbie Caillat's albums sound as if they could be called The Malibu Sessions. Few singer/songwriters of the early 21st century embody the breezy ideals of Southern California as well as
Caillat, but she pushed back against her inherent lightness on 2014's
Gypsy Heart, co-writing with a battalion of hitmakers and even enlisting mega-producer
Max Martin for a track. None of this turned
Gypsy Heart into a hit, so she took an indie route for 2016's
The Malibu Sessions which, in fact, was the album
Caillat hoped to release instead of
Gypsy Heart. The tell is the fact that the 2016 album opens with a song called "Gypsy Heart," a tune that is as cheerful and effervescent as the 2014 album was slick. Craftswoman that she is, she pulled off the high-class makeover without a hitch, but
The Malibu Sessions reveals how compromised
Gypsy Heart actually is.
Caillat feels at home, probably because she's working with a crew of old friends who include longtime songwriting partner
Jason Reeves, producer
John Shanks, and guitarist
Justin Young, who also happens to be her fiance. Such comfortable surroundings can't help but make
The Malibu Sessions feel cozy, but warmth is her specialty: whether she's strumming a ballad or riding a light reggae beat, she exudes friendliness. Her greatest trick is to be cheerful while managing to never seem cloying. At her best,
Caillat feels as relaxing as a lazy afternoon at the beach, and
The Malibu Sessions is indeed among her best, a pure distillation of her sunny charms. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine