Herald rating: * * *
KEY POINTS:
The name sounds like a flavoured dairy product. So does the music - a smooth, creamy concoction that, left in the Californian sun too long, risks turning to cheese.
Colbie Caillat is the latest music star to emerge from cyberspace, becoming the number one unsigned artist on MySpace before Universal snapped her up. Her rapid rise to success is no accident. She's the daughter of Fleetwood Mac producer Ken Caillat, and she writes as though plugged into the wants of the masses. Her breezy, middle-of-the-road R&B, combined with her beach-girl image have earned her a reputation as a female Jack Johnson, but she sounds more like John Mayer (the early years), particularly on One Fine Wire and Midnight Bottle.
She has a clear, honey-soaked voice, a boyish, Missy Higgins quality and a style so relaxed, it's tempting to think she spends all her time strolling merrily along the Malibu sand with her guitar, smiling at lifeguards. "Every time I see your bubbly face, I get the tingles in a silly place," she sings on the album's biggest hit, Bubbly.
Scoff all you like. In a year's time, Coco will be the stuff of hotel foyers the world over. And that will make her richer than you.
Label: Universal
Verdict: California girl's easy-listening debut will have her laughing all the way to the bank
