Callaghan: A Coat of Many Musical Colours

I love discovering new music. I love hearing an artist for the first time and being blown away. I love listening to a singer and having their words touch me emotionally and move me. It’s not always that I get to hear a new artist who can do all of those things, but it recently did happen. Her name is Callaghan and her debut album is about to be released and heard by the world.

Hailing from London and transplanted here in the states in the summer of 2010, Callaghan started to work on her debut with Grammy nominee Shawn Mullins. The result of all of her hard work and effort is entitled Life in Full Colour, a courageous twelve song journey, full of emotion and honesty that will make you smile and it will make you cry. You see, Callaghan is a rare breed in today’s turbulent music industry. She writes or shares writing credits on all twelve tracks and is also a skilled musician. She sings from her heart and conveys so much emotion in her vocal delivery that you feel it deep inside.

Her album opens with a toe-tapping little number entitled “Best Year”, which would sound right at home in an Old Navy commercial. Callaghan seems to draw on relationships in more than one song on this album. “To Be Loved by You” is another upbeat number that taps into being appreciative for that special person in your life who loves you for being you.

“Nothing You Say” gives a peek into a more emotional side of Callaghan that really does shine bright. This is one of those songs where she seems to open up and write from the heart. It’s a poignant and emotional song of reassurance from one person in a relationship to the other.

“It Was Meant To Be” is one of those songs that you can get lost in. The emotion that she conveys in her voice really does touch your heart. This is when Callaghan is at her best; when she slows things down and exposes herself emotionally for all to see. Her vulnerability and honesty is something that can be universally felt and any listener can relate to. It’s a beautiful song and one of my favorites on

 the album.

Callaghan is a story teller, an art form that is sorely missing in music today. The best example of that on her album is “Get Me Through the Night”. It’s a story, an acoustic guitar and a woman with a voice as beautiful as the woman who possesses it. I’m not sure if she has experienced such a pain personally, but it certainly comes across in her voice on this track. It’s simply an amazing and heartfelt track. She even gets a little bluesy and soulful on the track entitled “the Edge of Love”.

On Life in Full Colour, Callaghan proves to be a coat of many colors. She combines elements of pop, folk, blues and most importantly authenticity as she takes us along this wonderful ride that she has ventured off on. The album is solid from beginning to end and that in itself is another rarity these days. In an industry that seems to be focused more on singles than an entire album’s worth of great songs, Callaghan has twelve tracks that can stand on their own.

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