Colbie Caillat: ‘Along The Way’ Album Review
Colbie Caillat’s brand new album, Along The Way is out now, October 6th, on all streaming platforms. Listen to the new music below.
After having success in pop music from 2007-2014 with hits such as “Brighter Than The Sun,” and “Bubbly,” California-native, Colbie Caillat is expanding her craft into the country scene. Although this is her first solo-country project, Caillat was a part of the former pop-country group, Gone West when they released their debut album Canyons in 2020.
Caillat penned all thirteen songs on the record, with AJ Pruis and Liz Rose contributing to six of them. There are several common themes but none more significant than “change.” The album kicks off with the reflective “Wide Open,” a mid-tempo track about enjoying the moment without worry. Life is constantly changing, so don’t get discouraged when things don’t go exactly your way—a symbol of her new career path. “Sometimes You Need a Change” is also an illustration of this.
The next track, “Pretend,” contains a lot of traditional country elements like fiddle and steel guitar. While the lyrics check-off the boxes of classic country stereotypes, the overall meaning is very clever. When looking back on the last relationship, she realizes that their love wasn’t pretend, so her and her former love interest should pretend they didn’t make those crucial mistakes and try again.
“Of that first summer night in the back of your truck // Kissin’ in the moonlight, stars above // Dancin’ in a field with the radio on // The moment we found our favorite song // Burnin’ like a fire that would never go out // Heartache wasn’t somethin’ we were thinkin’ about”
Along The Way’s secondary theme is “acceptance,” and this is displayed in “For Someone,” “Meant For Me,” and the lead single, “Worth It.” All songs discuss breakups where the singer was initially disappointed but admits she has no regrets and accepts the fact that they weren’t meant to be. In the former, the singer “fixed” the other, just so he can run off and be with someone else. She must remind herself that everything happens for a reason, and at the end of the day, they are probably better off on their own.
“We teach him how to walk and then he runs // Love’s cruel, but it’s cool // For me he might not be the right one // But I made him the right one for someone”
Every good country album needs a few lighthearted tunes to balance out the deeper and more vulnerable ones — “Two Birds” and “I’ll Be Here” provide this. The former is about sticking with the people you love no matter what. A Caillat solo write, the track is layered with traditional country instruments like harmonica and banjo to round out the fun and uplifting message. Caillat recruited country music legend, Sheryl Crow for the feel-good, “I’ll Be Here.” Its message is all about supporting one another through tough times.
It would be great if we could choose the people we love, but unfortunately life doesn’t work like that. The final theme is nostalgia and longing for people in your past. “Blue,” another Caillat solo wrote, and “Still Gonna Miss You” represent the singer’s feelings of coping with heartbreak. The latter paints the picture of how difficult it is to end true love, even if it’s for the best. The singer hopes that one day she’ll understand why leaving was the right thing to do.
The closing songs, “Old and New” and “The Other Side,” wrap up the project nicely. The singer conveyed her eagerness to begin her new journey but expresses how she’ll never forget the people and things in her past that helped shape the person she is today. If there’s one line to describe the album, it’s “It’s okay to miss the past while wanting something new.”
Whether this was just a fun project for Caillat or the start of a new, resurrected career, Along The Way is everything that’s good about pop-country—a fresh sound combined with real, meaningful lyrics. On behalf of country music fans, we would love to see Colbie Caillat as a mainstay in the genre.
Along The Way Tracklist:
- Wide Open | Colbie Caillat, Alysa Vanderheym, Jordyn Shellhart
- Pretend | Colbie Caillat, AJ Pruis, Liz Rose
- Worth It | Colbie Caillat, AJ Pruis, Liz Rose
- Sometimes You Need a Change | Colbie Caillat, AJ Pruis, Liz Rose
- For Someone | Colbie Caillat, AJ Pruis, Liz Rose
- Meant For Me | Colbie Caillat, AJ Pruis, Liz Rose
- Still Gonna Miss You | Colbie Caillat, Jason Reeves
- I’ll Be Here featuring Sheryl Crow | Colbie Caillat, Brett James, Jason Reeves, Kenny Edmonds
- Buying Time | Colbie Caillat, AJ Pruis, Liz Rose
- Blue | Colbie Caillat
- Two Birds | Colbie Caillat
- Old and New | Colbie Caillat
- The Other Side | Colbie Caillat, AJ Pruis, Liz Rose
Country Swag Picks:
- Worth It
- For Someone
- Two Birds
- Old and New
Colbie Caillat shares her new album, ‘Along The Way,’ out not on all streaming platforms.
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Along The Way is available everywhere you buy or stream music. Take a listen below and check out more new recently released tunes on our ‘New Country Music’ playlist. Be sure to give the playlist a follow for your weekly new country music fix.
