Colbie Caillat has three things going for her. She’s pretty, she’s likable and she knows exactly what her audience wants. An album like Breakthrough is virtually criticproof, because it is not written for jaded 20-something bloggers. It’s easy to scoff at Caillat’s simple tunes and liberal use of trite clichés, but a million girls moving into their college dorm have just found the soundtrack of their freshman year.
Breakthrough is a direct sequel to Caillat’s first album, Coco. The production is a little slicker, and there are some orchestral touches, but she mostly sticks to the laid back instrumentation that made her popular the first time around. You can’t really fault her for this, because she has a knack for tuneful melodies. They are insipid and saccharine most of the time, but they are catchy. I found myself humming along without even realizing it.
The first single, “Fallin’ For You” is a rewrite of Caillat’s first hit, “Bubbly.” She has fallen in love with another wonderful person and she doesn’t know if she should keep it to herself or broadcast it from the mountaintops. “Fallin’ For You” and “You Got Me” set up everything you need to know about Colbie Caillat’s character. She is shy (“I’m scared about what you will say”), romantic (“You take my hand and pull me into dance”), and not concerned with physical appearance (“That crooked smile of yours really knocks me off my feet”). Caillat’s tone is unflinchingly earnest. She always has the best intentions. Her infatuation is not driven by pure lust, but rather a deep spiritual and emotional connection, or by a pair of adorable blue eyes. Whatever comes first.
Even Caillat’s breakup songs are friendly. On “Droplets,” a duet with singer songwriter and professional dreamboat Jason Reeves, Caillat is as much to blame for the breakup as Reeves. Why? Because she just can’t get up the nerve to tell him how she feels. If she could get past her charming neuroses, they would be strolling down a meadow. Reeves is also to blame, but you get the sense he didn’t do anything really wrong. Perhaps he was emotionally distant or a little bit of a cad, but they are going to be OK. They are just too cute to be apart.
“Fearless” is the darkest song on the record, because the tables have turned. Caillat’s boyfriend has broken up with her, and she is totally heartbroken. She insists that she doesn’t need him, because she doesn’t need a relationship to be happy. She’s fearless. This is all well and good, but the entire record is about courting and reconciliation. Is she truly fearless, or is she putting on a strong front? If she had explored her fears beyond the basic “I can’t talk to this adorable boy” clichés, Breakthrough would have been a more interesting album.
It’s hard to be critical of Breakthrough because it has so many good intentions. This record will be popular and “Fallin for You” and “Droplets” will be on a thousand mixtapes. Unfortunately, she might have written herself into a corner. Songs about falling for a sensitive guy will work on high school seniors and college freshmen who are too old for Miley Cyrus, but eventually some of them will discover Ani Difranco.