Artist:     Calico The Band

Album:    

Label:    

Release Date:     9/15/2017

88

BUY DIGITAL

BUY PHYSICAL

Built around the songwriting and gorgeous vocals of Mander Mosher and Kirsten Proffit, Calico The Band proudly carries the torch of California country rock. Working with a hand-picked group of backing musicians, Mosher and Proffit create a lush sound that mixes country grit with the pop sensibilities of legendary southern California acts like the Byrds and the Mamas & The Papas.

“Fine Line” is an insightful look into the life of an aspiring musician. Mosher and Proffit’s harmonies are warm and expressive, and sympathetic backing from guitarist Steve Barns and organist Preston Edmondsun creates a bright, jangling arrangement that’s bound to please fans of the Byrds. Mosher’s weathered alto vocals are perfectly suited to tales of romance gone bad—the hard bitten mood of tracks like “Cold Cold Love” and “Fly Me Away” are great showcases for her voice. Proffit’s dreamy soprano works wonderfully on introspective, wistful tales like “Love Gets in the Way” and “The Leaving Kind.” Proffit truly comes into her own on the anthemic “The 405.” “We’ve got life behind us, open skies above,” she sings on the chorus as telecaster riffs and a weeping pedal steel guitar flesh out the arrangement.

Two beautifully arranged cover tunes, the Mamas & The Papas’ “California Dreamin’” and Joni Mitchell’s “Ladies of The Canyon,” underscore this band’s strong pride in their Southern California roots. There are few things more rewarding to music fans than discovering a group of young musicians with a deep sense of tradition. Hopefully, Under Blue Skies will bring this band the acclaim that they deserve.

—Jon Kleinman