An old Scottish proverb claims that confession is good for the soul—and proof that the aphorism is true comes courtesy of Calista Garcia’s debut album, which finds her staring down life’s challenges with a cheeky spirit. On the surface, it’s an old-school rock record that borrows from folk music and the blues, with dashes of Tejano/Tex-Mex tossed into the mix. These aren’t the typical slice-and-bake (aka generic) songs that litter many modern playlists, in other words; they’re chockfull of personality, whimsy and wit. As she sings in “Trainwreck,” “They say don’t fall in love if you don’t know the risk/I guess I’ve always been a bit of a gambler.” And while dissecting “The Way I Love You,” she observes, “You’ve made me who I am/And I’m proud of who that is/You’ve made me soft and gentle/You’ve opened up my ribs.”
The eight-song, 37-minute album opens with the percussion-heavy “The Coals,” which uses fire walking as a metaphor for tackling tough decisions head-on. “Trainwreck” marries Santana-like grooves to a Steely Dan vibe, especially on the chorus, while barreling down the railroad tracks laid down by a foolish heart. (As the Grateful Dead sang, “A foolish heart will call on you/to toss your dreams away/then turn around and blame you/for the way you went astray.”) “Flowers in My Hair” is a song sure to bring a smile to most listeners’ lips—it’s captures the first flush of a crush. (In another era, I’m sure it would have landed Garcia on The Midnight Special.)
On Instagram, Garcia said that “Can’t Give Myself Away” was inspired by Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers’ Damn the Torpedoes and dedicates it to “recovering people pleasers.” It’s a rollicking tune that incorporates hard-won truths alongside a B3 organ break and one incendiary guitar solo after another.
The aforementioned “The Way I Love You,” a power ballad with a twist, opens what is—in theory, at any rate—the album’s second side. “Kalamazoo,” another slice of ‘70s-inspired rock, follows. It’s one part “Crocodile Rock” and one part “Katmandu,” and flat-out fun from start to finish. It’s my wife’s favorite. The album’s pièce de résistance to my ears, “Sandcastles (Wash Away),” features Garcia harmonizing with herself while philosophizing about love, life and the fleeting nature of time. It’s a remarkable song.
The album closes with “Moments,” which finds her buried alive in the blues. Which is to say, she makes like Janis Joplin while her band goes Full Tilt Boogie. It’s gut-first and raucous, the perfect end to great album. As with the seven songs that precede it, it couldn’t have been written and sung by anyone but Garcia.
Confession, it should be mentioned, was produced by Garcia and Jim Scott. The band includes guitar slinger Doug Pettibone, who’s best known for his work with Lucinda Williams; former Soul Coughing bassist Sebastian Steinberg, who’s backed such artists as Apple and the Chicks; Hammond B3 organist Harrison Finks, who worked with Garcia on her A Beautiful World EP; drummer Jimmy Paxson, who’s played with pretty much everyone under the sun; and David Garza, whose name should be recognizable to most reading this. (He’s released a slew of albums and EPs over the past 30 years and also worked, as both producer and session player, with such artists as Fiona Apple, Alejandro Escovedo and, circa her Beautiful Creature album, Juliana Hatfield.) That such a crack band was on hand to give support to Garcia says much about her talent.
I’ll close where I began: Confession is good for the soul. Give it a spin via the usual streaming services, including Apple Music and Spotify.
The Old Grey Cat 
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