Calico, less is more
A year later, Calico by Ryan Beatty still holds up. I haven’t learned much about him since, but his art speaks to me more than ever. I believe that what holds this album so highly is it’s sultry value.
Lyrics
The lyrics are a string of very few words that are loosely related but, when put together, paint a full picture. This lyrical looseness also leaves space for the listener to juxtapose their experiences with the song’s story, this aspect is especially present in “White Teeth”. Through the album, Beatty explores departures, the need to find love, growing into someone else and more. While exploring different subjects his writing style remains unchanged. It has a similar air to Taylor Swifts writing, however, I would say that it still feels more transparent and real than swift’s. Regardless of which you’d prefer, his texts have so much to offer in terms of emotion.
The production and audio editing of this project is insane. Each instrument is overlapped beautifully. Each element of the sound is perfectly heard and highlighted through the songs. While some artists prefer to hide certain elements carefully and making you notice the little intricacies of the sound only when focusing, Beatty wants you to hear every single aspect of his songs at every moment. The production feels so calculated yet so natural, reminiscent of the golden number. The engineers created space for the listener to feel close to the sound. When listening to this album, it sometimes feels like Ryan is in my ears, whispering his sweet nothings.
Lastly, and most importantly, the voice. Ryan Beatty has such an angelic voice. He gives a very suave delivery. Though he doesn’t showcase the largest vocal range and ability, his confidence in his delivery, his ease at it all is what makes this album seem so natural, so authentic. I hope to hear him again soon.
Ranking (highest rating to lowest):
Bruises off the Peach
White Teeth
Ribbons
Bright Red
Andromeda
Cinnamon Bread
Little Faith
Hunter
Multiple Endings
Overall, this album gets an 8.5/10. It has many good titles and I could see anyone that enjoys folk, alternative or ballads to find at least one title they appreciate. I highly recommend it, especially to those who are not used to this type of music or want to discover other, more relaxing genres.
