Sabine McCalla, Don't Call Me Baby

Sabine McCalla’s debut LP ‘Don’t Call Me Baby’ tells of having a broken heart and of being abandoned by a beloved, yet it transcends despair through a gladness that love ever existed at all, a finding of self-love, and an envisioning of new life, giving an uplifting dose of peace and poetry.

 

McCalla’s voice is resonant, deep, and mysterious, yet warm, relaxed, and enchanting. Her sound feels rooted in the foundations of music; influenced by blues, indie, jazz, folk, surf rock, and gospel while at times evoking Brittany Howard, Smokey & Miho, Alice Smith, Marion Williams, and Leon Bridges; yet ‘Don’t Call me Baby’ is fresh and different, trailblazing a new genre of vibrant lushness to suit McCalla’s unique style. 

 

The songs on ‘Don’t Call Me Baby’ are all original, other than a rendition of “Deep River,” performed with Leyla McCalla on harmonies accompanied by stripped down guitar picking. Sabine McCalla's soulfulness brims and crescendos when she sings, “don’t you want to go to that gospel feast, that promised land where all is peace” gloriously, emotionally, and reverently. McCalla's version of this spiritual is on par with Odetta's "Deep River."

The album’s first track “Sunshine Kisses” humbly repeats, “don’t call me baby, you don’t call me no more,” revealing that the singer is the baby whose calls go unanswered. The organ piano and percussion are funky/alt-country/holy without overwhelming the vocals. Dreamy harmonies and mythic flute build tempo as McCalla sings, “sunshine kisses for me,” reminding us when we feel outcast from humans we can still experience communion with the sun and nature.

 

It’s refreshing how McCalla turns an old blues theme into a celebration of the divine feminine and embracing our crushes on the upbeat and playful song, “Louisiana Hound Dog.”

 

“Two of Hearts” starts out slow and jazzy then peaks into ecstatic “ooo hoo ooo ooos,” bringing to mind Presley’s version of “Blue Moon.” This track also has as a bit of a Young Marble Giants feel, yet more rich and old timey. 

 

“Anything Without You” is a swoonable love song, and it’s powerful and transportive when McCalla sings, “in my mind there’s a place where we get to be in peace and harmony;” this planning for a better day is a hopeful, much needed message currently; and the video for the song showcases McCalla’s sensitivity to horses.

 

On “Baby, Please Don’t Go” McCalla sings, “I’ve met some bad men, do you know what I mean,” which resonates on a global scale, as do the lines: “I’ve got the blues babe, can’t imagine me not…can’t imagine me not without the blues.” The song's slow pace turns into a rising of McCalla’s vocalization that's intoxicating and danceable; and the piano accents the storyline well. 

 

“I Went to the Levee” has a haunted old time ballad tone and presents a message against gun violence, as well as a feminist sentiment in the lines, “we’re running towards the end of the world…it’s behind me…why can’t a woman enjoy the night like a goddamn man.”

 

The closing track “Lovely Lonely” is another standout. The repetition and rising momentum of the lyrics, “if you want me come find me” is spellbinding, providing rhapsodic energy to sail away on. Indeed, this song does make us want to “come find” more of McCalla’s work. The album keeps the listeners’ attention through varied tales and textures, then seems to end too quickly. We’ll need to keep it on loop as we yearn for more Sabine McCalla releases. 

 

When it seems there’s so much cynicism in the world lately, the brightness of these songs encompasses us in beauty and brings balm to our hearts.