Duet - John Mayer & Colbie Caillat

I came across this duet the other day, between John Mayer and Colbie Caillat, who are both currently on tour together. This is one of Mayer's songs, a slow bluesy tune, and it really lends itself well to both singers.

Gravity - John Mayer & Colbie Caillat

Hype - Buy - Look

The Best of May

This past month has been really, really rich with music. There's been a lot of really good songs that've come through this way, and I'm really excited for what the rest of the summer will bring. Bring on the noise:

Ease Back - Amos Lee
Listen - Amos Lee
Amos Lee is one of my favorite musicians, and judging from the tracks that I've heard from his upcoming 3rd album (Due out June 24th), I'm betting that this one will be his best yet.

Life in Technicolor - Coldplay
Viva La Vida - Coldplay
Coldplay's changing things up a little with a bit of a newer sound, and like Lee, I'm thinking that this will be one of their better albums. I can't wait to hear the rest of it.

Cath... - Death Cab for Cutie
Grapevine Fires - Death Cab for Cutie
Death Cab for Cutie's latest album also changed things up quite a bit, and on the whole, it's stronger, edgier and it sounds fantastic.

Robots - Flight of the Conchords
I love these guys, they're absolutely hilarious. Robots is just a geeky song to begin with, and they just make me want to burst out laughing.

Lucky - Jason Mraz & Colbie Caillat
This is a nice, cute duet from these two.

Killing for Love (Beatfanatic Remix) - José González
I love Gonzalez's work, and while I'm not a huge fan of remixes, this is a really good one that I've been listening to a lot.

Magnetismo (Magnatism) - Landon Pigg
Landon Pigg's off to a good start with his first EP, and I think this is the strongest song on the album.

Meet Me By The River - Matthew Ryan
This song is raspy, emotional and really, really good. I suspect that Ryan's album will make it to the end of the year as one of the best.

Dream - Priscilla Ahn
I saw Ahn last year with Cary Brothers, and I really liked her sound, it's sweet and calm. I picked up her EP, and have been waiting eagerly for more news about her next album, due to be released this June. I can't wait.

The World, The People Together - The Dandy Warhols
The Dandy Warhols are back, and they've got energy. This reminds me a lot of Bohemian Like You, which is a fantastic song.

Orbiting - The Weepies
I really dug these guys 2nd album, and this is one of the best songs on there. Very sweet, easy on the ears.

Hype - Buy

Artist Comparison: Colbie Caillat and Jack Johnson

My first distinct memory of Jack Johnson was shortly after he released his first song on Brushfire Fairy Tales in 2001. I was driving up to Burlington with my mother and brother, and the song Bubble Toes was on the radio. It caught my ears, but I promptly forgot about the song and singer until his last album, 2005's In Between Dreams. Recently, I've come across another singer, who bears a fairly strong resemblence to Jack Johnson, Colbie Caillat, who has recently released her debut album, Coco. Interestingly, the title of her lead single is Bubbly.

Both singers are out of the West Coast of the United States, and have a couple of similarities between the two of them. Musically, they both play the guitar - Johnson is well known for it, and Caillat seems to follow his sound somewhat. Both have an extremely carefree sound that's perfect for a sunny, lazy afternoon when you really don't want to do anything (this is typically when I listen to either to any degree.) It's not that I don't like their music, it's just that I have to be in the right mood to listen. Both artists employ a fairly slow and deliberate pace that is pretty specific.

Subject-wise, they also have some similarities - a number of both of their songs are concerned with love and togetherness, or loss and longing. It's an extremely common theme in music, and while in some places it's just annoying, here it really works in a way without being whiny. Their sound and their fit really go well together.
I think that some of this has to do with their location - both singers seem to fill a bit of a cool-surfer, laid back persona (just look at both of their music videos), something that's generally associated with California or the islands of Hawaii. I'd bet that both artists would credit singer Jimmy Buffet to some degree with songs such as Margarittaville to their music, as it has the same, lazy feeling to it.

We Are Going To Be Friends (The White Stripes) - Jack Johnson
Realize - Colbie Caillat

Hype - Buy