When Colbie Caillat’s decade-long relationship ended in 2020, the only sound that made sense was the high, lonesome cry of country music. Luckily, she was a resident of Nashville — and naturally surrounded by the sounds of dobro, harmonica, steel guitar, and so much more.
All three make appearances on Along the Way — the indie-popper’s debut country album, which was released Oct. 6. Going back to tunes like her highest-charting hit, 2007’s suitably effervescent "Bubbly," you can hear that rootsy DNA. Now, it’s taken full flower.
This wasn’t merely due to the incorporation of country instruments, but the close connections the California native made in her adopted hometown of Music City, U.S.A.
"These songs wouldn't be what they are if these musicians weren't able to just dive in and add all of those beautiful colors," the two-time GRAMMY winner and five-time nominee tells GRAMMY.com of tunes like "Wide Open," "Sometimes You Need a Change," and "I’ll Be Here."
Throughout, Along the Way features heavy hitters like guitarist and banjoist Adam Lester, dobroist Justin Schipper and fiddlist Jenee Fleenor. (As far as "I’ll Be Here," nine-time GRAMMY winner and 32-time nominee Sheryl Crow lends an assist.)
"It really was like a family, making this record together," Caillat adds. And it wasn’t just a family of musicians, but a host of potent inspirations, which ultimately made Along the Way come to life.
Below, Caillat digs into those influences, which range from the universal feeling of heartbreak to the regional energy of Nashville.
This interview has been edited for clarity.
Putting The Pieces Together In Nashville
Well, I've been coming here for 15 years, writing and doing duets with other country artists. When I moved here seven years ago, I wasn't as, I guess, in love with country music as I am now.
I think by living here and being surrounded by the lifestyle, and really getting to appreciate the music and hear it in my everyday life, it's something that I'm so grateful for, and now it's the main genre I listen to.
I've always been a singer/songwriter, and my music has always had that acoustic, organic feel. When I wrote this album, I knew specifically who I wanted to write these songs with, and I didn't want to overwrite.\
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I really only wanted to write when I had something to say. I knew what producer I wanted to work with that could make this a very cohesive album, recording it all in two weeks with the same musicians, and really diving in and making it a whole piece of work.
Then sonically, I heard the dobro a few years ago and I was like, "What is that instrument?" I love that thing. I don't know how I ever knew what it was before, but just adding those elements like the steel guitar and the banjo have been parts that, I really feel like, made me happy.
Learning From Lost Love
Yeah. I was in a 10-year relationship and we ended our relationship back in 2020, and I had never been single before.\
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That relationship was one I loved so much and I still cherish, and I was so grateful how much I learned from our time together. It was really important for me to express that on this album. \
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There are breakup albums where you can be mad at the person and they wronged you and all of that, and there's a time and a place for all of those. But this album is for really just loving what you experienced and appreciating the person for what they were and what you had.
Then other songs are about me being single and on my own and learning that whole experience, and really learning to feel good by myself.
That's where my song "Wide Open," that opens the album, [comes from]. I feel like that's how I'm living now. I just feel okay with what is. I'll be happy if something works out, and if it doesn't, then I understand that now. I understand that things are temporary, and it's not as crippling.
Following Her Gut (And Stevie Nicks)
One of my biggest influences was Fleetwood Mac, and I had heard from my dad and also documentaries of hearing the band talk about how they wrote. It was very much [not] writing sessions. They weren't these scheduled things. They were writing when it came out.\
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I think Stevie Nicks even wrote "Dreams" at the studio when they were already recording. I feel like that's when it comes out best, is when you have this experience and this wave of emotion that is ready to come out and you're ready to say something.
I just went with my gut. I've loved scheduled writing sessions in the past, but this was something that I was like, Oh, my God, I just had this idea, or this full-on wave of realization of something that I just went through and I really want to express it, and now I'm going to call [my co-writers] and see if they want to write the song with me.
It felt really good to not force anything and just let it come out. It took me a really long time to write this album. I will say that. That's the only downfall, is that it was a slow process. But it was a natural process that I really, really needed at that time.
Allowing Herself Time To Heal
I'd say it took a year and a half to write the album, because when I ended the relationship, I didn't write for about seven months. I didn't write a single song. I had no interest in music or creating anything.
Then all of a sudden I had something I wanted to say. I was so happy — I was like, Oh, my God, I got to express what I wanted to say in the most beautiful way with these two incredible writers. That was when I was like, OK, anytime I have an idea, I'm calling them.
Then there's a few songs on the record that I wrote by myself, right here in my house in Nashville. I didn't need any help writing them. They're very personal songs, and it felt good to complete those on my own.
Finding The Perfect Producer
Jamie Kenney produced this album, and I worked with him with [my former band] Gone West. We wrote a couple songs with him and he produced those songs with us. It was exactly like the songwriting feeling.\
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I didn't want to just go with any producer. I really wanted it to feel comfortable, and also I wanted the producer to be very musical and very patient and dive in. I didn't want it just to be something that we recorded real quick. We spent two years working on this record, and he really dove in with me.
He is just a huge part of this process, a huge piece of it, and I really wanted it to be a family making this record together. Where in the past, I loved the producers I worked with, but it was more thrown together and I was on the road, and it was more something that you didn't get to spend as much time on. We just got to live in this record together.