"Can't have the sun without the heat" sings Leyla McCalla on the title track of her new solo album, Sun Without the Heat.
It's a reminder that life isn't always easy and you might have to go through difficult times before the good. The album is McCalla's most personal yet, with lyrics describing growth, freedom and relationships.
The New Orleans-based musician is a former member of Carolina Chocolate Drops and Our Native Daughters. Sun Without the Heat is her fifth solo album.
"Open the Road" begins the album with bright, highlife-inspired guitars and Afrobeat drums. It's one of a handful of songs that show McCalla adding West African influences into her already wide palette. The open road is the place where she will find what she is looking for.
"Scaled to Survive" works with similar tones but slows the tempo down to thank a lover for their compassion and understanding.
Another standout is the '90s alt-rock inspired "So I'll Go," perhaps the loudest song in McCalla's catalog. The bright and bubbly guitars from earlier on the album are replaced with an angular minor chord riff that grows until the final crescendo. The lyrics describe leaving behind a love that is "too easy."
It is interesting that despite the new sounds throughout Sun Without the Heat, the title track is vintage McCalla: a gently rolling folk-blues tune that manages to sound both old-timey and modern at the same time. It's a feat that is characteristic of her music, whether solo or with the Carolina Chocolate Drops and Our Native Daughters.
Must Listens
- "Open the Road"
- Scaled to Survive"
- "Take Me Away"
- "So I'll Go"
- "Sun Without Heat"
- "Tower"
- "Love We Had"
"Give Yourself a Break"
