Press
2011
“…it’s so satisfying to hear a great band on completely top form; so hungry, urgent and swaggeringly confident as Calhoun sound on ‘Heavy Sugar’, which attacks with a glorious brightly lit fire and urgency that now refuses to be ignored.”
- Ian Fildes, AmericanaUK
“….Heavy Sugar is the Fort Worth band’s triumph through and through.” ”…it’s merely a matter of time before Calhoun stops being one of the city’s(Ft Worth) semi-hidden treasures and becomes a sensation beyond our borders.”
- Preston Jones, Fort Worth Star Telegram
“Early spins prove Heavy Sugar to be a wide-ranging, deeply melodic, well thought-out disc — very much an early contender for album of the year, we can confidently say.”
-Pete Freedman, Dallas Observer
“Calhoun has a subtle way of telling sad stories inside cheery tunes, showing their refined talent and versatility.”
- Brenna Rushing, Pegasus News
“The phrase ‘pure pop perfection’ is likely an overused crutch in the lexicon of music criticism. Also, it’s likely typically used for fare that usually finds itself residing on the Top 40 end of the dial. With all of that out of the way, allow us to proclaim that Calhoun’s newest album, Heavy Sugar is indeed pure pop-rock perfection.”
-Kelly Dearmore, Best of Texas
“Heavy Sugar is a gorgeously mesmerizing experience… sex and champagne and opium for the ears.”
- Roger Moser, Jr., Under the Volcano
“…the album(Heavy Sugar) is almost exactly what the band promised. Good honest pop songs here. Resist at your own risk.
- Peter Mcgee, Bluesbunny.com
“…Heavy Sugar is the smallest common denominator for listeners who would like to buy now a Christmas present for the own grandmother…
- Bewertung, In-Your-Face.de. German Review
“Calhoun deliver thirteen relaxte songs, which does think me one after the other of my youth holidays with my parents, simply do and leave what your will, no responsibilities. Your sit in the back of the car if dad drives to the camp-site, the messages ma is regulated, your placard with food is ready with sun perdition and your largest responsibility is to go to the toilet.”
- Eigen Beheer, FileUnder.nl, Nethelands Review
“…this album(Heavy Sugar) is more like a full course meal consisting of home grown vitals that go down smooth.”
-Navajo Slim, Lit Magazine
Each song, beginning with “Knife Fight,” paints a compelling landscape of what music is all about – five guys who truly love what they do. Listeners will find themselves dazzled and taken aback at how great this album sounds.
- Jason Tanamor, Zoiks! Online
2007 — 2009
“Calhoun do indeed have their hands in more than one honey pot and this creates a slick album with an uncanny flow.
The lyrics are just as soulful as the music. Falter Waiver Cultivate is the sort of album bands across the nation wish they could have.”
- Bryan J. Sutter , PLAYBACK: St. Louis
“Calhoun’s third album finds the Fort Worth group congealing into a solid force. Tim Locke’s vocals pitch high with a hushed trill,
leading the material in a moody but not overly dramatic fashion. The deceptively eclectic arrangements temper Locke’s most emotive moments. 3 Stars.”
- Doug Freeman, The Austin Chronicle
“Whether soaring above layers of orchestration, or nestled into unspoken subtleties, Calhoun boasts a mature, polished sound
brimming with hooks and astute melodies, where string arrangements and blossoming pedal steal are always welcome visitors.”
- Jamie Lee, Honest Tune
“Falter.Waver.Cultivate walks a fine line between the lush and the delicate. The former, one assumes, owes thanks to [producer Stuart Sikes],
but the latter must be the work of frontman/songwriter Tim Locke, who every bit earns his Best Songwriter title here. [It] is a disc worth remembering.”
- Pete Freedman, Dallas Observer
“BOTTOME LINE: Not only is Falter Waver Cultivate the year’s best local release, it should be a contender for top 2008 indie-album lists nationwide.”
- Mike Daniel, Dallas Morning News
“Calhoun is arty without sounding pretentious, with a dark edge that keeps you unbalanced, even when the music is at its brightest and
most tuneful. – this is a serious band with their own unique vision, even if it is a bit hard to decipher.”
- J. Poet, Crawdaddy Magazine: San Francisco, CA
“‘Falter.Waver.Cultivate’ is a strong & cohesive album of dynamic, dramatically emotive spaces, streaming with wonderfully realised ideas.
In fact, Calhoun have crafted themselves a magnificent album here. All it needs now is for the world to fall for them in return. Which is where you come in… “
- Ian Fildes, AmericanaUK
“Tim Locke’s latest and most enduring outfit, Calhoun, has proven an excellent vehicle for developing and delivering his preternatural
gifts for beautiful melodies and sweet, sad, soaring musical moods.”
- Jimmy Fowler, Fort Worth Weekly
“Calhoun, fronted by singer-songwriter extraordinaire Tim Locke, serves up generous portions of Grade-A angst with a smile.”
- Anthony Mariani, Fort Worth Weekly
“Falter, Waver, Cultivate – Everything feels spontaneous but is never anything less than totally under control. You’re always in good hands.
Calhoun: Neither friend nor foe. File under Indie-Rock Brilliance.”
- ANTHONY MARIANI, Fort Worth Weekly
“Calhoun’s Tim Locke, Fort Worth’s answer to Elliot Smith and Jeff Buckley is just too damn good to remain a secret.”
- K. Shimamoto, Stash Dauber
“The Calhoun self-titled record is a must have if you love gorgeous sorta poppy, sorta rootsy, sorta rockin’, really splendid music-written
and performed by some of the best musicians in the country. “
- Cindy Chaffin, Fineline
“Tim Locke, the guy with the Lennon-McCartney -esque songwriting ingenuity, is currently riding high with Calhoun and he makes the most
of every note on his bands recent, outrageously good eponymous full length.”
- Fort Worth Weekly
