CALLIE MCCULLOUGH

"Broads & Songs"

Thursday September 7, 2023

@ Bobby's Idle Hour in Nashville

(Review by: Jeffrey Kurtis)

As Nashville continues to go through a rapid growth spurt with new buildings going up, old buildings coming down, and the skyline changing its look by the minute, there are certain spaces that still hold true to the way it was, the way it used to be, and the way that many still want it.

Bobby’s Idle Hour, though they’ve changed locations due to the forced expansion of the famed Music Row district, have occupied their newest space at 9 Music Square South since 2019, quickly creating a dive bar tradition over the past 4 years that feels like it was ripped right out the past.

With songwriters passing through their doors night in and night out to put their craft on display in front of diehard country music lovers who stake claim to their place at the bar, the corner stage at Bobby’s has played host to several aspects of the rich music community, from the newcomers who are still trying to find their way to the strong emerging talent that’s right on the cusp and several songwriters who have clearly arrived.

On the night that she’d officially release her newest single “What If I Don’t,” roots inspired country artist/songwriter Callie McCullough guest hosted the opening round with Melissa Erin and Regan Rousseau during the latest edition of “Broads & Songs.”  

“This is one of the few love songs that I’ve written,” Callie said as she opened the night with “Every Day,” hushing her vocal around the softly strummed melody as a wonderment within her tonality held thankfully to finding “the one” while gratefully praising him and making a promise declaration to love him each and every day.

“I’ve been working on a new project, and I’ve been getting to explore some different things with it. One of the things in my background is Celtic music. While you probably have to experience this song with its full sound, I’m hoping for a folk festival moment here tonight,” McCullough enthusiastically emphasized as she taught the crowd their part of the sing along while strumming into the Irish folk style of “Great Big Sky,” placing her angelic voice into the hopeful lyric of navigating the rocky waters of life, resulting in a tremendous audience participation moment through the chorus and a spoken word through the bridge that added an intriguing storybook element.

“What If I Don’t,” her brand-new single that was written in retaliation to several family conversations about her biological clock ticking and the overly annoying questions of what she’s doing with her life, wrapped the venue with its irresistibly catchy melody, keeping everyone’s toes tapping as the sass fueled anthem struck all the right chords with the free spirits as Callie shrugged her shoulders to swerve from the typical norms and boldly stand tall in the idea of navigating your life as you see fit.

“This is the title track of my last album, and it was spawned from a bottle of red wine, Midnight in Paris, and being stuck inside from a snowstorm,” she told with a smile, leaning into the lullaby atmosphere of “After Midnight,” bringing an absolute silence to the room as the crowd leaned into each captivating word as McCullough floated her voice atop the melody to close her part of the round to a great ovation, capping off a four-song set that gave us a well-rounded look at her here and now, things still to come, and the foundations she stands upon as she opens her next chapter.

FULL SET LIST
1) Everyday
2) Great Big Sky
3) What If I Don't
4) After Midnight

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