Album Review: Cal Humberto, 'Maybe You've Changed'

Cal Humberto, Maybe You’ve Changed Credit: Courtesy

(Self-released, digital)

Cal Humberto, like so many great names in the music business, is a pseudonym. The man behind the moniker is Calvin Wuthrich, one of the many multi-instrumentalist wizards who keep the Burlington scene so busy. (He also plays bass for jazz-jam fixture No Showers on Vacation.)

Maybe You’ve Changed is a four-song introduction to his new solo direction: luxurious, timeless R&B. Well, technically speaking, this is a reintroduction. In 2023, he tested the waters with a split single, “Capo 5 // Maybe That’ll Be,” featuring some guitar-driven, introspective pop. For this latest project, Wuthrich leans into his keyboard chops and explores his remarkable vocal range. It’s a completely different animal from his earlier work.

Surprisingly for a young artist, Wuthrich cites Johnny Hartman as an influence. Hartman was an incomparable baritone stylist who worked with both Dizzy Gillespie and John Coltrane. This is deep lore, and the Cal Humberto enterprise is aiming very high indeed.

The EP leads off with “Captive of That World,” setting the tone with a bright, funky yacht-rock workout. Yet the lyrics are the work of an old soul: While the sound is very cocaine 1980s, the song itself is pure ’50s jazz ballad. The melodies and storytelling are equally refined.

Up next is “Perfect,” by far my favorite cut. It’s a straightforward R&B love song with a knockout arrangement that more than justifies the five-minute run time. Wuthrich’s falsetto work is impressive, and the chorus section is, indeed, perfect. Trumpeter Sam Atallah’s solo work here is scorching, too.

“Money” is the most earnest earworm on the EP, an up-tempo wash of arpeggios and vocal layers that ends with a brilliant guitar solo. The title track closes out the record, and it is a doozy, growing from a piano-lounge intro into a warm, melancholy meditation on how relationships drift apart — and closer together.

Maybe You’ve Changed shows great work. But it could be far better. This is a promising demo, a practice run for a breakthrough album in the making. Wuthrich has the ear, the pipes and the style all dialed in. He just needs to collaborate with a mixing engineer he trusts. The self-production here is competent, but the tracks need more polish to really shine. It would be well worth rerecording some of the songs; these are top-shelf compositions.

One thing that shouldn’t change? This band. Its killer players are tight as hell and clearly having fun. The core trio of Zach Brownstein (drums), Luca Medina (guitar) and Evan Barker (bass) elevates every song with a deep, organic pocket.

So, until that next album drops, give this EP a couple of spins — and catch the outfit live if you get the chance this summer.

Maybe You’ve Changed is now available on all major streaming platforms.