Kellie Pickler gained fame as a contestant on th 5th season of the Fox reality show American Idol, eventually finishing in sixth place. In 2006, she signed to BNA Records as a recording artist, releasing her debut album Small Town Girl late that year. The album, which was certified gold by the RIAA, produced three singles on the Billboard charts: "Red High Heels" at #15, "I Wonder" at #14, and "Things That Never Cross A Man's Mind" at #16.Her fourth single, "Don't You Know You're Beautiful", has been climbing the charts as the first single from her self-titled second album released this month and I just had the opportunity to sit down and review it.
At the ripe old age of 22, Kellie is part of the youth movement in Nashville right now. With fellow blonde bombshells Taylor Swift (her songwriting partner), Carrie Underwood, Whitney Duncan and more, this type of country is obviously more pop-oriented then most. It’s also targeted heavily towards people in her own age stratosphere and lesser so, to listeners of the fairer sex. The “Barbie” pink on the CD cover should give it away. It’s not that Kellie Pickler is a bad album, it’s just so obvious that I’m not the target audience.
The first album cut, “Don’t You Know You’re Beautiful” is Pickler at her best. It’s bubbly pop country, has a great chorus hook and features Kellie’s big sisterly southern-twang voice. Across the album, that’s when Pickler shines. While she has an amazing set of lungs, the songs are more personal when she uses the lower part of her register and lets her “sassy small-town-girl redneck” shine through. With the exception of the annoying “na na na’s,” Rocks Instead of Rice” is a great example of Pickler drawing you in with vocals instead of blowing you away with her range.
Pickler co-wrote “Best Days Of Your Life” with Taylor Swift and it serves as Swift’s first songwriting credit not on her own records. The song is a solid pop-rocker that revolves around a teen break-up. It’s a catchy little number that should appeal to the country pop contemporary fans. It should also tie Pickler to Swift’s audience. The bridge on this track is another great example of Pickler’s effective use of using her low-register twang to connect with the listener.
The last three tracks are my favorites. “Somebody To Love Me” has a deep emotive feeling and the stripped away production is the first time on the album that we see Pickler in her vulnerable state. “Makin’ Me Fall In Love Again” has fun lyrics that allow her spunky personality to shine through- it doesn’t show off her range, it shows off Kellie. And the last track, “Going Out In Style” features a great horns arrangement and feels believable as Pickler talks about things that relate to her like shoe shopping.
So as I try and channel my inner 20-year-old girl, not so easy for a nearly 40-year-old something guy, I’d say it’s the perfect album. But as I can’t really speak for a 20-year-old girl, or probably shouldn’t even be trying, I can only give my own perception- it’s pretty good. I’d love to see her perform all these songs live with an acoustic backing. Her great sassy personality would certainly draw me in and connect with her in a way only some of the songs on this second release have.
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