From first performing on the Bobby Bones Show, to debuting at the Grand Ole Opry, and having her debut single, "Love Me Like You Mean It" go Top 10, Kelsea Ballerini has come so far in such a short time. Her childhood idol, Taylor Swift, has even expressed interest in her music, and she has just been getting bigger and bigger. Ballerini has the pop/country sound, that not unlike Swift, appeals to teenage girls and young women who like pop and country. The First Time evolves on Ballerini's sound more than her EP did, and also shows her songwriting ability and sweet vocals.
Ballerini has an electropop/country fusion sound that is a fad that has only really gotten popular over the last few years. The queens of country-pop before have tended to crossover more to pop rock (ex: "Before He Cheats" by Carrie Underwood & "Mine" by Taylor Swift") and have not crossed over into the electropop/synthpop/dance-pop genres. Ballerini's music, however, does so. She's a mix of Taylor Swift 1989 era and the Swift from 2006, with the infectious synthpop beats and melodies, along with the youthful lyrics and banjos from the pre-pop era.
Driving around with the @KelseaBallerini EP on repeat.. SO lovely:)
#yeahboy #lovemelikeyoumeanit
— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) March 9, 2015
The album starts off with "XO." Ballerini has been playing this track on radio tour and killed it every single time she performed it. The production of this song lives up to the the fiery lyrics, but Ballerini's vocals actually sounded better live than they do in the studio version. There's too much editing on her vocals, and the rawness of her live vocals is what made the song so excellent. However, this does start off the record well.
Some of the best lyrics on the record come in with "Peter Pan." The track, written by Ballerini, Forest Glen Whitehead, and Jesse Lee, tells a captivating tale of a man who runs from love, who Ballerini compares to Peter Pan with his childish ways. The biggest book to be used, and then overused in songs was Alice in Wonderland ("Alice" by Avril Lavigne, "Wonderland" by Swift), but no artists have touched the tale of Peter Pan. Ballerini names this track as one of her favorites on the album, and rightfully so.
Despite the excellent uptempo tracks Ballerini can spit out, she does the best with ballads. The title track, "First Time," is a beautiful piece. She tells the story of her ex telling her he wants to talk to her, but then never showing up. The chorus teaches a message similar to Carrie Underwood in "Good in Goodbye", when Ballerini sings: "That's why goodbye should mean goodbye the first time." Lyrically and production-wise this is a masterpiece. One of the most country songs on the record, this song seems like it really belongs on this record, most likely why it was chosen as the title track.
The best song on the record, and the most personal to Ballerini is "Secondhand Smoke." She tells the story about her parents fighting when she was growing up, another similarity she has to Swift. This is the direction Ballerini should go in for her next album: the acoustic driven emotional ballads. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this song. Ballerini's vocals are flawless, and the chorus is beautiful:
"I know that you can't walk across a bridge that's already burned, so
What am I supposed to do?, I can't help that they chose
To breathe it in, but I don't wanna choke
On that secondhand smoke."
This emotional country track is what really shows Ballerini's talent. She could be written off as just another Swift with songs like "Love Me Like You Mean It," but this song shows her unique artistry.
Despite the excellent uptempo tracks Ballerini can spit out, she does the best with ballads. The title track, "First Time," is a beautiful piece. She tells the story of her ex telling her he wants to talk to her, but then never showing up. The chorus teaches a message similar to Carrie Underwood in "Good in Goodbye", when Ballerini sings: "That's why goodbye should mean goodbye the first time." Lyrically and production-wise this is a masterpiece. One of the most country songs on the record, this song seems like it really belongs on this record, most likely why it was chosen as the title track.
The best song on the record, and the most personal to Ballerini is "Secondhand Smoke." She tells the story about her parents fighting when she was growing up, another similarity she has to Swift. This is the direction Ballerini should go in for her next album: the acoustic driven emotional ballads. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this song. Ballerini's vocals are flawless, and the chorus is beautiful:
"I know that you can't walk across a bridge that's already burned, so
What am I supposed to do?, I can't help that they chose
To breathe it in, but I don't wanna choke
On that secondhand smoke."
This emotional country track is what really shows Ballerini's talent. She could be written off as just another Swift with songs like "Love Me Like You Mean It," but this song shows her unique artistry.
"Stilettos," one of the last tracks on the album is another high point lyrically. According to Ballerini, she got the idea of this song through a Pinterest post, and it evolved into this song about hiding weaknesses. Ballerini is openly obsessed with shoes, so this song feels real, and is one of the only songs on the record that feels like she and only she can sing it. Some tracks on this album are somewhat generic, but this is not one of those.
The album closes with "Underage." Another almost-ballad, this song is a typical country song, remembering being young (despite the R. Kelly reference, instead of a typical Shania or George reference.) The hook, "Nights are young and our IDs are fake, underage," is short and sweet, and really sums the song up in one lyric beautifully. This track ends the album on a strong note.
The biggest problem with this record is the fact that it's not country enough. It is an excellent record, but it is pop/country, and way more pop than country. Even Swift, the Queen of Pop, started out more country than this. It's easy to see Ballerini going the way of Swift on her second or third album, instead of like what Swift did with her fifth. It is a shame, because country music needs talent like Ballerini. Hopefully Ballerini will stay in country music a bit longer than this album indicates she will.
Best tracks: Peter Pan, Stilettos, Secondhand Smoke, First Time
Throwaway tracks: Looking At Stars, Love Me Like You Mean It
Overall rating: 3 and 3/4 crowns
The album closes with "Underage." Another almost-ballad, this song is a typical country song, remembering being young (despite the R. Kelly reference, instead of a typical Shania or George reference.) The hook, "Nights are young and our IDs are fake, underage," is short and sweet, and really sums the song up in one lyric beautifully. This track ends the album on a strong note.
The biggest problem with this record is the fact that it's not country enough. It is an excellent record, but it is pop/country, and way more pop than country. Even Swift, the Queen of Pop, started out more country than this. It's easy to see Ballerini going the way of Swift on her second or third album, instead of like what Swift did with her fifth. It is a shame, because country music needs talent like Ballerini. Hopefully Ballerini will stay in country music a bit longer than this album indicates she will.
Best tracks: Peter Pan, Stilettos, Secondhand Smoke, First Time
Throwaway tracks: Looking At Stars, Love Me Like You Mean It
Overall rating: 3 and 3/4 crowns
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