Kelsea Ballerini is best known for her fun, flirty pop country songs that top the charts, and that's made a lot of critics and country music fans write her off as someone with not much talent. Her newest single, "Peter Pan" shows a lot more of her stellar songwriting than the two No. 1s before it did, but it's still strictly pop country, and die hard country fans aren't always in favor of that. It's not fair to Ballerini, because although maybe "Dibs" isn't Grammy-worthy, she has talent, and a lot of it.
On August 22, Ballerini released an acoustic EP, celebrating "Peter Pan" going gold and cracking the Top 5 of the country charts. On the EP, Ballerini performs live, stripped down versions of her three singles, "Love Me Like You Mean It," "Dibs," and "Peter Pan," along with two tracks from her record, The First Time. If you haven't heard it, it's worth a listen. Ballerini's vocals are pitch perfect, and her voice sounds even better than it does on the recordings of the tracks. The production on The First Time is a bit overdone, and on many songs, it overshadows the beauty of Ballerini's vocals. She's not a pop-country singer who can't sing. She can sing, and she sings very well. This acoustic setting is very flattering, and her soft twang and strong vocals stand out. It takes the listener back to before she had any music out, and she was performing all acoustic on radio tour.
The performance of the title track of her record is the show stopper. "The First Time" is a song about two people who broke up, and are planning to meet up and talk about their relationship and life. The song paints the scene of Ballerini sitting on her front porch waiting for her ex, who never shows up. She sings, "that's why goodbye should mean goodbye the first time," writing off the idea of second chances in a beautiful, solemn way. On the record, this song, like many of the songs is overproduced. But the acoustic version of the song sounds perfect, and it really conveys the power and emotion behind the song, which are overshadowed by the electronic elements on the studio version.
Kelsea Ballerini, a lot like Taylor Swift, is an artist that appeals to a lot of young women and girls. But unlike Taylor Swift, who is almost universally praised for her songwriting ability, Ballerini does not get the credit she deserves. She's not at the level Swift is, but she has the potential to be fabulous. This EP is proof that Ballerini is an incredible talent, and she's not going anywhere.
Best tracks: "The First Time," "Peter Pan"
Throwaway tracks: none
Overall rating: 5 crowns
The performance of the title track of her record is the show stopper. "The First Time" is a song about two people who broke up, and are planning to meet up and talk about their relationship and life. The song paints the scene of Ballerini sitting on her front porch waiting for her ex, who never shows up. She sings, "that's why goodbye should mean goodbye the first time," writing off the idea of second chances in a beautiful, solemn way. On the record, this song, like many of the songs is overproduced. But the acoustic version of the song sounds perfect, and it really conveys the power and emotion behind the song, which are overshadowed by the electronic elements on the studio version.
Kelsea Ballerini, a lot like Taylor Swift, is an artist that appeals to a lot of young women and girls. But unlike Taylor Swift, who is almost universally praised for her songwriting ability, Ballerini does not get the credit she deserves. She's not at the level Swift is, but she has the potential to be fabulous. This EP is proof that Ballerini is an incredible talent, and she's not going anywhere.
Best tracks: "The First Time," "Peter Pan"
Throwaway tracks: none
Overall rating: 5 crowns
RSS Feed
