Kelsea Ballerini just got invited to be a member of the Grand Ole Opry. For those of you outside of the country music bubble that I seem to constantly inhabit, the general consensus is that this is the biggest honour in the genre. Becoming a member of the Opry means that this artist has the opportunity to play the Opry whenever they want, as well as being on a list of Opry Members that includes greats such as Alan Jackson and Reba McEntire. Many deserving artists have yet to receive this honour. But last month, the Opry chose to grant membership to a pretty new artist in country music, one that has constantly received criticism for not being a truly country artist. But in a twist that few people saw coming, she’s now been accepted by the pinnacle of the country music community. The only way to come to terms with this, and to figure out why an artist so constantly criticized has been deemed legitimate by such an honour is to delve into her most recent record, Unapologetically, Ballerini’s sophomore record that came out in 2017.
In Defense of Pop-Country
I find it particularly interesting how many parallels can be drawn between Ballerini’s second record and Maren Morris’s second record that just came out, GIRL. For starters, Ballerini named her record Unapologetically. This directly refers to the song “Unapologetically,” about her and her new husband’s very fast-moving relationship. But this title also refers to the criticism she’s received about not being country enough to be a real country artist. Morris didn’t address this in the title of her record, but she very openly commented on this in her song “Flavor,” about how if someone doesn’t like the way her music sounds, they can just turn it off. The sheer amount of love songs on this record also parallels closely with Morris’s, as they both got engaged/married at around the same time, resulting in an influx in love songs they were both writing. But unlike Morris, Ballerini is now a part of the Grand Ole Opry, meaning she has a responsibility to be as “unapologetic” about her country side as she is about her pop side. The song “Unapologetically” doesn’t sound like a song that would play on the Opry, but that’s nothing new when it comes to Ballerini’s music.
Opry-worthy?
All of the singles off of this project are fairly bland, but some of the songs on the record are actually quite excellent. In particular, the opener “Graveyard” does an excellent job of showcasing Ballerini’s potential. The production of this song is an example of a perfect mix of country and pop. The acoustic guitar and mandolin are prominent throughout, but the synths behind them aren’t hiding either. If Ballerini is to be “unapologetic” about all the sides of her artistry and all of her musical influences, this is how you do it. Lyrically, this is also one of the stronger tracks on the record. The elongated “rest in peace” at the end of the chorus also allows Balllerini’s voice to shine. She doesn’t have a Carrie Underwood-level voice, but it can sound quite lovely if she sings songs that flatter it. “Graveyard” does just that.
After “Graveyard” comes a couple pop songs, but the middle section of the record is much more interesting. “Machine Heart” comes with a synth-driven chorus, but with honesty in her lyrics that haven’t been seen on a Kelsea Ballerini song since “Secondhand Smoke” on her debut record The First Time. “In Between” and “High School” are acoustic-driven songs that centre around nostalgia for childhood and high school. Not an uncommon theme in country music, but Ballerini approaches this with a very real, believable voice, maybe because she sounds like she’s just out of high school herself. These are her “big sister” songs, ones that seem curated specifically for her young female fans.
The final song in the mid-section of the album is one of the best. “End of the World” is one of those almost sickly-sweet songs that if sung by anyone else would seem insincere. But that’s the thing about Kelsea Ballerini: her whole personality in country music is being the sweet, relatable country girl, who also loves Britney Spears. This song about fresh love and the feeling that this love is some kind of saviour fits that persona perfectly. It’s a beautiful moment on the record.
After “Graveyard” comes a couple pop songs, but the middle section of the record is much more interesting. “Machine Heart” comes with a synth-driven chorus, but with honesty in her lyrics that haven’t been seen on a Kelsea Ballerini song since “Secondhand Smoke” on her debut record The First Time. “In Between” and “High School” are acoustic-driven songs that centre around nostalgia for childhood and high school. Not an uncommon theme in country music, but Ballerini approaches this with a very real, believable voice, maybe because she sounds like she’s just out of high school herself. These are her “big sister” songs, ones that seem curated specifically for her young female fans.
The final song in the mid-section of the album is one of the best. “End of the World” is one of those almost sickly-sweet songs that if sung by anyone else would seem insincere. But that’s the thing about Kelsea Ballerini: her whole personality in country music is being the sweet, relatable country girl, who also loves Britney Spears. This song about fresh love and the feeling that this love is some kind of saviour fits that persona perfectly. It’s a beautiful moment on the record.
What's missing
So there are obviously a handful of great songs, a couple bad ones, and a handful of songs that are just there, just hanging out. This makes for a pretty decent record. But my main issue with Ballerini is that she always plays it safe. Her idea of being “edgy” and pushing boundaries is adding an extra pop beat to a song or writing a somewhat sassy track like “Miss Me More.” Even with “I Hate Love Songs,” I can just see her and her co-writers in the studio giggling about how interesting and out of the box the lyrics and sound of the song are (especially with “I think Cupid is stupid”); when in reality, it sounds exactly the same as the recent Keith Urban hit “Blue Ain’t Your Colour,” which sounds exactly the same as “Tennessee Whiskey.” She has no edge, whatsoever. Some may have said the same about Taylor Swift early on in her career, but by 19, Swift was writing cutting songs like “Dear John,” and at FIFTEEN, wrote “Cold As You,” arguably one of the best written country songs of 2006. Ballerini seems perpetually caught somewhere between “Picture To Burn” and “Teardrops on my Guitar” and seems to have no idea how to move past that.
She also doesn’t play to her strengths. A song like “Miss Me More” would be potentially punchy if Ballerini had a stronger voice and was able to truly hit all the notes written in the song. But she really can’t. Additionally, the continuous emphasis on a basis of electronic production leaves the tracks feeling hollow and empty. Her live performances often sound much more full and complete because there isn’t that reliance on the synthesizer and electronic instrumentals and drums to fill up the silence. But guess all of these points aside, the real question is: based on Unapologetically, does Kelsea Ballerini deserve to be a member of the Grand Ole Opry? The best answer I can give right now is possibly.
Read at vibbidi.net.
She also doesn’t play to her strengths. A song like “Miss Me More” would be potentially punchy if Ballerini had a stronger voice and was able to truly hit all the notes written in the song. But she really can’t. Additionally, the continuous emphasis on a basis of electronic production leaves the tracks feeling hollow and empty. Her live performances often sound much more full and complete because there isn’t that reliance on the synthesizer and electronic instrumentals and drums to fill up the silence. But guess all of these points aside, the real question is: based on Unapologetically, does Kelsea Ballerini deserve to be a member of the Grand Ole Opry? The best answer I can give right now is possibly.
Read at vibbidi.net.
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