Can Lightning Strike Twice For American Idol: Not Quite

Author's Rating:

Pros: Pickler doesn't over sing any songs. Solid production

Cons: Mostly middle-of-the-road country songs.

The Bottom Line: 
There's nothing really special about "Small Town Girl" and thus the album could fall through the tracks at stores. Still, it's not all bad.

Author's Review
After the huge success of American Idol's Carrie Underwood had after her 2005 win of the series it was inevitable that 2006's version would too find a southern, blond-haired, 'awe shucks,' type of girl to promote. Enter Kellie Pickler who seemingly was able to epitomize everything that was/is wrong with 'reality TV' these days with her sometimes charming, mostly grating lack of sophistication. After pulling a Jessica Simpson with her naiveté towards calamari and salmon, the charm seemed to fade into the background as Kellie's own personal triumph from her hard, just-ending, childhood where her 'guardian angel' turned out to be her grandmother after momma Pickler fled and daddy Pickler was jailed. It made for great TV and found Kellie getting something that all contestants of the show strive for: a record deal. Signed by 19 Recordings/BNA Records, Kellie Pickler is also the first finalist (skipping the fact that contestant Ayla Brown released a CD in Boston) to find her album released to the public.

One of the first things Pickler did when she started the recording of her debut album "Small Town Girl" was to seek out some songwriters who she could co-write with. Aimee Mayo (who wrote Lonestar's "Amazed") answered the call and help Kellie write the title track along with the first single "Red High Heels" and the emotional album closing "My Angel," a tribute to Pickler's late grandmother. By now most of you are wondering: "OK, so she wrote some of the songs, but are they good?" The answer?: For the most part, yes, they are.

One thing that all first albums from the American Idol machine seem to have is a feeling of being rushed to market. "Small Town Girl" is no different but it, like Underwood's "Some Hearts," has the fortune of being able to mask the rush-job aspect by being produced by a-list producers and songwriters and studio musicians. It's this exact reason why American Idol is seeing green (money) with Pickler.

Leading off the record is Pickler's "Red High Heels" and this song echo's Miranda Lambert's 2006 hit Kerosene" without actually being as brooding and dark. "Red High Heels" is a fun track that stands out in the fall/winter 2006 sea of ballads. It's currently in the Top 40 at Country Radio and it finds Pickler saying that after her man leaves her, she won't pout but will instead move on in the other direction where she'll be seen in her shoes in the title of the song. With some interesting guitar intros, "Gotta Keep Movin'" keeps the pace of the album frantic with lyrics that showcase a girl who is going wants nothing more than to be with the guy she loves so she keeps her car heading in that direction. It's a bluesy country-pop song that could very well find its way onto the AC/Hot AC or even pop charts.

The humorous "Things That Never Cross A Man's Mind" is a song about the stuff that women think about when doing various things in life ("the joke's too dirty, that steak's too thick, I wonder how those jeans look on me, etc.). If I were to choose a 2nd 'tempo' release from the record, I would choose this one, if only for the fact that'd it'd play well in country bars and for the predominant fan base of country music: women. "Didn't You Know How Much I Loved You" is a power ballad not unlike some of the stuff on Underwood's record but Pickler certainly doesn't have Carrie's vocal ability so while ok, the song isn't that great. If, however one takes into account the fact that Pickler lost both her mom and father the song may take a different meaning. "I Wonder" actually is about her mother. It's a soft, introspective track that finds Kellie singing very passionately. Here her voice suits the song much better and for that it makes for an interesting album track.

The playful "Small Town Girl" discusses Pickler's life while also playing up the small-town image that's ingrained in much of country music. It finds Pickler proclaiming that she's never gonna be anything but a "small town girl," no matter how much money she makes. She references calamari in the song as well (just to prove that she co-wrote it, even though there are no writer or musician credits on the album). With the interesting melody and down-home lyric and instrumentation Kellie could have another hit with this track. With strong traditional country instrumentation (I.E. steel guitar) leading off the track, "Wild Ponies" has a lyric and melody to it that really recalls Deana Carter and her huge hit "Strawberry Wine." With lyrics that discuss issues about various reasons why women leave, the song could certainly find home on radio.

"Girls Like Me" and "I'm On My Way" are middle of the road Country pop song about chasing dreams while "One Of The Guys" plays on a theme that label-mate Terri Clark has used to become a country star. It's a country/blues romp complete with traditional bass line and harmonica, steel guitars and fiddles that Pickler's able to sing convincingly. "My Angel" ends the record on a personal and confessional mode. While the theme has been played many times on country radio, this is probably Pickler's best vocal job and it's the kind of song that many may be able to relate to and it's also a song that too could find its way onto another chart, this time the CCM charts.

While Kellie Pickler's not the most gifted of vocalists, she has a personality that appeals to many and she (and her producer Blake Chancey) know better than to place her with Martina McBride's favorite kind of songs. With that in mind, along with the knowledge that this record was rushed for the American holiday season, "Small Town Girl" isn't a bad record. It goes by the ears quite pleasantly but I have to wonder if it'll be the kind of benchmark album that Kelly Clarkson's "Breakaway" and Carrie Underwood's Somehearts" have been for American Idol. More than likely, it'll fall in like with Ruben Studdard's releases and make a quick impact on the charts and sort of fall away into the background for country music radio listeners don't always buy the albums they hear, instead they listen to the radio as if it were background music while cleaning the house, working in the office or driving their kids to soccer practice.