Small Town Girl

Carnival Ride Carrie Underwood's Some Hearts, hastily made and released some five months after she won the 2005 American Idol crown, was surprisingly solid and tuneful. For her follow-up, producer Mark Bright steers her toward the big Martina McBride skies, with a plethora of strings and huge ...	Taylor Swift Three years ago, a 13-year old Taylor Swift set out to be a star and moved from Reading, Pennsylvania, to Nashville. By 14, she had a publishing deal, and by 15, a recording contract. In these days of Bianca Ryan (and before her, Tanya Tucker and LeAnn Rimes), many are called, bu...	Some Hearts Would American Idol winner Carrie Underwood have landed a major-label recording contract without winning the hugely popular television contest? Probably. The big-voiced Oklahoman has the pipes, the look, the pedigree, and, most important, the emotional resonance to sustain a pro...	Daughtry Chris Daughtry starts his first post-American Idol disc with a song whose title reviewers coast to coast will be grateful for: "It's Not Over." What an understatement. For the Idol-watching rock fan's money, nobody--not even Southern-fried heartthrob Bo Bice in season four--storm...	Crazy Ex-Girlfriend There's no sophomore slump for Miranda Lambert, who follows her chart-topping debut, Kerosene, with a knockout punch. Both the title cut and the album-opening "Gunpowder & Lead" ("what little girls are made of") show that Lambert hasn't lost her edge or her appetite for revenge. ...
Katharine McPhee Katharine McPhee: Katharine McPhee	Kellie Pickler Kellie Pickler is a Country music artist who finished sixth on the fifth season of the Fox television series American Idol. Her debut album has sold nearly 800,000 copies and garnered three hit singles. Kellie presents her self-titled, sophomore album in 2008 with the hit single ...	Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates For his huge, rabid, and largely female fan base, the country hunk can do no wrong, and this release will satisfy the faithful. Though the title makes no sense--Chesney wrote none of the material on Just Who I Am, and it's unlikely he thinks of himself as plural poets and pirates...	Enjoy the Ride One of country's fastest-rising acts, Sugarland arrive at their follow-up to 2004's triple-platinum Twice the Speed of Life in a considerably altered state. Chief songwriter and founding member Kristen Hall is gone, and producer Garth Fundis (Trisha Yearwood) has been usurped in ...	5th Gear Like his friend Vince Gill, Brad Paisley has achieved the often-difficult feat of reconciling being an entertainer and world-class guitarist. He's proven that on four admirable albums, and 5th Gear follows in that vein. Certainly "Ticks," an airy, radio-friendly ditty, is not the...

wasn't a fan at first
When i first heard Kellie on American Idol. But i figured that i should still give the cd a shot. So i bought it and listened to it a time or two. With each listen i'm starting to get what everyone's saying about her and the promise that she has for a bright future in the music biz. I especially liked "Things That Never Cross a Man's Mind" and "Red High Heels". If this keeps up she'll be a household name all over the place. Nice debut cd.

Great CD
As an Idol contestant, Kelli was adorable but a little rough around the edges. She has really polished her music.

Consistent, likable and enjoyable
I didn't know much about Kellie Pickler until several months after her debut album Small Town Girl dropped. On iTunes I decided to check out her first single "Red High Heels" and, at first, couldn't stand it--but subsequent listens proved to lure me in and, eventually, I became more interested in the former Idol instead of dismissing her. I'm not a major fan of country music, although I can enjoy it on occasion, and it wasn't until I heard the heartfelt ballad "I Wonder" that I decided Small Town Girl deserved a further listen. Despite its hurried release, Pickler's debut is a hugely enjoyable piece of mainstream country, from its likable opening number and Top 10 second single "I Wonder" to, in all honesty, everything else! Pickler isn't an amazing singer in terms of originality (her nasal delivery is sweet, but unoriginal in comparison to other females of the genre), but she's undoubtedly talented, funny, witty and--probably most important in terms of her country fan base--still very much a "small town girl" at heart, which (more than anything) sells this startlingly consistent album.

Good Job Pickler!
Made me cry in my car as I listened to "I Wonder". Don't worry, the other tracks are fun and good funky country music. We all love Kellie Pickler for being so refreshingly human.

You gotta love her.
Now here is a real country girl who deserves everything that has come her way. Kellie has a great voice, and knows how to handle an audience. It is very obvious that Kellie belongs on a stage singing. Kellie is here for the long haul.