Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Kellie Pickler
“Kellie Pickler”

1. Don’t You Know You’re Beautiful
2. I’m Your Woman
3. Rocks Instead of Rice
4. Don’t You Know
How Much I Loved You
5. Lucky Girl
6. One Last Night
7. Best Days of Your Life
8. Somebody to Love Me
9. Makin’ Me Fall in Love Again
10. Going Out in Style
Digitial Deluxe Tracks
11. Anything But Me
12. Don’t Close Your Eyes
13. Happy

Kellie Pickler seems to be everywhere these days.

Appearing at fashion shows in New York City. Modeling for Sexy Hair. Presenting at the Academy of Country Music Awards. Heck, she was even on Idol a couple of weeks ago.

So it seemed appropriate to take a gander at her second album this week, especially since there’s a lull before we’ll get a new release from a former Idol (next one due, Elliott Yamin with “Fight for Love” on May 5).

Now most artists release a self-titled debut album. Not Kellie. Her first album, released in October 2006, was “Small Town Girl.” And folks who didn’t take Kellie seriously as an Idol contestant soon learned they might have underestimated her.

The album hit number one on the country charts and produced three top-20 singles, “I Wonder,” “Red High Heels” and “Things That Never Crossed a Man’s Mind.” It also generated some pretty darn good reviews.

So in September, Kellie responded with album number two, this one named “Kellie Pickler.” Just like Kellie to do things backward, right?

The album debuted at number one on the country charts. Nevertheless, it’s been something of a sophomore slump, and had shown little staying power on the charts until Kellie’s Idol appearance a couple of weeks ago gave the CD and her second single “Best Days of Your Life” a much-needed boost.

The first single was “Don’t You Know You’re Beautiful,” in which Kellie plays role model and advisor to younger girls. Hmm, noble goal. But it’s a bit tough to picture Kellie in the role of advisor after she’s spent most of her career acting ditzy. The single peaked at number 21.

And, all in all, “Kellie Pickler” the album seems to lack the simple charm of “Small Town Girl,” which had Kellie singing about the grandmom who raised her, the mom she barely knew … and about eating calamari. The Kellie Pickler singing on the album was very much the Kellie Pickler we got to know by watching her on Idol.

Kellie, the quirky Idol contestant, is less recognizable on album number two. Not that the album doesn’t have its high points.

“Best Days of Your Life,” co-written by Taylor Swift, is one of the best tracks, and the video is a hoot. “Lucky Girl” is certainly worth a listen. And there’s a sleeper on the album, a song Kellie just has to release as a single — “Rocks Instead of Rice.” She’s attending the wedding of an ex-boyfriend and … well, it isn’t rice that she feels like throwing at the end of the ceremony. It’s a fun song, perfectly suited to the Pickler personality.

So don’t count Kellie’s second album out yet. Besides, she just started the spring-summer-fall tour with Taylor Swfit. Could a person have a better tour mate these days? The tour stops at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Md., June 11. If you dallied and didn’t get tickets by now, you’re out of luck. Like many of the other tour dates, the Columbia show is already sold out.

Here are a couple of reviews of Kellie’s self-titled second album, followed by one of my favorite Kellie interviews, when she visited with Ellen Degeneres. Watch it and then tell me how anyone could not root for this gal?

AllMusic.com: Gives Kellie 2 stars out of five

USA Today: Gives Kellie 3 stars out of four

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