Kellie Pickler

Kellie Pickler rushes out of the gate with "Red High Heels," declaring
to a deadbeat boyfriend "You thought I'd wait around forever but baby
get real ... I'm about to show you just how missin' me feels/in my red
high heels." The strong country-rock beat and sassy tone are suited to
the American Idol runner-up's perky country chirp; the track succeeds
on the basis of its good-natured attitude more than anything close to
brilliant songwriting or performance.

Pickler continues to charm her fans on several subsequent tracks: "One
of the Guys" (though implausible based on the lovely CD insert photos)
expresses longing for the simple pleasures of guy-hood with lyrics
like "Something 'bout old blue jeans and a baseball cap ... chicken
wings, NASCAR, and football Monday nights/Sometimes it's fun to be one
of the guys." Again, the songwriting isn't brilliant, but the sum of
the song's parts, along with Pickler's energetic delivery, pull it
off. The one bright light in her songwriting is from "Things That
Never Cross a Man's Mind" ("that joke is too dirty, this steak is too
thin, that car is too fast, this beer is too cold"). It's clever and
funny, and shows Pickler at her best.

Unfortunately, though, Ms. Pickler doesn't stick to material that
allows her to strut her best stuff. Several cloying, overly slick
ballads are several too many. "Didn't You Know How Much I Loved You"
is pointless and whiny and only serves to emphasize vocal weaknesses.
"Wild Ponies" delivers a poignant story about a woman's emancipation
from an abusive relationship, but the lyrics are so banal and corny
that the message loses potency. The same goes for "I Wonder," the most
successful of the ballads, a song that addresses a girl's longing for
her absentee dad. Pickler and her producers might do well to consider
the fact that you don't have to hit your audience over the head to get
a point across.

KPickler fans will also enjoy American Idol contestant Katharine
McPhee. For some classic "small-town-girl" singing, check out Tammy
Wynette and Loretta Lynn.