Customer Reviews

100 Proof

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Six years ago, on the popular "American Idol", I saw something special in a young, humble blonde girl from Albemarle, a small town in North Carolina. Something about her stuck with me. Maybe it was her naive personality, not vacuous, just innocent and unbelievably genuine. I fell in love with her debut album, "Small Town Girl", which seemed more real than anything I'd heard in a while.

"This is just going to be Kellie, like it or leave it," she says. "I don't expect people to like me or like my music. I want them to, but I can't make them. If I can't be me, then I don't want to do it." -Kellie Pickler on the new album, USAToday

Aside from her obvious pulchritude, she has a contagious, boisterous personality. If you ever see her in concert, you will experience the authenticity of this down-at-home, country girl raised on the classics. With this album, you can take a trip down the country road that is and was her story.

"100 Proof" takes you from her estranged relationship with her mother (the heartbreaking ballad "Mother's Day") to a fun, relaxing story of commitment to her husband, Kyle Jacobs ("Rockaway"). One thing that separates her from the rest is her devotion to telling a real, honest and personal story. The words she's singing were hand picked and come from the heart.

Pickler is a lover of the classics. She is an avid listener to traditional country artists such as Tammy Wynette, Dolly Parton, and Loretta Lynn. "Stop Cheating On Me" is a hauntingly beautiful song, reminiscent of these three country music icons. Pickler graciously pays tribute to traditional country at a time when country music is dominated by a pop sound and overproduced vocals. "Where's Tammy Wynette?" and "Unlock That Honky Tonk" are homegrown, stripped and have unmistakably country instrumentation. "Long As I Never See You Again" and "Turn On The Radio and Dance" have a backroads, nostalgic feel, and are dripping with emotion that pulls you in.

Kellie has been one of the most underrated country artists out there, but one only needs to listen to a few clips of "100 Proof" to know that will certainly change. Kellie and her team have outdone themselves in bringing back the power of traditional country- a bold step in a commercial world. This CD is an essential addition to any country music fan's collection.

Pickler's third studio album finally finds the woman in her stride. From the opening honky-tonk trio; to the deeply personal 'Mother's Day' and 'Letter'; to the beautiful 'Rockaway' and '100 Proof': this album is a testiment to what country music SHOULD be all about in 2012 and onwards. An album hasn't sounded this fresh since Lee Ann Womack's 'There's More Where That Came From', and certainly takes on Eric Church's 'Chief' to boast the finest collection of songs since LAW's 2005 release.

Much as Womack, Pickler isn't enjoying much radio-attention of late, as programmers opt for the sappy, pop productions cater-made for the teenage audience. I'd be surprised if they embrace an actual COUNTRY record, but heck, even if they don't, it doesn't matter. This is better than anything they'll play in their top 40 spins.

If you only dabble in one country release this year, let it be this.

Prime Cuts: Mother's Day, The Letter (to Daddy), 100 Proof

With "100 Proof" Pickler has morphed from a ditzy, spunky Telecaster celebrity into a real country singer. Prior to the release of this disc, Pickler has been known more for her role in American Idol than her music. Somehow trailing in the limelight of Carrie Underwood and yet never really possessing Underwood's dynamic pipes, Pickler has never really found her voice. Her last pop country-lite couple of discs did not produce any significant radio hits until Taylor Swift co-penned with her the top 10 blazer "Best Days of Your Life." Though it was a substantial hit but Pickler was still trailing on the coat tails of Swift. With "100 Proof" her third disc things are about to change. On this album Pickler has found truly found her voice. Instead of trying to hit and sustain the high notes as most American Idol alum are tempted to do, Pickler's vocals here are more restrained. Rather than trying to show off she tries to emote the fragility and the ache of a broken heart with more layers of thought and feelings. At times she even exhibits some of the smoky sassiness of a Tanya Tucker while maintaining the sensitivity of a Dolly Parton-like ambiance. Partly responsible for such a metamorphosis is that Luke Wooten (Joe Diffie & Dierks Bentley) and Frank Liddell (Miranda Lambert & Chris Knight) were brought on to produce this album. As a result, instead of going for the hip and dashing writers, songs with a more heavy-handed twang were chosen from such traditional writers such as Dean Dillon, Don Poythress & Leslie Satcher.

Some of the most charming moments of this disc reside in the songs co-written or written by Leslie Satcher. In the past Satcher has penned such quirky delights such as George Strait's `Troubadour" & "House of Cash," Gretchen Wilson's "Politically Uncorrect" and Martina McBride's "When God Fearing Women Have the Blues." This time round Satcher has a hand in crafting 5 out of the 11 cuts here. The best among her compositions is the crazily romantic ballad "100 Proof." A song that tells of the comfort of an abiding love in the midst of the storms of life this song presents love in the finest. Another close favorite is the 80s sounding melodious pop "Turn on the Radio and Dance." Though the song title pretty much captures what the song's about but it's so infectious that you'll find your feet tapping in no time. While the romping stomping lead single "Tough" is a tough chick anthem where Pickler explains that the harshness of life has made her tough. And yet despite her toughness Jesus still loves her. Satcher also has a hand in crafting two of the album's rootsier moments "Where's Tammy Wynette" and "Unlock the Honky Tonk." Though name dropping songs are plenty it's amazing that Tammy Wynette has not been the subject of such tributes until now.

Outside of the Satcher canon, Dean Dillon, Marty Dodson and Pickler contributed "Long as I Never See You Again." With a backing full of fiddles and steel over a heart wrenching set of lyrics, this old fashioning sounding waltz is what George Strait would die for. Another Dillon/Dodson/Pickler composition is the tearful piano ballad "The Letter (To Daddy)." Calling to mind Emmylou Harris' "To Daddy," the sentiments on "The Letter" are by no means less raw and devastating. And isn't finally time someone writes a song entitled "Mother's Day"? "Mother's Day" written by Pickler and her new hubby Kyle Jacobs is not a sugar coated maudlin piece. Rather, it tells the story of a girl dreaming of what she'll do on Mother's Day if she ever had a mom. Be warned: have your Kleenex next to you if you listen to this track.

There are many albums that will come and go. Many may make it to the penthouse of the charts but they might be forgotten in a year's time. Not so with Pickler's new one. The songs, especially the ballads, are intricately written. They capture the heart with its emotional stirrings of the lyrics and Pickler's emotional deliveries. "100 Proof" is proof that music still moves the heart.

(As my review of this album mysteriously vanished after posting it on the day it came out, I'll repost it. Strange, this has happened a few times on Amazon... wonder why.)

When you think of Kellie Pickler, you think of the show that brought her to the fame table - American Idol. However, here it is, 2012, and now she can be known from now on for one thing - this album of original music by a woman who simply wants to say from the crowded stage over overprocessed industrial country musicians that she's here, and to let the world know that Carrie and her kind need to move over a little bit.

I'm basing my review not on her previous works, although she's put out two wonderful previous albums, but this is Kellie's moment in the sun and I'm going to be as partial as I can, as anyone should.

11 songs totalling just over 34 minutes - a VERY quick album:

01. Where's My Tammy Wynette - she needs one of the queens of country to give her advice - keep him or kill him? A fun (but so short) song about the eternal question every country girl has sang about since the original cowgirls began, like Patsy Montana - should I give this boy my heart, or not? And Tammy? She always had all the right answers, too...

02. Unlock That Honky Tonk - She is pure country-sounding in this ode to the church of bluegrass and country singers and hellraisers alike. Her voice soars here, and the guitars stay in the background just enough to let her vocals carry the song like any good quality singer can - and Kellie's doing the job right here.

03. Stop Cheatin' On Me - No good country singer would be worth their salt if they didn't throw in one heartbreaking ballad, and Kellie doesn't disappoint here. Slide guitars, acoustic guitars - she could have recorded this in a honky tonk, but the Morgane Hayes-Chris Stapleton penned song goes through the right paces - she moans over her man, and she wants him to be just the man she wants him to be. A good ol' fashioned song that will be played in ten-thousand jukeboxes worldwide, and it's an instant replay for sure.

04. Long As I Never See You Again - Normally after a heartbreaker, they throw in a rocker, but Kellie throws a wonderful curveball as she goes further, showing a wonderful maturity as the ballad she sings can be just as played as the previous song. If Lee Ann Rimes ever gets back on track as a serious singer again, she might sound just only as half as wonderful as Kellie does on this 100% slow sad song that will hit the airwaves like a lightning bolt and will give her a hit, if the DJ's out there recognize that this is the real deal.

05. Tough - Now here's the rocker! Although the record companies pushed for this to be a hit over six months ago, I'm not totally convinced that this is going to be the big hit of the album. Oh, it made it to number 30 on the country charts, but it's not as strong as the two previous songs were. Sorry, Kellie... I still like the song, though, and the songwriter, Leslie Satcher, has penned hits for the best of them - Martina McBride, Willie Nelson, etc. but this, to me, just isn't the hit of the album.

06. Turn On The Radio & Dance - Satcher and Pickler give us a great song about lazy days on the porch in the summer, or maybe just slow dancing with each other as the sun sets and loving the moment it encapsulates. It's a great little country song, for sure.

07. Mother's Day - On this song Kellie gives us the best of her heart, and sings out a tribute of sorts to her mother, who deserted her and subsequently came in and out of her life as a part-time mom. She laments missing out on all the mother-daughter stuff and hopes she can share better ones one day with her daughter, if she has one, or wants one. A real sad song, but still - I think - not her best song on her album - yet...

08. Rockaway (The Rockin' Chair Song) - the love songs just keep on coming, and to be honest, I'm not much of a country fan, but Kellie's selling me her songs - and her infectious positivity - and I'm buying it. This is a fun little tune about once again just getting up and living the life we've been given.

09. Little House On The Highway - here's her song about life on the road, singing songs, stopping at truck stops, and travelling on the open road, and driving on as the asphalt keeps the tempo in her rolling caravan. It's a travelling song, for sure, and all she's asking you to do is find a great song on the radio and enjoy the ride as she's got the wheel, just relax!

10. 100 Proof - Now this is as close as it gets to a hit for Kellie, even though the song hasn't hit the charts yet even though it's been out there since December 2011. The song is pretty simple: they see other couples in misery, but the love she shares with her man makes her so dizzy it's like she's drunk, 100 proof. A simple assured song that is wonderful and positive.

11. The Letter (To Daddy) - Now this is the song I had been waiting for. Kellie's father has had as many problems as one man could have, but through it all Kellie has stood by him as far as a daughter can. This song effectively tell him that no matter what, she loves him no matter what, no matter how many rivers of alcohol and how many bottoms of the bottles he's looked at. This song is perfect for anyone who has a parent in crisis, or for that matter any relative in crisis, and the unconditional love she gives in just two short minutes with a simple acoustic guitar is worth a hundred years of love on any phony soap opera on TV. This song is the best and most personal of all of them combined and shows not only her vulnerability as a woman but her strength as

a singer, to put such a personal message on an album of almost all love songs is astounding.

So, what's the verdict? Pickler is a mature 26 year old woman,who has passed through a hundred sets of flaming hoops and a lot of personal setbacks even before finding fame through Idol.

The album is short - WAY too short for me - but each song is country gold. I would like to think the radio stations pick up her song "Long As I Never See You Again" or maybe even "Mother's Day," and give her a well-deserved hit from this great collection of old-fashioned country, which is a rarity in the music "business," since it seems music executives and focus groups try to dictate what should be on an album, and Kellie just picked up her guitar and just ran with it!

I give this album 5 healthy stars, because in a cynical world, we should be glad we still have people like Kellie Pickler, who can be positive, sensitive, and yet at the same time is just an American country girl who likes to dance at the local and have some fun.

Enjoy this album, and pick up a copy today!

(Thanks for reading this review, and if you have any comments, please feel free to drop me a line here, and if you liked my review please leave a vote, too! Also, please check out my other various music reviews....)

This is the best cd Kellie has put out, been waiting since I saw the video for "Tough" a few months ago could see from it this was going to be a new Kellie Pickler. All eleven of the tracks are good you can hear other real country singers in so many of them, Lee Ann Womack, Loretta Lynn,Lorrie Morgan, and even Miranda Lambert from her Revolution cd. Radio seems to think Taylor is country and this shows how wrong they are but they get the people to listen. I hope all of Kellie's fans will get the word out about this new cd and maybe we can see and hear less of Taylor Even Carrie who I have loved since American Idol could pick more country and less pop for her next cd.

When I first saw the album cover for Kellie Pickler's "100 Proof" I thought it was a new Tammy Wynette compilation album. So imagine my surprise when I saw the first track was called "Where's Tammy Wynette". The album cover evokes Tammy's albums from the late 60's/early 70's, the music inside is 100 proof hard core country. Tammy would approve!

Everyone knows Kellie Pickler's story from American Idol to the Grand Ole Opry. Her sound has always reminded me of Pam Tillis and several of the songs sound like songs Pam would record herself. "100 Proof" is just a great COUNTRY album. Standout tracks are "Stop Cheatin' On Me", "Tough", "Mother's Day", "Rockaway" and "Little House On The Highway" (which rocks out, but never loses the steel guitar).

I grew up on classic country and this album fits right in with the classic country artists that have clearly played a big role in Kellie's musical upbringing. Great album from start to finish.

Finally, I buy a modern country CD that is good from start to finish. Actually good would not be acurate, as this CD is actually excellent and possiby the best modern country CD in a long time. I have not been a big fan of Kellie Pickler but I am so happy to be proven wrong as I can't get enough of this. You will easily hear the influences of Dolly, Tammy Wynette, & Loretta Lynn. She did what a female country singer should do. She took all the best parts of each of the country queens and mixed them together and then gave it a dose of a modern sound. "Where's Tammy Wynette" is a simple song that reminds us of how great country music can be when we can identify with it. Tammy Wynette would surely approve. "Unlock That Honky Tonk" is great too as it shows the sassy side of country while maintaing its roots. The slow songs will move you much. "Stop Cheatin' on Me" sound like what you'd expect a modern Tammy Wynette to sound like. "Mothers Day" and "The Letter" show us who Kellie is. Its very nice to hear a current singer incorpote her real life in these songs, again something that the main 3 country queens always did. "Rockaway" and "Arm Candy" are not just excellent but unique as well. This CD reminds me of what LeeAnn Womack has tried to do and thats have a female country singer be successful w/ traditional country. But while LeeAnn was excellent on those slow songs, Kellie actually is able to pull it off wonderfully on both the slow and uptempo songs. My biggest fear is that country radio doesn't play this due its traditonal sound and Kellie is forced to go back to doing pop-country. But lets not think ahead and just enjoy what so far is the best country album released in 2012. If you have missed Dolly, Loretta, & Tammy, etc please give this a try.

This is her latest CD. Unless you can catch her on tour, you pretty much have to buy the CD. You can't rely on the suits running radio stations to play music worth listening to. This has 11 tracks and provides some lively country music. Other reviews have covered the individual songs. I can't really say if I have a favorite. They are all good. It's good vocal with good backup music. The jewel case includes a small booklet that gives the lyrics. You have to squint to read the fine print at the end that identifies the musicians (is it really that expensive to put in an extra page or so for the credits - where would the singer be without the backup).

Well worth buying if you are a country music fan, either the CD or the Mp3 downloads. Please don't cheat by downloading from a pirate site (which happens to be against the law).

I think that this is Kellie's best album yet. Her first album was good but I didn't care much for the second one. I only liked two songs on the second album and about half of the songs on the first album. This album is definitely the best of the three. The songs are this album are fun to listen to and the vocals are musical arrangements seem to match each song appropriately. Kellie did a very nice job on this album.

Very good CD by Mrs. Pickler, Not a song on the album I have to skip. I give this cd a A+