This Kelsea Ballerini album... is it pop? Is it country? Do we care? | 'kelsea' Album Review

[@GradySmith]

Included a bunch of your reviews at the end of this one! Hope you're having a happy and safe quarantine. Tryna make stuff that keeps people entertained!

[@troyaturner1979]

We are, Grady! My favorite tracks on here are "Overshare" and "LA." The rest of it is a little too immature for my taste & WAY too reliant on snap/clap tracks (your favorite LOL!)

[@zacharyreed9112]

Grady Smith review Morgan Wallen album

[@sox1544]

I love when you're like, "I don't blame women in country for going pop. Country music isn't playing them!!" Best thing you said and it's so true. Awesome review Grady. I love your videos so much! Stay safe 💞💞

[@jonathanbaker247]

Blame it on Taylor Swift, and particularly, the Red album. That's where all the countrified pop all started. To me the only country element is storytelling. A country song has to reveal some of the artist's own life experiences. That's the only hallmark of country music.

[@Ariesguy41499]

@@jonathanbaker247 Actually it was more so Shania Twain(her Come On Over and Up! albums in particular)who influenced the more pop leaning sounds of country women who came after her including Carrie, Taylor, Kelsea, etc

[@alfblue4734]

@@jonathanbaker247 nah the whole has to be life experience part isnt true (for country of any other genre). Angel From Montgomery is one of the greatest country songs ever, written from the perspective of a woman- by a dude born and raised in the suburbs of chicago.

[@maryjoymcdaniel]

“I don’t really blame any country women for going and playing ‘poppier’ music right now if they’re trying to have a radio career because... country music’s not playing them! So you know, I kinda get it!” COLD HARD FACTS 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[@spencerallegra]

I wish people like Kelsea, maren morris and Thomas Rhett (and others) would just cross over to pop. They make pop music. That’s not a bad thing!! But it’s not country music.

[@beckk7291]

Spencer Allegra same! I listen to all music but I’m passionate about country music! I would 1000000% enjoy their music way more if it was just classified pop and didn’t make me angry hearing it on country radio.

[@RyanSmith-cm6sm]

Fax

[@ethan-jy4ld]

listen to marens new single "to hell & back"

[@bagels377]

Exactly. The garbage that they're producing is hogging country radio.

[@NicoleMarieDay]

Matthew Gut Just because it’s pop doesn’t make it garbage. Don’t be a mindless jerk. Open your mind. Listen to something else. Stop being so damn controlling.

[@becbonn]

I quite like a lot of “country pop” music. I like Kelsea too, she’s very talented! I listened to this album and got many Taylor Swift vibes from it.

[@stephduda3198]

Are you going to review the upcoming Maddie and Tae album?? I sure hope so :)

[@annebutcher9488]

I know this sounds weird, but I freaking love the fact that hole in the bottle is about wine. So much of country drinking anthems are focused on beer or whiskey which is great! But I also feel like there's this weird perception that you're not adequately "country" if you have other alcohol preferences. Like in Singles You Up (yes, I know it's a pop song) where he essentially shames the girl for drinking white wine since it's too "city." So I feel like it's subtly rebellious against the versions of this song that are made by men.

[@emmaella7163]

Hole In A Bottle is a really good "I'm getting drunk on my own in lockdown" song. Definitely not speaking from experience 😂

[@AntiquingArkansas]

Singing a pop song with a southern accent doesn't make it country 🤷🏼‍♀️

[@aaliyahfoster2705]

I think Kelsea is following Maren and Thomas Rhett's route and trying to rapidly transition out of country without trying to leave the country market. I think it's to try and get more of their songwriting out there like Taylor or Reba did, but it's not clicking with their labels. That's why they're stuck in the country realm while still making blatant pop tunes. I do like "The Other Girl" though as a song alone. I've heard it get played on one of the pop stations I listen to though.

[@GrantH]

Country? Pop? Who knows, but are we also gonna talk about how the album cover looks like it was made in 2002?

[@yourfriendlyneighborhoodsm4708]

GrantH I was gonna say. I swear I saw a Nelly Furtado album that looked just like this from the early 2000s 😂

[@maryjoymcdaniel]

I’m obsessed with this album, but I’m also a diehard Swiftie... so it makes sense. She’s got that Taylor Swift pop/country thing that I’ve always been a fan of.🤷🏼‍♀️

[@brittancandela]

I think Maddie Poppe is more country than Kelsea, but she's considered pop. It all comes down to marketing lol

[@GradySmith]

I think that's probably the right take

[@meganholley7153]

Hole in the Bottle and Half of My Hometown are my favorites on this album. I hope either will be released as singles. In the past, her singles haven't been my absolute favorites. They seem a bit more juvenile, as you said. Graveyard for instance, was great off of Unapologetically, but never talked about. I really enjoyed the introspection of her last album too. Hoping that element stays for her future music.

[@behindthecloud]

The two best songs probably (I also like "club")

[@troyaturner1979]

It's a pop album. When you collab with Halsey and Ed Sheeran, its going to end up being a pop album. My issues with her album is that lyrically it's a little too immature and way way WAY too many snap tracks!!!

[@ethan-jy4ld]

when did she collab with ed sheeran lol

[@LauraVenezia]

@@ethan-jy4ld They wrote "Love And Hate" together

[@pamelaparker7032]

Taylor Swift 2nd edition

[@TheAllisonjade]

I agree I loved kelseas early albums but this one most of the songs were lyrically weak

[@thundertv1431]

Just because she collabs with Ed Sheeran and Halsey doesn’t mean her songs aren’t country

[@gabbydavis6349]

There are two songs about Morgan on there but in general she doesn’t like writing love songs

[@nothinggoodstartsinagetawa1510]

are those needy and bragger?

[@MikeBrady93]

@@nothinggoodstartsinagetawa1510 Yes

[@kateerhardt]

ya she lliterally has a song called i hate love songs lol

[@teaganlongwell502]

I think it would be cool if there was a genre that was kinda the “catch all”. Everything that isn’t really apart of their genres, goes into the new one so Kelsea and other artists could really belong!

[@alecnilson6530]

That's pretty much the entire point of pop music.

[@huntervanskyock4273]

I want you to review the new Carly Pearce album! I like it a lot and am curious to hear your thoughts

[@steveg5933]

To quote the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band "Is it Folk, or Rock or Country? Seems like everyone cares but us" if you like the music, great. If you don't great. Not every album is everyone's cup of tea.

[@taylorbudd3831]

I love Kelsea and everything she does. She’s amazing! I love her music. I just don’t understand why good music cant just be good music. Does it really matter what genre it is or is categorized as. Some of her songs are more on the pop side but hole in the bottle is more country and you can’t deny that. She has country roots and she feels like that represents her the most so I think people should just let her live and do what she loves. You also can’t deny that half of my hometown is a country song and not a pop song.

[@blakewicklein8571]

I had pretty much the same score. It's 4/10 if you review it as a "country" album, but I would give it a 7/10 or a 6/10 if I was just reviewing it as an album with no country expectations. It was a fun listen.

[@cracker_jacq_kc8552]

I listened to this album today and really liked it! I like your videos a lot & I like that you don’t ever put anyone down for what they like or consider to be country. I like that you offer opinion and you don’t state your opinions as facts, keep up the good work! ❤️🤍💙

[@audreychestnut3650]

You should do Lauren Alainas EP!!!

[@jakepeters6593]

Sara Evans is coming out with a new album *hint hint* video suggestion *hint hint*

[@dallasstone5160]

Anyone else thinks Better luck next time should have been on this album? I still like this song a lot. And it’s a pop album, with a few songs having a country vibe. I would love if she was really country, but i love what she does anyway, and her voice is awesome

[@ryanvirgens]

Grady: The world will keep spinning... Me: well...... In all seriousness, thanks to all the healthcare and essential workers for helping everyone get through this!

[@Kylee_Meera]

This got uploaded in the middle of a grady binge and I couldn't be more pleased 😂

[@colkuskey8657]

I’m sure she’s a charming young woman. She’s in the tweety bird category along with a whole bunch of others masquerading in country. Seen her live a bunch of times at festivals and the general vibe was, What is she doing here? She must have good taste though, she had the good sense to marry a Aussie 🇺🇸🇦🇺

[@123rockfan]

Honestly I would take pop country over cheesy country music that’s traditional sounding

[@iancoopsmom]

When Sam Hunt new album comes out you should do a review on it

[@dragonkfg]

Me: I care if its country. Modern country fans: No.

[@TheAllisonjade]

I find it annoying when people say something isnt country or pop country isnt country. Every genre evolves. Mainstream pop music has changed over the years same as rap.

[@CasaD18Studios]

Thank You! I've been saying this for years, but nobody listens.

[@courtney.22]

Country music has always been known to ebb and flow over the years.

[@themeparkanalysis8114]

Sure, but you wouldn't say someone playing fiddle and singing opera is rap, yet that's essentially what's happening with country.

[@Dogonatree]

Glad you're out here doing this. Someone needs to. Really enjoy your channel

[@claytonbrushcb]

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE review Mike Ryan and Josh Ward!!!!

[@lilbigmick2004]

Country Music is not about story telling it is about the instruments

[@rachellauren2465]

I’ve been waiting all week for this video!!! So glad you did this album!!!

[@Adiz9809]

The themes of the song "LA", that closes this album, reminded me of "Welcome to New York", that opens Taylor Swift's album "1989" (magnificent album, but sadly, not Country at all).

[@AllySheehan]

Grady I'm so dumb I literally watched this video already as soon as it came out. Watching it again now because I love it and you haha. Have a great day!

[@NicoleMarieDay]

I love your reviews. And I was really excited to hear your review. When it comes to country music you are really on it. But as a die hard Taylor fan (Swiftie) and as a pop fan I can honestly tell you that The Other Girl sounds nothing like any of the song on reputation. I get what you’re saying but Rep was dark pop and The Other Girl is darker, but it’s not dark pop. And Halsey’s music is quite darker lyrically. Manic is a masterpiece. I get what you were trying to say though. It’s obvious Kelsea was influenced by Taylor. But, I feel like Kelsea is much more unique and feels less like a Taylor imitation. For me Hole in the Bottle sounds most like country to me. But thank you for this review. I’m really happy that you took the time to review it instead of not. It’s a great album. And I see all these comments with people saying it’s pop like that’s a bad thing. They act like they are allergic to anything but country. It’s not healthy to only focus on one style/genre of music. Listening to all different kinds really opens your mind and let’s you experience more of the world. And if I didn’t listen to other genres, I would appreciate County music the way I do. I’m really happy you did this. ♥️

[@GradySmith]

Haha I made the reputation comparison cuz it reminded me of So It Goes or even Call It What You Want a little bit, but I will trust you on this.

[@NicoleMarieDay]

Grady Smith Thanks! Sorry if I came off sounding condescending. I reread it and I felt like it came off worse than intended. Thanks for replying. Again, great review.

[@TheAllisonjade]

I thought the who's gonna put on the red dress part reminded me of t swift

[@maddieisurs]

Okay you’re wrong about whose the other girl being on reputation it would have been on speak now.... maybe lover...

[@robertlawrence1936]

I feel like it would’ve been made in between Speak Now and Red and then discarded. Don’t get me wrong I love the song but in a world where let’s say it was a Taylor swift song, it sounds like something that would’ve been intended for Red but didn’t make the cut.

[@zachyuncker833]

Honestly, I understand that you consider yourself a country music youtuber but I feel as if most people are here for you. While we all love country music we wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you Grady. Hell if you decided to review pop music full time I would still be here. Glad you took a look at this album on the channel

[@Bsideann]

Kelsea is one of those few mainstream country I listen to. "I Hate Love Songs" is still my favorite love songs in a long time.

[@SarahBo]

I’m a HUGE kelsea fan. Loved unapologetically. Really liked The First Time. This album fell flat for me. I feel like she got deep at moments but overall it all felt reallllyyy generic. Love and Hate and The Other Girl didn’t get deep at all, and they had SO MUCH potential with the message. I personally liked Overshare, HQ, LA,and Half of my Hometown, and Hole in The Bottle. I don’t think all of those are “deep” but they do feel the best written and at least feel natural. I cannot stand Country Song. It feels SO SO forced to me. I kinda wish she would be left alone to write an album without too many co-writers. Idk just some thoughts from a fan :)

[@MariaKellogg]

Sarah Bo I thought it fell really flat too. Her last album was such a great step for her and I thought I was wonderful. This album has good moments but they are very very very few. Half of my Hometown feels like her and the rest of the album felt like her getting in her head about the reviews from the last album. I enjoy club for fun. But I can’t believe this is what she put out with hundreds of songs. And that song she wrote with Ed is terrible and I feel like it only got put on there because she wrote it with him. Bragger sounds like “Toxic” rip off. Just not a good record for her and I think this could dim her career a lot. This was a very lame album.

[@melindaabond]

Omg i feel the same way about a country song

[@SarahBo]

Maria Kellogg I agree about Club. It feels half fun and half “I’m not like other girls” which I don’t particularly appreciate. Especially when she is putting out empowered songs like Miss Me More, and Love me like a Girl. And Love and Hate shouldn’t see the daylight. A 10 year old could of written it. 😂😂

[@caelnordyke3741]

Yep my business is essential 😎✊

[@GradySmith]

Thanks for keeping us going!

[@caelnordyke3741]

Ya man hardware and agricultural store

[@savvie-marie]

Kelsea is an amazing singer and I love her but I think she's just more pop country than country country

[@thundertv1431]

Yeah agreed she is country pop even though she is still considered country even if she’s country pop

[@allie_m_i1448]

I'd actually be very interested in your perspective on the Lauren Alaina EP.

[@jessicabloom6826]

People complained that Taylor was too pop when she was a country artist. Compared to Kelsea she was basically Loretta Lynn!

[@thundertv1431]

Taylor was never too pop as a country singer her songs always had a little bit of a country sound to her songs

[@danag3757]

Finally, an album with a reasonable number of songs!

[@mamartinez3219]

I agree that LA fees like a rich white girl problems song and I don’t see it having such a wide appeal but I guess that’s her base. Sounds very T Swift to me.

[@lindsaylarkin5202]

She said it was about anxiety

[@alikayyal9050]

Thoughts on the new Sam Hunt music video? My thoughts, weird and random as hell lol

[@brookskryshak1135]

Very fair review from a country channel. Nice one Grady!!!

[@joshgossett6760]

It’s an amazing album. Definitely her best work.

[@swanglade3763]

When Maddie and Tae’s album comes out next month, are you planning to review it?

[@Lazy_eye_blobFish]

I love most genres and I like her, I think she is a good artist...but yeah it is pop country.

[@pamelaparker7032]

Pop and only Pop music

[@brookskryshak1135]

She said on a livestream recently she’s not going pop

[@wildlifewhiskey3636]

the album says different

[@Essex626]

She already has.

[@matthewlocke9225]

Wildlife& Whiskey have you even heard her earlier work??? She’s ALWAYS been Pop/Country. Half Of My Hometown, Hole In The Bottle, Needy, & A Country Song are some of her most Country influenced songs. But yes, Bragger & The Other Girl are her popiest songs yet. LA’s sound is more Country than you initially think upon your first listen

[@connorochuida8183]

Wildlife& Whiskey Why do you guys care you should just like good music regardless of what genre it is

[@Essex626]

@@connorochuida8183 that's just wrong. Genre matters. It's like going to eat at a restaurant. Do you go to a Mexican restaurant for orange chicken? Do you go to a Chinese place for a burrito? Mixing everything together and letting these genre definitions disappear makes everything a bland mess. Go listen to the radio. Turn the dial to the country station. More likely than not you'll hear a dance song with an electronic snap track. Now turn to the pop station. Same thing. Now turn to the alt-rock station and... hey, it's the same thing again! Getting rid of genre means getting rid of diversity in music.

[@thyouthbe3003]

I go by their vocal.. she is southern. Makes her sound country

[@johnhermes4112]

Grady, check out Jesse Daniel’s new album “Rollin On”. I think it might be this year’s “Heartache Medication”.

[@What_was_wrong_w_jst_our_names]

I liked Overshare. I thought it was a good opening track. I was about to open Netflix but it made me listens to the whole album on accident.

[@mrwvtennis]

Of course in general Kelsea is pop, but in a week where one of the all time genre benders has passed on, Kenny Rogers, let’s just look for good in music. You did a great job with that on this video Grady.

[@TommySleiman]

Amazing review!

[@yourfriendlyneighborhoodsm4708]

A shame that this album is gonna get knocked just because it’s being labeled as country. I’m not saying that to shame to people knocking it, I’m shaming the label cause I believe that this album could potentially stand on its own feet on the pop charts rather than the country charts

[@aferguson5403]

I don’t think she’ll make a good switch over to “mainstream pop”. Taylor was able to do that because she had major successes outside of country music, Kelsea hasn’t got that yet.

[@angelrubio5816]

I don't usually listen to country, and i know kelsea is more pop than country, but i loved it. My favourites songs are Love and Hate, LA, Half of my hometown, bragger and the way i used to

[@jessicawhittemoore7829]

I like the singles especially Half Of My Hometown Feat. Kenny Chesney

[@astrologamarinamoura]

She is pop. I like her...but her music is pop and gets popIER every new album

[@RyanSmith-cm6sm]

I have no issue with pop country. I just wish they wouldn't play it on could radio. Because it IS NOT country. I don't really know what separates it from pop or makes it "country pop" instead of just pop.

[@thundertv1431]

It’s still country music even if it’s country pop

[@s0mebody.]

Hey Grady, I'd love to see a video where you talk about Paul Brandt, he kinda has a cool story where he was a nurse at a children's hospital up here in Canada.

[@ericmorton7456]

Chevel Sheppard, the Voice winner just released two songs that sound more mature and better than Kelsea.

[@itsdavew5766]

I was sent the album for my radio show. A couple of the slower songs *could* be labelled a teeny bit Country....but that's about it. This is Pop music, simple as that. Doesn't make it bad as such, it just should never be labelled as a Country album.

[@velvet4299]

I've been saying for a long time now, but she is NOT country. Neither is maren morris. These newer females in "country" are just pop singers who couldn't make it into the mainstream pop industry 🤷🏻‍♀️ people hate to hear it though, they make it into something about their gender. Even if it's not

[@ethan-jy4ld]

listen to marens new single "To Hell & Back"

[@maggie_monroe]

I agree that kelsea isn’t country. I’m not a big fan of hers either even though female country singers are typically all I listen to. Also, I love Maren Morris. Her Hero album was great, but I was disappointed by GIRL. It’s not a country album which doesn’t make it bad, it has a lot of great songs on it, but I can’t count it as country. On the other hand, I wouldn’t blame that on “newer females in country.” There are men doing the same thing, Florida Georgia Line, Luke Bryan, HARDY. This is an all around country issue. It’s hard to get on country radio at the moment with what we consider real country. I also would like to add that there are a lot of great female country singers out there, Maggie Rose, Kalie Shorr, Caroline Jones, Amanda Shires, Lorri McKenna. Many don’t know these names however. Right now probably the only known names are Kelsea Ballerini, Miranda Lambert, Carrie Underwood, Maren Morris, and Kacey Musgraves who all have made significant moves towards a more pop sound. It’s not fair to blame this on new female artists when there’s so many who just aren’t getting air time. My speculation is that real country sound exists in women and men, but in an attempt to compete with streaming platforms, radio typically plays more pop country to appeal to a younger audience. It’s harder to find successful “classic country” artists in this modern time.

[@johnnyk7592]

Why does it matter though? I would say that GIRL is a country album - while there are a few pop songs, there’s some really classic sounding stuff there too. If an artist wants to classify themselves as country, usually that’s good enough for me. And for every pop-country artist out there, there’s another modern artist tuning into the classic country sound. And the greats are still here too! Tanya Tucker, Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, and Willie Nelson, among others, have been continuing to release projects. If you don’t like pop-country, just don’t listen! And if you don’t like what’s on the radio, then ignore the radio! Radio is becoming more and more irrelevant anyway. Apple Music and Spotify have TONS of playlists that feature classic-sounding country artists. You can just pretend people like Maren and Kelsea don’t even exist.

[@courtney.22]

@@johnnyk7592 There is room for all of it.

[@TheAmieeexx]

This is madness, yesterday I was thinking I wanted you to review Kelsea 😂😂

[@PositiveCrunch]

Just Pop. No disrespect, but just be a Pop star. Give us real Country music back.

[@pamelaparker7032]

I do not like this music, too immature for me and I hate when it is considered country. It is not country. It is Pop. Please go sing, just somewhere else. First time I tuned you out Grady but I forgive you. Must be too much isolation for me. I only do that to you on FGL but I LOVE your Luke Bryan digs and your appreciation of Eric Church and Lorrie McKenna. You are still on my fav list. Even without tequila and the Corona virus isolation.

[@fieldysgrl98]

why?? there is a genre called Country Pop. dont like it, dont listen to it. there's plenty of country music for you to listen to.

[@chasewalsh8549]

Dara Conner there is no real country being marketed. All that is marketed is pop country right know. Make the music you want but don’t call it country

[@Crashme222]

She's not Country for sure

[@facepalm9998]

Omg I love this new FGL song that just came out "I Love My Country." Also the new Trace Adkins song "Better Off."

[@clayhale3869]

Overshare is my favorite

[@clayhale3869]

The first two albums were just so meh to me. I thought this was a step up.

[@brookskryshak1135]

I think this album is definitely her best yet!! I love kelsea, just sucks album sales will tank cause of corona...

[@TheCraftBin]

Okay, I have no idea what video to put this comment on, so I'm just gonna put it here even though it has nothing to do with Kelsea Ballerini. So, I want to present a case for the list style songs but first, a couple disclaimers: 1) I am a ridiculously sentimental person, so certain lists songs are naturally going to appeal to me, fluff or no fluff 2) I can only think of like 2 list songs off the top of my head, so maybe I'm just missing the obnoxious ones. I can totally see why someone might look at a list song and feel like "they are just trying to get all the country buzz words in there" and I'm not going to deny that there are probably a lot of songs that do that. But I want to defend list songs as a form/style of poetry. As a person who rather likes reading and writing poetry, I actually really enjoy the list style. I think it allows for the use of metaphor in a nice way, and it also helps the writer to paint a very specific image, using only a few words and the connotations or associations wrapped up in those things. For example, if you asked me what America is, I may begin by saying "America is a wheat of field, the cracked hands of a farmer..." and so it continues until I feel I have painted you an accurate picture (think the song It's America). The main song I wanted to use as my example is "I wish Grandpa's never died" because I really do like that song. Where I can see why one might feel that the things he says are vague, I really don't feel that way. Each of the things he lists off are things that register in my mind as good or beautiful (you know, minus the whole back roads drinking kids, but hey, can't win 'em all) so I understand right away why he feels the way he does. For example, I am still in high school, so the line "I wish high school home teams never lost" resonates in a very particular way. There comes a time when all you want is to watch your team win, but this crushing feeling hits you and you realize someone HAS to lose. Some team is going to walk away sad. And man, that sucks. It sucks to watch your home team, your friends, your classmates not get what they've been working for. No, it's not life or death, but for some reason in that moment, it really, really matters. Or the line "I wish farms never got sold" has a particular punch, just because if you have ever been in a situation in which that happens to someone, it evokes a very distinctive kind of sadness. It's that breath-stealing kind of loss feeling. Another song I like is "I love this life" by Locash. I'm not a huge fan of the style or even exactly all of the lyrics, but I do appreciate the ideas and the message. Yes, the things he lists are exetremely general, but general doesn't always mean bad. He is listing truly beautiful things, and those are things that make people feel something or think of something else. Things that make you look at the world and smile and your glad you are alive. Simple things, general things, but that makes them no less beautiful. Does that make sense? Perhaps I am only proving the point that these songs are too general, by explaining how I personally have very specific feelings tied to the things listed, but I thought it was worth pointing out the poetic strengths of a list song.

[@andrearivas8605]

Please don’t enter a slow down period. This quarantine life needs more content!

[@savannah9903]

also, pretty sure her using "homecoming queen" is a metaphor for "the pretty popular woman" vs you saying its "juvenile", it's actually a deep song. But I DO agree, other girl sounds like a tswift rep era song

[@evanbisch8342]

Kelsea is the Kelsea Ballerini version of Taylor Swift’s Red album it’s like they have their own genre

[@ambernotaro3241]

I like country and I like pop so the country/pop sound doesn't bother me. I love the album.

[@bev961]

For something different should do a video on aussie country artist Brad cox, there's some brilliant artists down here

[@Coffee_Addict981]

I looked him up and his pic on Spotify reminds me of a luke Combs

[@bev961]

Very similar, but different at the same time

[@brookskryshak1135]

With Kelsea Ballerini I definitely think she’ll have a similar roll out with Maren Morris, because she had songs on pop radio with “the middle” and “the bones but also songs on country radio with “girl” and also “the bones”, and with Kelsea already having some success on pop radio with “this feeling” with the chain smokers, “the other girl” with Halsey will be welcomed very well on pop radio especially since Halsey is a big star, as far as other singles, “half of my hometown” will be an obvious single on country radio. But with unapologetically only having 3 singles, she probably won’t be playing into radio too much but who knows, the pop world may just take her under their wing. But since country radio doesn’t welcome women, it’s all up into the air.

[@owenherndon3794]

It's the complete opposite of midland to me. The lyrics in this album are good and the production is bad. In midlands there production was amazing but lyrics where bad.

[@kaitlyns.1442]

I don't care, women can't get a fair chance on radio no matter what they produce. Would still die for more kelsea music honestly. Also found most of this 'narcissistic' is the whole point of the album, as she said 'getting to know the real me'.

[@maryjoymcdaniel]

THE WAY I SCREAMED AT 6:59 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[@aidenhoagland7268]

i LOVE the full blown version of this album for the production. BUT as the sucker for lyrics i am, the stripped down version “Ballerini” has my heart.

[@coytucker5253]

CHS Alum so I'll support her whatever the genre. Go Bobcats!

[@patricklittle8281]

Couldn't you call any popular song a pop song? I swear what defines a pop song is a song that's "pop"ular

[@williamgriffin2739]

Ingrid Andress next please!!!

[@flyoverbassin8959]

I think it would work if people would distinguish between "country music" and "Nashville Pop".

[@annelizalazar2743]

And now there's a slightly more country version of the album!!

[@ethan-jy4ld]

everyone bringing maren into this... shes a country artist, deal with it. also, listen to her new single "To Hell & Back"

[@joeybreezy_]

I feel like the women of country music are killing it! And if they want to add pop or R&B into the music let them.. idk why everyone has to hate on it, music is music. The #KELSEA album was pretty good I maybe had to listen to it a couple times, but I vibed with it. Unlike the past women of country music, there talking about change, and not about letting men control them. Plus, I feel they maybe add a little pop or R&B to there music to get some recognition, I mean Kelsea, Maren, Ingrid Andress, Danielle Bradberry, RaeLynn, Cassadee Pope, Bailey Bryan, Lacy Cavalier, just to name a few they have amazing lyrical content! For example, Patsy Cline was a country musician but she had a couple pop success as well.. she is literally my favorite country role model & Shania Twain & not to mention the carpenters were more country than pop but there conciderd pop? Anyways my point is, I feel if an artist wants to be considered and classified as “Country” but have fun with a little 808 beats, or pop beats let them. Country music is changing, just like every other genre is.. back then around patsy’s era I’d say music was music.. buddy holly, the everly brothers, etc there music wasn’t in a genre they were just played if it was popular. Sorry not sorry, just speaking my opinion

[@karoleeburton7185]

Grady I want to recommend an album for you to review, I saw this guy with Tyler Childers, his name is Andrew Adkins and the album is Who I Am you won’t regret it.

[@kailynw6490]

Would you make a video about Ryan Hurd and his stuff?

[@kyleo8677]

Kailyn Wanhella he’s awful

[@pamelaparker7032]

Check out Kacey Musgrave's husband. He is good. Ryan ????? I can not believe I forgot his last name 🤪🤪🤪🤪 Too much isolation and tequila. No virus so far. I have pickled my brain. Check out Mockingbird on UTube. Good tune.

[@stevestalock3200]

Grady, If James Taylor was breaking into the music industry today, do you think he would find a home in country?

[@dj.birdsall]

I only listened to it once, so I may have to give it another go, but overall I liked "Unapologetically" better. I heard that this album was going to be more stripped down than her previous ones, so I was a bit disappointed at how produced it was. Taylor was never this pop even during "Red". I think she'll probably switch genres somewhere down the road. I agree with what you said about wanting to hear more solo writes from her. If we're comparing her with Taylor, that's one thing Kelsea hasn't really done. She has a few solo writes here and there, but it's nothing like what Taylor was doing. However, the solo writes usually tend to be her best material. I'd like to hear more of those. And yes, I find "A Country Song" very ironic.

[@dj.birdsall]

Also, is "The Other Girl" for sure going to country radio? I kinda figured if it were released it would be a pop exclusive single.

[@cuzned]

Just a question i haven't seen asked, Do country radio DJ's ever get asked there opinion on any the music that is being released ? And i mean in all markets across the country. I know my local station does not play have the songs that you hear on Sirus radio. Both men and women.

[@lukemccullough8384]

Homecoming Queen was huge on country radio here in Arkansas.

[@cholepriccee2069]

I'll never understand why people want to live in LA. But then again, i want to live in British Columbia so i guess i wouldn't understand.