Kellie Pickler

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Kellie Pickler

Kellie Pickler "100 Proof" album

- Release date : January 2012 -

100 Proof is the third studio album by American country music artist Kellie Pickler. It was released on January 24, 2012. The album includes the single "Tough". The second single, the title track, was released exclusively on iTunes on December 20, 2011.

"100 Proof" album tracks and lyrics

"100 Proof" album reviews

It made some sense to gussy Kellie Pickler up as a genuine diva on her eponymous second album -- she's a reality star veteran after all -- but the makeover didn't quite stick. Too corny to truly seem glamorous and lacking the self-effacing panache of her idol Dolly Parton, Pickler came across as a girl dressing up in her big sister's clothes: charming enough at a glance, but the loose fit, not to mention the glue on the sequins, is all too apparent upon closer inspection. Kellie wisely puts the spangly threads away in the closet for her third album, 100 Proof. The title alone gives a good idea of what she's getting at here: she's serving the hard stuff, potent and straight, and it has a kick, one that hits harder than anything she's done before. A lot of this is due to the smart selection of producers -- Frank Liddell and Luke Wooten, the former instrumental in shepherding Miranda Lambert's transition from TV to respected recording star and now performing a similar feat here, stripping Kellie's music to its basics, emphasizing hard country over cornpone comedy. Pickler will never be mistaken for a gutsy brawler but she never adopts a crazy ex-girlfriend stance, either. She merely plays it clean and simple, sometimes adopting a heavy-handed twang but usually sounding comfortable in these down-home surroundings of Telecasters, steel guitars, and acoustic guitars. The back half of this tight 35-minute album drifts slightly into sleepy, pretty territory (the title track veering just a bit too close to pageantry) but curiously, this is where Pickler reigns in her vocal mannerisms, so they come across as heartfelt, while the purer honky tonk -- "Where's Tammy Wynette," "Unlock the Honky Tonk," "Stop Cheatin' on Me" -- resonates in a way her earlier records never suggested. In short, 100 Proof is the album where Kellie Pickler stops being a TV star and turns into a genuine recording artist: it's an album that's not just good when graded on a curve, but good by any measure.

*** by Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide ***

So, which American Idol female country artist has more legitimate country music credentials? Is it Carrie Underwood, Lauren Alaina or Kellie Pickler? Well, up until the release of Pickler’s 100 Proof, it was a toss-up. However, this straight-up country record makes Pickler the purist winner, hands down.

Listening to the fiddles saw and the guitars twang during the honky-tonk spunk expressed on “Stop Cheatin’ on me” just does any country music loving heart good. You can make the case that Miranda Lambert arrived at the traditional country music outpost first. But to Pickler we say: better late than never. This may be her third release/try to get it right, but she succeeds with flying colors.

One of these 11 songs (all of them good, by the way) is called “Where’s Tammy Wynette,” which is a question many of us have been sadly mumbling for a long time. Our country gentlemen generally have a better record when it comes to keeping it country. Maybe this has something to do with a girl’s temptation to pretty up and act like a slick diva. Whatever the cause, Pickler bucks this gloss-over-greatness trend nicely with an album that is as sincere as it is traditional.

The ballad “The Letter (To Daddy)” speaks to a father that is forced to fight a demonic alcohol addiction. Pickler sings its words over nothing more than an acoustic guitar, which reveals true artistic bravery. Mom’s don’t come off looking much better, as “Mother’s Day,” speaks to a strained mother/daughter relationship.

In a few places, there are even slight bluegrass references, such as the banjo that colors “Little House on the Highway,” and the instrumental backing to the lyrically honky tonk “Unlock That Honky Tonk.” Speaking of memorable musical moments, “Long as I Never See You Again” features some good old fashioned country piano that is played kind of like the Silver Fox, Charlie Rich used to do it.

While Pickler name-drops the former Mrs. Jones with “Where’s Tammy Wynette,” she sings a song that wouldn’t sound out of place coming out of Wynette’s lips with “Stop Cheatin’ on Me.” In an instance of what’s good for the goose is good for the gander, Pickler warns, “Stop cheatin’ on me/Or I’ll start cheatin’ on you.”

Let’s hope and pray 100 Proof is a smashing success because the country world needs more than just one Miranda Lambert. What’s so wonderful about this CD is that Pickler isn’t merely paying homage to her country roots with a covers album. Instead, she’s singing new songs and proving that traditional country sounds can support truly relevant lyrics. Both “The Letter (To Daddy)” and “Mother’s Day” will resonate with anyone that was raised in a less than functional family, for example. In other words, these aren’t just old sounds, for old issues.

All the focused attention to traditional detail would be meaningless without fine singing, and Pickler handles all her vocals expertly. She never over-sings. Instead, she lets the beauty of the instrumentation and lyrics speak for themselves. Up until now, Pickler was little more than a perky, pretty singer with a country past. However, if 100 Proof is any indication of her musical future, Kellie Pickler is now an artistic force to be reckoned with.

*** by Dan MacIntosh, Roughstock ***