To know Kelsea Ballerini is to love her. Country’s sweetheart recently released her debut album, ‘The First Time’, on May 19th this year. The record, which is sure to help ease heartbreak for women of all ages, features country pop songs such as her hit single, ‘Love Me Like You Mean It’ and ‘Dibs’. It’s Ballerini’s turn to take country music by storm- and she’s ready.
1.) ‘XO’ – Written by Kelsea Ballerini, Catt Gravitt and Gerald O’Brien.
Impression: The fast, upbeat tempo tune has a bit of a rebel side to it. ‘XO,’ which has the double entendre of “ex-girlfriend,” pledges to a boy that she won’t be second best to a girl from the past. The spicy song paints a picture of a girl putting her foot down and saying ‘enough is enough.’
Favorite Lyric: Sitting in the middle of a flame still burning, Boy, I ain’t your match. You can stop all the pretending cause when this night’s ending, you’re still gonna want her back…
2.) ‘Peter Pan’ – Written by Kelsea Ballerini, Forest Glen Whitehead and Jesse Lee.
Impression: This song is a message to all boys who have yet to grow up and are starting to look like they may never change their ways. Many listeners will be able to relate to promises being made and promises being broken. The unhurried lyrics hit a soft note in our hearts.
Favorite Lyric: You’re always gonna fly away, just because you know you can. You’re never gonna learn there’s no such place as Neverland…
3.) ‘Love Me Like You Mean It’ – Written by Kelsea Ballerini, Forest Glen Whitehead, Josh Kerr and Lance Carpenter.
Impression: The country radio fixture is one you love to sing along with in the car. The no-nonsense song sets guidelines for the right kind of love, a meaningful one. ‘Love Me Like You Mean It’ was also nominated for Breakthrough Video of the Year at the CMT Music Awards. Currently, it sits at number 5 on the Mediabase Country Chart and showing no signs of slowing down.
Favorite Lyric: So tell me baby are you just crazy or crazy over me…
4.) ‘Square Pegs’ – Written by Kelsea Ballerini, Josh Osborne and Scott Stepakoff
Impression: A fun-loving jam that embraces the different things people bring to the table. It poses the question, ‘how boring would this world be if we were all the same?’ and it gets you thinking what makes you special. You will be tempted to clap along to this hidden gem.
Favorite Lyric: When you know that you don’t have to go where they go, you can go write your own story…
5.) ‘First Time’ – Written by Kelsea Ballerini.
Impression: A song that will tug at the heartstrings of many, this one slows down for a softer side of relationships that have crashed, no matter how tempting things are to go back. ‘First Time’ on repeat will be sure to soothe the sting of a breakup.
Favorite Lyric: That’s why the past should be the past, far behind, back of mind, out of the way…
6.) ‘Looking At Stars’ – Written by Kelsea Ballerini, Forest Glen Whitehead and Scott Stepakoff.
Impression: Think city meets country in this classic Ballerini song. This backwoods, sky-watching ballad talks about sneaking off to a quiet spot that is far away from reality. An underrated song on this album, ‘Looking at Stars’ will be sure to impress.
Favorite Lyric: You can steal a kiss, maybe even two. Only the track and the tree’s gonna see what we do…
7.) ‘Sirens’ – Written by Kelsea Ballerini, Forest Glen Whitehead and Jennifer Denmark.
Impression: The darker song of the album flirts with a relationship gone bad, despites numerous signs pointing to trouble. Weighing the constant battle of what is wrong and what feels right seems to be the trend through Ballerini’s album. Kelsea’s vocals hit the high and low notes in this stormy tune.
Favorite Lyric: The warning lights were flashing like lightning. I should’ve listened to the, I should’ve listened to the sirens…
8.) ‘Secondhand Smoke’ – Written by Kelsea Ballerini, Josh Kerr and Jordyn Shellhart.
Impression: The biggest change of pace on the album comes with ‘Secondhand Smoke.’ The sensitive song brings up the tough topic of parents fighting and wants to end the stigma for the children. Ballerini was able to open up about her parent’s divorce and the struggles that came with it. A topic that many kids, teenagers and adults know all-too-well, this song may act as a silver lining in a tough time.
Favorite Lyric: And when I think the fighting has to end in a goodbye, I wanna prove me wrong, but I’m scared I’ll prove me right…
9.) ‘Dibs’ – Written by Kelsea Ballerini, Josh Kerr, Ryan Griffin and Jason Duke.
Impression: A fan favorite from the album, ‘Dibs’ puts a fun, playful spin on marking a girl’s territory with her man. Something that many of us have felt before, this song makes the insane sound a little less crazy. A confident, feel-good jam that is the perfect song anytime from getting ready for a night on the town to a windows-down, wind-in-your-hair drive.
Favorite Lyric: If you’ve got a Friday night free and a shotgun seat, well I’m just saying, I ain’t got nowhere to be…
10.) ‘Stilettos ’- Written by Kelsea Ballerini, Forest Glen Whitehead and Kevin Savigar.
Impression: Girl power. This song is pure girl power. A strong, beautiful woman getting through the pains of a breakup and admittedly getting weak at times, wearing the emotional pain like physical pain. The comparison of pain and powerful stilettos is all-too-real for many women. The girly song will have girls of all ages shaking their heads in agreement.
Favorite Lyric: I talk the talk like I’m a tough girl cause there ain’t room for weakness in a rough world that keeps saying you were never enough, girl…
11.) ‘Yeah Boy’ – Written by Kelsea Ballerini, Forest Glen Whitehead and Keesy Timmer.
Impression: This tune is a PSA announcement to have the confidence and ability to say what they have feelings for. The headstrong, passionate Ballerini is a great role model, specifically with songs such as this one, filling minds with self-assurance and poise. The message in ‘Yeah Boy’ is clear and concise: go after what you want with your head held high.
Favorite Lyric: Your eyes could make the moon jealous and if you wanna know if I wanna be your girl tonight, yeah, boy…
12.) ‘Underage’ – Written by Kelsea Ballerini, Josh Kerr and Scott Stepakoff.
Impression: Everyone understands the struggles of being under 21. Kelsea Ballerini hasn’t just lived it in the recent past, she sings about it. At first, the title may make it sound like the song will be a fast one, but the lyrics are beautifully sung with a mostly-slow and soft hum. The young forbidden love and risky fake IDs are a compilation of many listener’s young adult days.
Favorite Lyric: Every light is saying go, and you don’t know what you don’t know…
‘The First Time’ is an album for all ages. Ballerini proves to the music business that she is mature beyond her 21 years. The crossover between country and pop allows the singer/songwriter to divulge into both industries. The one constant throughout Kelsea’s songs, is that she wrote or co-wrote all of them. Talent and appreciation paired with a beautiful voice will lead this young woman to a successful career in music.
Get your copy of the album on iTunes here.
This was written by Lauren Rose, contributing writer for New England Country Music. You can follow me on Twitter here.