Country Mike Blog

Kellie Pickler's Traditional Sound

Mike Sudhalter  |  April 29, 2012

Kellie Pickler, during the 2009 CMA Music Festival

It's very rare that you see a country singer, especially a younger one, go from pop-country to traditional, but that's exactly what Kellie Pickler has done with her most recent album, "100 Proof."

She leaves no doubt about that when she starts the album with a song called "Where's Tammy Wynette," with all types of references to one of the greatest stars in the genre.

And then there's "Unlock the Honky Tonk." It doesn't seem that long ago that Pickler was competing on American Idol and sing bubble-gum pop-country songs like "Red High Heels."

They say cheatin' songs are over, but Pickler not only has one, but includes it in the title, "Stop Cheatin' On Me." And it's every bit as country as the title would suggest.

Sure, Pickler still has to make the folks at radio happy, and that's what "Tough" is for. It's catchy and uptempo and doesn't quite fit in with the rest of the album.

Hopefully, more artists will follow Pickler's lead and find and/or re-discover their country roots.