When Kelsea Ballerini released her debut effort, aptly titled The First Time, in 2015 for then emergent indie label Black River Entertainment, the album cemented Ballerini as an artist with songwriting chops, effervescent personality and sublime blend of pop and country hooks. She became one of country music’s brightest rising stars.
The First Time spawned three No. 1 hits, “Peter Pan,” “Dibs” and “Love Me Like You Mean It,” along with the Top 10 “Yeah Boy,” making Ballerini the first female country artist to notch a trio of consecutive chart-toppers from a debut album. She earned a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist in 2017, and an ACM Award for New Female Vocalist of the Year, in addition to iHeartRadio and Radio Disney award wins.
Such early success can breed pressure to retread the same lyrical and sonic territory to sustain the momentum. Instead, with her sophomore endeavor Unapologetically, which releases today (Nov. 3), Ballerini expands the sweep of influences she assimilates into her own music.
“I first thought, ‘How do I get back to where I was when I made the first record so I can do that again?’,” she told MusicRow, “but I was trying to go back to my 19-year-old self and that’s not who I am anymore. I had to let myself be 22 and 23 when I was writing this album, and make that into music.”
While Ballerini winked at the furthest reaches of her pop, rock, and hip-hop influences on her first project, this time around she adopts them more fully, from the a flirtation with R&B on “I Hate Love Songs” to the electro-pop effects employed on “Miss Me More.”
“The way that [her first album] was accepted made me want to push it further. On ‘Miss Me More,’ you can hear that Bieber-esque pop thing and ‘Get Over Yourself’ that chorus is a bit of a rap. That doesn’t take it out of country.”
On her debut album, Ballerini relied on co-writers and producers including Forest Glenn Whitehead and Jason Massey, forming a largely untested but trusted group of fellow creatives and dreamers. The First Time earned gold status, while “Love Me Like You Mean It,” “Dibs,” and “Peter Pan” all went Platinum.
She reunited with Whitehead and Massey as producers on Unapologetically (and with Whitehead as a co-writer), but explored new creative endeavors with Shane McAnally, Hillary Lindsey, Nicolle Galyon, Jimmy Robbins, Lindsay Rimes, Ross Copperman, Zach Crowell, Ashley Gorley, and more. McAnally, Robbins, and Rimes also contributed production to select tracks.
“Honestly, I couldn’t get into a room with a hit writer to save my life on the first record,” she says, laughing. “So the fact I have this opportunity on this album was a gift. I shared stories and opened up to them and to have them add their perspectives, that’s why the record sounds like it does.”
Ballerini cites Lindsey as a co-writer she had on her “wish list” for years.
“As a young female songwriter, she is the reason I write songs. She is exactly what I want to be when I grow up. She’s incredible and I love writing with her,” Ballerini fawns of Lindsey.
Like its predecessor, Unapologetically features 12 songs all co-written by Ballerini. The singer-songwriter penned more than 200 songs for the album. Unapologetically is a transition album, one Ballerini calls “the movie of my life the past three years.”
The album follows a chronological arc, opening in the depths of heartbreak on “Graveyard,” accepting the end of a relationship and the consequent process of self-rediscovery with “Machine Heart” and “Roses,” and crowned by the airy self-confidence needed to find love again with the album’s final five tracks.
“You really get to know an artist by listening to the whole record. I love that you can feel it go from dark to light. You can feel the whole temperament of the album change, just like my life has. It’s really cool.”
Midway through Unapologetically comes “In Between,” a solo write for Ballerini, and the last song she penned for the album. “In Between” is a gorgeous coming-of-age portrait conveying the dreams and ambitions, shifting social roles and newfound wisdom of a woman entering adulthood, on lines like half head up in the clouds/half feet down on the ground, and Sometimes I’m my mother’s daughter/sometimes I’m her friend.
“I realized I had written a lot about people that had been defining people in my life, but I realized I hadn’t written about just my life,” Ballerini says. “That song is the time-stamp of the record, the song I’m going to listen to when I’m 50 and remember what I was feeling when I was 24.”
Her career now bolstered by a string of hits, Ballerini didn’t waste the good fortune, instead poring over every aspect of the album, from song selection to the album cover.
“I wanted the album cover to look happy and sad at the same time. No matter what song you are listening, to I wanted that album cover to make sense. So if you are listening to ‘Graveyard,’ it looks like the saddest cover in the world because I’m curled up on a chair. But if you are listening to ‘Machine Heart’ or ‘Unapologetically’ it looks like you are resting after walking through a battle.”
Scattered throughout the album are snippets of audio intended to infuse life moments into the songs—a voicemail from Ballerini’s mother tags “In Between,” while ripped audio from footage of a high school football game intros “High School.” Her fiancé and Warner Music Nashville artist Morgan Evans offers harmonies on “Unapologetically.”
Vocally, Ballerini comes across as comfortable with warm, conversational singing—accepting her instrument’s limitations. Those lessons can be attributed to countless hours logged on the road, opening for Rascal Flatts, Lady Antebellum and Thomas Rhett.
“When I made my first record I had never done a full-band show before. My voice only knew singing over my guitar. My favorite singers are belters like Carrie Underwood and Kelly Clarkson. I always wanted to be a singer like that, but I’ve learned that’s not my voice. Once I learned what my voice can and can’t do, I think that helped a lot on this record.
“Vocally we didn’t make it perfect. The only time we had for recording was when I came off the road and my voice was tired. On certain songs, especially ‘I Hate Love Songs,’ ‘High School,’ and ‘Machine Heart,’ you can hear it. On all three of those days, my voice was nearly gone and you can hear how tired I was. And I just let that be ok. For every song we did vocals for maybe two hours. We didn’t overthink it. It sounds like me and I’m really proud of that. I’m glad that it is not perfect.”
Self-acceptance, and the confident worldview that often accompanies it, has been a mainstay in Ballerini’s first two albums, and that’s by design.
“I just think there is so much crap everywhere all the time, just negative stuff, especially for young girls. I don’t want to be a part of it. I want anything that people hear from me to make them feel good. Even if it is a vulnerable sad song I want there to be an encouraging lyric. It leaves you feeling better and that’s what I feel like I need to contribute to the world right now.”
Ballerini will perform with Reba on next week’s CMA Awards, and will launch The Unapologetically Tour in February 2018, with special guest Walker Hayes.
Guitar Craft Academy Graduates Inaugural Class
/by Lorie HollabaughThe school is accredited through an organization called NASM (National Association of Schools of Music), and that accreditation sets it apart because it makes Guitar Craft Academy the only luthier school eligible to offer scholarships and federal student aid.
The school’s instructors are notable luthiers, including Marty Lanham (founder, Master Luthier and proprietor of Nashville Guitar Company and co-founder of the Station Inn.)
TobyMac’s ‘Light Of Christmas’ Album Out Today
/by Lorie HollabaughTobyMac will kick off the new year by bringing his “HITS DEEP Tour” to 29 markets alongside a lineup including Danny Gokey, Mandisa, Ryan Stevenson and Finding Favour. The 2018 “HITS DEEP Tour” is a partnership with K-LOVE, Air1, Awakening Events and Food for the Hungry. Kicking off at Oklahoma City’s Chesapeake Energy Arena in late January, the “HITS DEEP Tour” will wrap in mid-March after stops in San Diego, Denver, Seattle, Minneapolis, San Antonio, Birmingham and more.
Light Of Christmas Track List:
CMA Walks Back Media Restriction For Red Carpet, Backstage
/by Eric T. ParkerThe CMA threatened to revoke credentials and provide a security escort for media if such reporting strayed to particular subjects, outright naming the “Las Vegas tragedy [at the Route 91 Harvest festival], gun rights [or] political affiliations.”
CMA Awards co-host Brad Paisley took to his Twitter calling the guidelines “ridiculous and unfair” just before the CMA sent a release lifting its guidelines, which it defended by saying “they were created with the best of intentions to honor and celebrate Country Music.”
Artists like Maren Morris chimed in on the social site.
Artist Ryan Adams mocked the restriction with a list of Hee Haw-esque stereotypes that hypothetically would be approved to discuss on the CMA red carpet.
Now, one day after the guidelines were issued, the CMA heeded the social backlash and reversed course, now lifting restrictions.
The CMA’s original restriction notice, sent to media on November 2, read:
The 51st Annual CMA Awards will air live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena next Wednesday, November 8, on ABC.
Kelsea Ballerini’s Unapologetic Second Act
/by Jessica NicholsonWhen Kelsea Ballerini released her debut effort, aptly titled The First Time, in 2015 for then emergent indie label Black River Entertainment, the album cemented Ballerini as an artist with songwriting chops, effervescent personality and sublime blend of pop and country hooks. She became one of country music’s brightest rising stars.
The First Time spawned three No. 1 hits, “Peter Pan,” “Dibs” and “Love Me Like You Mean It,” along with the Top 10 “Yeah Boy,” making Ballerini the first female country artist to notch a trio of consecutive chart-toppers from a debut album. She earned a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist in 2017, and an ACM Award for New Female Vocalist of the Year, in addition to iHeartRadio and Radio Disney award wins.
Such early success can breed pressure to retread the same lyrical and sonic territory to sustain the momentum. Instead, with her sophomore endeavor Unapologetically, which releases today (Nov. 3), Ballerini expands the sweep of influences she assimilates into her own music.
“I first thought, ‘How do I get back to where I was when I made the first record so I can do that again?’,” she told MusicRow, “but I was trying to go back to my 19-year-old self and that’s not who I am anymore. I had to let myself be 22 and 23 when I was writing this album, and make that into music.”
While Ballerini winked at the furthest reaches of her pop, rock, and hip-hop influences on her first project, this time around she adopts them more fully, from the a flirtation with R&B on “I Hate Love Songs” to the electro-pop effects employed on “Miss Me More.”
“The way that [her first album] was accepted made me want to push it further. On ‘Miss Me More,’ you can hear that Bieber-esque pop thing and ‘Get Over Yourself’ that chorus is a bit of a rap. That doesn’t take it out of country.”
On her debut album, Ballerini relied on co-writers and producers including Forest Glenn Whitehead and Jason Massey, forming a largely untested but trusted group of fellow creatives and dreamers. The First Time earned gold status, while “Love Me Like You Mean It,” “Dibs,” and “Peter Pan” all went Platinum.
She reunited with Whitehead and Massey as producers on Unapologetically (and with Whitehead as a co-writer), but explored new creative endeavors with Shane McAnally, Hillary Lindsey, Nicolle Galyon, Jimmy Robbins, Lindsay Rimes, Ross Copperman, Zach Crowell, Ashley Gorley, and more. McAnally, Robbins, and Rimes also contributed production to select tracks.
“Honestly, I couldn’t get into a room with a hit writer to save my life on the first record,” she says, laughing. “So the fact I have this opportunity on this album was a gift. I shared stories and opened up to them and to have them add their perspectives, that’s why the record sounds like it does.”
Ballerini cites Lindsey as a co-writer she had on her “wish list” for years.
“As a young female songwriter, she is the reason I write songs. She is exactly what I want to be when I grow up. She’s incredible and I love writing with her,” Ballerini fawns of Lindsey.
Like its predecessor, Unapologetically features 12 songs all co-written by Ballerini. The singer-songwriter penned more than 200 songs for the album. Unapologetically is a transition album, one Ballerini calls “the movie of my life the past three years.”
The album follows a chronological arc, opening in the depths of heartbreak on “Graveyard,” accepting the end of a relationship and the consequent process of self-rediscovery with “Machine Heart” and “Roses,” and crowned by the airy self-confidence needed to find love again with the album’s final five tracks.
“You really get to know an artist by listening to the whole record. I love that you can feel it go from dark to light. You can feel the whole temperament of the album change, just like my life has. It’s really cool.”
Midway through Unapologetically comes “In Between,” a solo write for Ballerini, and the last song she penned for the album. “In Between” is a gorgeous coming-of-age portrait conveying the dreams and ambitions, shifting social roles and newfound wisdom of a woman entering adulthood, on lines like half head up in the clouds/half feet down on the ground, and Sometimes I’m my mother’s daughter/sometimes I’m her friend.
“I realized I had written a lot about people that had been defining people in my life, but I realized I hadn’t written about just my life,” Ballerini says. “That song is the time-stamp of the record, the song I’m going to listen to when I’m 50 and remember what I was feeling when I was 24.”
Her career now bolstered by a string of hits, Ballerini didn’t waste the good fortune, instead poring over every aspect of the album, from song selection to the album cover.
“I wanted the album cover to look happy and sad at the same time. No matter what song you are listening, to I wanted that album cover to make sense. So if you are listening to ‘Graveyard,’ it looks like the saddest cover in the world because I’m curled up on a chair. But if you are listening to ‘Machine Heart’ or ‘Unapologetically’ it looks like you are resting after walking through a battle.”
Scattered throughout the album are snippets of audio intended to infuse life moments into the songs—a voicemail from Ballerini’s mother tags “In Between,” while ripped audio from footage of a high school football game intros “High School.” Her fiancé and Warner Music Nashville artist Morgan Evans offers harmonies on “Unapologetically.”
Vocally, Ballerini comes across as comfortable with warm, conversational singing—accepting her instrument’s limitations. Those lessons can be attributed to countless hours logged on the road, opening for Rascal Flatts, Lady Antebellum and Thomas Rhett.
“When I made my first record I had never done a full-band show before. My voice only knew singing over my guitar. My favorite singers are belters like Carrie Underwood and Kelly Clarkson. I always wanted to be a singer like that, but I’ve learned that’s not my voice. Once I learned what my voice can and can’t do, I think that helped a lot on this record.
“Vocally we didn’t make it perfect. The only time we had for recording was when I came off the road and my voice was tired. On certain songs, especially ‘I Hate Love Songs,’ ‘High School,’ and ‘Machine Heart,’ you can hear it. On all three of those days, my voice was nearly gone and you can hear how tired I was. And I just let that be ok. For every song we did vocals for maybe two hours. We didn’t overthink it. It sounds like me and I’m really proud of that. I’m glad that it is not perfect.”
Self-acceptance, and the confident worldview that often accompanies it, has been a mainstay in Ballerini’s first two albums, and that’s by design.
“I just think there is so much crap everywhere all the time, just negative stuff, especially for young girls. I don’t want to be a part of it. I want anything that people hear from me to make them feel good. Even if it is a vulnerable sad song I want there to be an encouraging lyric. It leaves you feeling better and that’s what I feel like I need to contribute to the world right now.”
Ballerini will perform with Reba on next week’s CMA Awards, and will launch The Unapologetically Tour in February 2018, with special guest Walker Hayes.
Anna Weisband Earns VP Stripes At THiS Music
/by Lorie HollabaughAnna Weisband has been promoted to Vice President of THiS Music. Weisband, a Fredericksburg, Virginia, native and Belmont University graduate, began her career as an intern at THiS Music in 2012.
“Anna Weisband knows how to creates value! Her passion for songs and songwriters, combined with her personality, confidence and enthusiasm makes her a magnet for success,” said Rusty Gaston, Partner/GM, THiS Music. “Her abilities are limitless and we can’t wait to celebrate all her future successes in the many years to come.”
In her new position Weisband will continue all A&R duties including talent discovery, collaboration creation, artist/writer management and song placement.
THiS Music is owned by publisher Rusty Gaston along with songwriters Tim Nichols and Connie Harrington. The THiS Music roster includes Ben Hayslip, Emily Weisband, Marv Green, Jessi Alexander, Deric Ruttan, Molly Reed, JT Harding, Jimmy Yeary, Chris Stevens, Drew Baldridge, Chris Yarber and Jeff Outlaw.
Weekly Chart Report 11/3/17
/by Alex ParryClick here or above to access MusicRow‘s weekly CountryBreakout Report.
TIDAL Now Offers Detailed Artist Credits For Albums, Tracks
/by Lorie HollabaughThe information is available for numerous albums and tracks with more added every day. Album and track information is available on the desktop app, web player and mobile apps. TIDAL has brought the artist credits feature to life with “Live Credits,” which takes fans inside a notable song, album or video, by interviewing the people responsible for its creation. Through a combination of video, audio and the written word, artists, producers, songwriters, and engineers recount their experiences while offering unique, behind-the-scenes information.
TIDAL is available in more than 52 countries, with a 51 million-plus song catalog and 195,000 high quality videos.
Taylor Acorn Signs With Play It Again
/by Jessica NicholsonPictured (L-R): Play It Again Creative Coordinator Kirby Smith, CEO Dallas Davidson, Taylor Acorn, VP A&R Alex Torrez, CFO Megan Stinson.
Hit writer and CEO of Play It Again Music Publishing/Play It Again Records Dallas Davidson, along with VP A&R Alex Torrez, announced today (Nov. 2) the signing of artist and songwriter Taylor Acorn.
“We’re so thrilled to add Taylor to our roster,” said Torrez. “She’s an incredible singer and writer and a great fit for Play It Again… She has a grasp on lyric and commercial melody that can’t be taught. She’s a total natural.”
“I’m so honored to be working with some of the best in the industry,” said Acorn. “It literally feels like a dream come true.”
Acorn, a native of Lynchburg, Virginia, previously released three singles independently. She’ll partner with Play It Again for the release of her upcoming, self-titled debut EP, due out Nov. 17.
Acorn joins a roster at Play It Again including Kyle Fishman, Trea Landon and Houston Phillips.
Big Yellow Dog Music Promotes Alex Stefano
/by Jessica NicholsonAlex Stefano
Alex Stefano has been promoted to General Manager Creative – Film & TV Sync at Big Yellow Dog Music. In her new role, Stefano will oversee the day-to-day operations of the sync department including working with Big Yellow Dog Music’s stable of 20 writers to market and license their songs for sync. Sync is a central part of Big Yellow Dog Music’s business, and the company averages more than 400 sync placements a year.
Stefano has worked with Big Yellow Dog Music’s sync team for the past three years and has helped sign and develop Big Yellow Dog Music artist writers Keelan Donovan, Leah Nobel, Justin Forrest and Connor Thuotte. She previously served as a Creative Manager for the company and has a BBA in Music Business from Nashville’s Belmont University.
“Through Alex’s efforts, we have secured placements for our writers in Grey’s Anatomy, Big Little Lies, How to Get Away With Murder, T-Mobile, Toyota and many more,” says Big Yellow Dog Music CEO Carla Wallace. “As a classically trained pianist and a lover of films, she has an ability to combine those two strengths that creates great opportunities for our writers.”
DISClaimer: The Tried And The True
/by Robert K OermannCountry music charges into the fall season, still pretty much sticking to the tried and true.
That means rock, pop and hip-hop influences in the sounds of Lewis Brice, Eric Chesser, Tyminski and Jackson Michelson. Among the brightest spots in this edition of DisClaimer are the David Lee Murphy/Kenny Chesney duet and the Blake Shelton track.
The Disc of the Day award goes to Lady Antebellum, who have apparently returned from wandering in the pop wilderness. Bopping Susan Shann wins the DisCovery Award, partly because heaven knows we need more female voices in this format.
SUSAN SHANN/Rhythm of the Road
Writer: Susan Shann; Producer: Bil VornDick; Moose Lodge, ASCAP; SS (track)
– The band is cooking with gas in a taut, punchy, bopping arrangement punctuated by stinging guitar licks and fluid piano lines. The song’s toe-tapping, “traveling” groove is perfect for a sunny afternoon drive. Promising.
TYMINSKI/Bloodline
Writers: Tyminski/Barlowe/Frasure; Producer: Jesse Frasure; Publishers: Broad Banz/Dan Tyminski/Castle Bound/We Be Pawtying/Spirit/Songs of Roc Nation/Telemitry Rhythm House/Warner-Tamerlane, BMI/SESAC; Mercury (track)
– His album Southern Gothic‘s lead single is a meditation on heritage, music and memory with a choppy backbeat and an r&b feel. Haunting and hooky.
LEO EIFFERT Jr./Blue Crawfish Cup
Writers: Lwo J. Eiffert Jr.; Producer: none listed; Publishers: Young Country, BMI; Young Country
– Amateur Hour at the bar and grill.
LADY ANTEBELLUM/Heart Break
Writers: none listed; Producer: none listed; Publishers: none listed; Capitol Nashville (CDX)
– Breezy and charming. Hillary takes the lead on this tuneful, mid-tempo ditty about healing from a bad relationship. The layered track shuffles and echoes beautifully.
BLAKE SHELTON/I Lived It
Writers: Ashley Gorley/Ben Hayslip/Rhett Akins/Ross Copperman; Producer: Scott Hendricks; Publishers: none listed; Warner Bros.
– He is such a superb country singer, and this dreamy, nostalgic song is a perfect vehicle for him. Can’t wait for the new album.
NED LEDOUX/We Ain’t Got It All
Writers: Ned LeDoux/Chris LeDoux/Mac McAnally; Producer: Mac McAnally; Publishers: Rusty Spur/Mad Cracker, BMI
-The late rodeo champ, country singer and Garth Brooks fave Chris LeDoux left behind scraps of paper with song ideas on them. With help from Mac McAnally, his son has polished several of these into finished works. They’re included on Ned’s new CD Sagebrush. This one is a sturdy, home-folks outing with a steady backbeat that pumps right along. Recommended. By the way, the CD also includes a duet with Chase Rice on the elder LeDoux’s 1991 single “This Cowboy’s Hat.”
JACKSON MICHELSON/Rollin’
Writers: none listed; Producers: none listed; Publishers: none listed; Curb (CDX)
– Please stop talking and sing, for pete’s sake. Also, please lose the rock guitars.
LEWIS BRICE/Best Ex Ever
Writers: L. Brice/M. Walker/B. Davis; Producers: Lewis Brice/Brian Bunn; Publishers: none listed; Pump
– She rescues him when he’s drunk. He knows they’ll never get back together, but he sure likes her then. Very cute. Especially when the whole band shouts the title.
DAVID LEE MURPHY & KENNY CHESNEY/Everything’s Gonna Be Alright
Writers: David Lee Murphy/Chris Stevens/Jimmy Yeary; Producer: Buddy Cannon/Kenny Chesney; Publishers: none listed; Reviver/Blue Chair
– This has a steady groove that’s enormously pleasing. The feel-good message is certainly one we can use right now. I’m in.
ERIC CHESSER/Yes
Writers: none listed; Producer: none listed; Publishers: none listed; Big Big (CDX)
– I liked his last single quite a bit. This one not so much, largely because the production seems needlessly busy and noisy. He still sings splendidly.