Kellie Pickler Follows Her Heart on ‘100 Proof’
Kellie Pickler has often referred to country legends Dolly Parton, Tammy Wynette, and Loretta Lynn as her musical idols and with her new album, 100 Proof, it’s easy to see that she’s allowed their music to influence hers. Branching out from the country sounds of the current era, 100 Proof is a tribute to traditional country, the kind of music that Kellie loves. As intimidating as it may be to stray from ‘the norm,’ following her heart on 100 Proof was natural for Kellie.
“I was talking to someone yesterday about just – this album, singing it just seems much more effortlessly, if that makes sense,” Kellie tells CountryMusicIsLove. “It just seems like it’s more – I guess it’s just where I’m supposed to be, so it’s easier for me, if that makes sense.”
Although making this music was Kellie’s kind of country, it isn’t always easy for an artist to get that creative control when recording a new album. Thankfully for Kellie – and for the fans – her record label supported her.
“That definitely crossed the label’s mind,” Kellie shared. “But I think at the end of the day it’s more important that I’m happy with what I’m doing. I love this record and I hope that the fans will grow with me and my music. You can’t please everybody. It doesn’t matter what you do, you can’t please everyone. I’ve found that I’ve made compromises in the past and I feel like I’ve already been down that road where I’ve tried to make the record that I’ve felt like everyone else wanted from me. So I’ve already done that, and that’s no fun.”
In addition to the support from her record label, Kellie found strength and encouragement from producers Frank Liddell and Luke Wooten.
“I love this album, and I love the sound, and I love every musician and songwriter that helped breathe life into this record because this wouldn’t be an album if they weren’t a part of it. Frank and Luke, they convinced me that I was an artist and not just a singer. And there’s a big difference between those two things.”
As for country music fans, while they’ve embraced modern country music, Kellie hopes they’ll appreciate her traditional sound too.
“Well, they say history repeats itself, and the bell-bottom thing came back, so maybe traditional country music will come back too. There’s room for it all!”
If you haven’t had the chance to pick-up Kellie’s 100 Proof, you can download it HERE. Make sure to come back to CountryMusicIsLove.com and let us know what you think of Kellie’s traditional sound on the new album.
