Hey everyone. I’m back with the Song of the Week posts! Hopefully some of you have missed them and will enjoy their return.
Just to clarify—Song of the Week is not intended to highlight any specific Idols in particular, and it certainly isn’t for me to feature a list of my favorite songs. I may love some, yet dislike others. The point is to feature a variety of Idols within a wide range of musical genres. Another reason for doing Song of the Week is to look back at some of the forgotten Idols and reminisce! The only restrictions I have for song selections are singles that have become hits. It doesn’t seem like a song such as Carrie’s “Before He Cheats” needs any more attention than it’s already received…right?
Please sound off in the comments about whatever song is chosen. Maybe you love it so much you’ll run off to iTunes and gift it to your great-aunt Marlene. Maybe you’ll start a petition to ban the song’s existence from the radio airwaves. It’s just an opinion. And when it comes to Idols, we ALL have them!
Song – “Long As I Never See You Again”
Artist – Kellie Pickler
Album – 100 Proof
Season – 5th
Place – 6th
We return to Song of the Week with a tune from season 5 contestant Kellie Pickler. I know, I know…Kellie has been getting a good amount of coverage here lately because of her latest album release. We’ve also received some amazing reviews on her newest work from Windmills.
So…why have I chosen Miss Pickler you ask?
I think this Idol is putting out her best material yet, and it’s KILLING me to see her album tank. We can argue about whether or not that statement is actually true, but what I think we can all agree on is Kellie’s fading fast (right?), and she’s gonna need to pull off something amazing to keep any kind of substantial sales going for her new album, 100 Proof. Please don’t let Kellie fall with past country Idols like Josh Gracin, Bucky Covington, or Danny Gokey. For some reason, I’m fine when a contestant’s career never materializes after Idol. But when they experience a decent amount of success initially, I get invested—even if they weren’t the contestant I was backing that season. Call me a weirdo, but I feel genuinely happy for them, especially when they put out great work like Kellie. So when these artists suddenly lose that support from fans and radio, I get so confused.
For me, 100 Proof was exactly where Kellie should have headed with her career. She needed to prove herself in the country world with a solid album so people would take her seriously. I think she did just that. The problem is, no one is listening! “Tough” wasn’t AMAZING by any means…but I thought it would take off. Now, 2nd single, “100 Proof” is pretty much dead in the water. (right Kristen?)
So where do we go next with our loveable Kellie guys? Pray that “100 Proof” eventually gains radio spins? Petition for her label to give a third single one last shot? And when I say a shot, I mean give the thing some actual promo and stand behind it. (American Idol or ACM performance anyone?) As a simple Song of the Week blog contributor, I guess all I can do is feature a solid track from her album for us to tear apart and dissect.
This finally brings us to “Long As I Never See You Again”—the Song of the Week selection. What do you think of the track guys? It’s funny, because I don’t know if I really like the song, but I still enjoy listening to it. Sorta how I don’t really enjoy the taste of salt & vinegar potato chips, but I’ll still tear through a bag in one sitting if you don’t stop me. This song just has a twangy, bluesy vibe that fits in perfectly with the sound of her album overall. Is it the best choice for that 3rd single? The most radio friendly? Maybe not…but that doesn’t mean it’s an awesome song. You can hear the emotion pouring out of Kellie’s voice as she speaks to a lover who’s she’s recently parted ways with. Every time it cuts to the chorus, I can really hear the longing in her voice, as if she’s truly heartbroken over this breakup.
I don’t know you guys. Maybe I’m crazy. Maybe Kellie’s doing just fine. It’s just that I saw this same thing happen with Josh Gracin in the country world. Anyone heard from him much lately? (*cricket noises…) Exactly. A talent and personality like Kellie’s shines way too bright and should receive as much recognition—both critically and commercially—as other leading country divas like Carrie, Taylor, Miranda, etc.
Anyway, thanks for jumping back into Song of the Week, and I hope you enjoy! Please send song suggestions to me through Twitter. My Twitter handle is SlimyMeatballs (don’t judge, you know it’s awesome).
