Kelly Pickler's '100 Proof'
Album cover titled "100 Proof " by Kellie Pickler. Credit: Handout/
The first third of Kellie Pickler's "100 Proof" (Sony Nashville) is so far from the sassy/kooky persona she has crafted for herself that she's almost unrecognizable. "Where's Tammy Wynette?" is equal parts forward-looking savvy and classic-country-loving retro. "Stop Cheatin' on Me" feels like an undiscovered Loretta Lynn guitar ballad that could easily become Pickler's signature song, while "Long As I Never See You Again," which she co-wrote, is filled with a gorgeous, understated ache. "100 Proof" gradually gets soggier and watered down, but the potent opening casts Pickler in a new leading-lady light.
KELLIE PICKLER
"100 Proof"
GRADE B+
BOTTOM LINE The zany "American Idol" fave gets classic-country serious
