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Review: Kellie Pickler at the rodeo
I had misconceptions about Kellie Pickler going into her Friday show at the Star of Texas Fair and Rodeo.
I was expecting a ditzy, talentless Carrie Underwood wannabe wearing her best pair of red high heels. Fortunately, I was pleasantly surprised by Pickler’s respectable 14-song set, which was also enjoyed by more than 4,500 of Pickler’s biggest fans, mostly tweenage girls clad in sparkles and pink.
Her twangy voice, an octave too high for my liking, was solid, though she struggled with some lower notes. At times she was — as Randy Jackson would say — a bit pitchy, but Pickler’s overall performance was impressive.
“The American Idol” alum opened the show with “Best Days Of Your Life,” the latest single off her self-titled sophomore album, a song that she co-wrote with fellow country/pop artist Taylor Swift. Pickler continued with a mix of hits from her first and second albums, including “Don’t You Know You’re Beautiful” and “Things That Never Cross A Man’s Mind.”
After covering Dolly Parton’s “Nine To Five,” Pickler shifted gears with “I Wonder,” a heartbreaking song about her non-existent relationship with her mother. She closed the show on a high note, literally, with her biggest hit “Red High Heels.”
The North Carolina native used her sweet-as-molasses Southern charm to work the crowd, waving and acknowledging her fans — “Hey darlin’ I like your sparkly pants!” —in between every single song.
Surprisingly, Pickler herself was not donning any sparkling pants, rather an unassuming black cap-sleeve shirt paired with jeans, flat black leather boots (gasp!), and no jewelry (double gasp!).
Although her banter was genuine, some of her stories rambled on too long. If she can refine her on-stage persona, Pickler will be well on her way to headlining her own tour.
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