I hear the weather's nice in California, there's sunny skies as far as I can see...

Season five from American Idol was the year of Taylor Hicks. That alone should give pause to the quality of the pool, but going back, and seeing current big-players as Bucky Covington, Elliott Yamin, and most of all Chris Daughtry that season seems to be one of itsstrongest. Judge this by the fact the Kellie Pickler finished sixth, and out of the country careers carved out of the show, her talent is right up there with Carrie Underwood. The first of the top-10 to release an album, Pickler's Small Town Girl is no slapped-together opportunistic set. Rather, the album is a quite enjoyable if somewhat recycled collection that can connect with her age-group but not be too silly for older adults to appreciate. The album begins with Pickler's out-of-the-gate single "Red High Heels" is a perfectly fun kiss-off song that's been done before, but engaging nonetheless. Its fast two-step beat for the 90s and "girls night on the town" is a great start. The same tempo bleeds into "Gotta Keep Moving", with unusual chord changes that could find a home on adult-40 radio bringing a refreshing tack to the opposite side of the coin, the "can't wait to be with you" theme. Current single "Things That Never Cross A Man's Mind" is a comical man-bash that ten years and a ton of prescriptions ago would've probably shown up on a Mindy ("Guys Do It All The Time") McCready record. A great emulation of Pam Tillis comes next on "Didn't You Know How Much", which is dramatic the way a pleading love song should be, without being overacted. There are two autobiographical songs ending each half of the set, with "I Wonder" the highlight of the whole album, a bare, frank, and bittersweet "letter" to the mother that left her in the care of her paternal grandparents, stating that she'd already been gone into the world if her mom tried to find her. The other, "My Angel", is an ode to her grandmother that cuts so real that others only try to emulate. The title track is a coming of age fast-step in the mode of Martina McBride's "Wild Angels" that seems fitting coming from the 21-year-old. The requisite waltz appears with "Wild Ponies", which reprises Deana Carter's "Strawberry Wine" with a abused-woman subtext. From that dour subject Pickler picks the pace back up with "Girls Like Me", a slight but engaging girl-country anthem about seeking her own identity. Pam Tillis' influence comes back again on "I'm On My Way", where Kellie's high alto drives the uplifting chorus about pulling one's bootstraps without being grating. The weakest track of the set is the corny "One Of The Guys", which rocks along nicely, but goes the tired "I'm a redneck tomboy" prover path that's the only point on the whole album that screams of filler. And for a debut album these days, 10 out of 11 is an awesome beginning. As long as Pickler can fight the "need to succeed" by falling into inappropriate cliche, her voice can take her to critically take on Underwood anyday. And for an Idol related album, this one has legs, and I expect to be just as happy listening years from now what.

Grade: B
Best Cuts: "I Wonder", "Small Town Girl"
Weakest Link: "One Of The Guys"

Small Town Girl hit #9 pop albums and #1 country albums.
"Red High Heels" hit #64 pop singles and #15 country singles.
"I Wonder" made #75 pop singles and #14 country singles.
"Things That Never Cross A Man's Mind" so far made #45 country singles.

Buy: You can pick up Small Town Girl at websites like here and here.

Watch: Here's the video for first single "Red High Heels"...

and here's the emotional "I Wonder"...