The Woman I Am is the fourth studio album by American country music artist Kellie Pickler. It was released on November 11, 2013, through Black River Entertainment.[1] The album includes the singles "Someone Somewhere Tonight," "Little Bit Gypsy," and "Closer to Nowhere."
| The Woman I Am | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | November 11, 2013 | |||
| Recorded | 2013 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 41:20 | |||
| Label | Black River Entertainment | |||
| Producer |
| |||
| Kellie Pickler chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Alternative cover | ||||
 Vinyl Cover | ||||
| Singles from The Woman I Am | ||||
| ||||
Content
editThe Woman I Am was produced by Frank Liddell and Luke Wooten, the same team who produced Pickler's third album, 100 Proof. Pickler co-wrote three of the album's twelve tracks, two of which she co-wrote with the help of husband and songwriter Kyle Jacobs.[2]
"Someone Somewhere Tonight," a song previously recorded by both Kenny Rogers and Pam Tillis, was released as the album's lead single on May 14, 2013.[3] After eight weeks, it reached a peak of number 49 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart in July 2013. "Little Bit Gypsy" and "Closer to Nowhere" were released as the album's second and third singles, peaking at number 50 and number 59, respectively.
Critical reception
edit| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 82/100[4] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [5] |
| Country Weekly | A[6] |
| Engine 145 | [7] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B+[4] |
| Got Country Online | [8] |
| Music Is My Oxygen | [9] |
| Newsday | B+[10] |
| Rolling Stone | [11] |
| Roughstock | [12] |
| USA Today | [13] |
The Woman I Am garnered critical acclaim from music critics. At Metacritic, they assign a "weighted average" score to ratings and reviews from mainstream critics, which based upon four reviews the album has a Metascore of an 82, and this signifies "universal acclaim".[4] At USA Today, Brian Mansfield felt that Pickler's "albums are as much fun as hearing her talk."[13] Stephen Thomas Erlewine at Allmusic claimed that this album was not one "that makes a career, but rather one that helps a career be built."[5] At Rolling Stone, Rob Tannenbaum alluded to how Pickler "continues to [write] vibrant drama from her crazy family".[11] Glenn Gamboa for Newday highlighted that "With 'The Woman I Am,' Pickler shows how the next phase of her career may be bigger than she ever dreamed."[10] At Entertainment Weekly, they said Pickler "ditches modish pop-country for old school songs about cheating and her pistol-packin' great grandma", and felt that "she shines brightest on the autobiographical title track."[4] At Music Is My Oxygen, Rob Burkhardt noted that her underrated status was "poised to change" because the album will put "her in a position to come into her own."[9] Furthermore, Burkhardt told that the release comes "with the perfect combination of old and new, spunk and honesty."[9]
At Country Weekly, Tammy Ragusa evoked that "Kellie has made a natural evolution while managing to stay true to those things that are important to her" on the release.[6] Also, Ragusa claimed that "with her commitment to the integrity of her music and sound, she’s definitely a female force to be reckoned with."[6] Blake Boldt of Engine 145 noted how with this release Pickler "affirms her status as an authentic personality and, more importantly, an intelligent picker of songs."[7] In addition, Boldt wrote that for the duration of the album Kellie "proves how a current hitmaker can emphasize the genre’s traditions while still engaging with contemporary sounds and themes", which this allow her "to resurrect the past and move it into the future."[7] At Roughstock, Matt Bjorke proclaimed that "Kellie's 12 tracks on The Woman I Am are some of the best music she's made."[12] Donna Block at Got Country Online proclaimed that "There are even more Kellie-country gems on the album", which is why "Country music fans will agree, we are all thankful Kellie has found her sound, herself, and shares it with all of us."[8]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Little Bit Gypsy" |
| 3:06 |
| 2. | "Ring for Sale" | 3:24 | |
| 3. | "Buzzin'" | 3:28 | |
| 4. | "The Woman I Am" |
| 3:02 |
| 5. | "Closer to Nowhere" |
| 3:24 |
| 6. | "Selma Drye" |
| 3:49 |
| 7. | "I Forgive You" | 3:32 | |
| 8. | "Bonnie and Clyde" |
| 3:10 |
| 9. | "Where Did Your Love Go" |
| 3:51 |
| 10. | "No Cure for Crazy" |
| 2:56 |
| 11. | "Tough All Over" | 3:29 | |
| 12. | "Someone Somewhere Tonight" |
| 4:08 |
Personnel
editVocals
|
|
Musicians
|
|
Production
|
Chart performance
editThe album debuted at No. 19 in the Billboard 200, and No. 4 in the Top Country Albums chart, with sales of 16,000.[14]
Album
edit| Chart (2013) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200[15] | 19 |
| US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[16] | 4 |
| US Independent Albums (Billboard)[17] | 1 |
Singles
edit| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Country [18] |
US Country Airplay [19] | ||
| 2013 | "Someone Somewhere Tonight" | — | 49 |
| "Little Bit Gypsy" | 49 | 50 | |
| 2014 | "Closer to Nowhere" | — | 59 |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||
References
edit- ^ Gold, Adam. "Kellie Pickler Branches Out on New Album 'The Woman I Am'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 13, 2013.
- ^ Christina Vinson (October 18, 2013). "Kellie Pickler Hopes to 'Bring Out the Best' on 'The Woman I Am' Album". Taste of Country. Retrieved November 9, 2013.
- ^ "iTunes - Music - Someone Somewhere Tonight - Single by Kellie Pickler". Itunes.apple.com. 2013-05-14. Retrieved 2013-06-01.
- ^ a b c d Metacritic (November 14, 2013). "Critic Reviews for The Woman I Am". CBS Interactive. Retrieved November 19, 2013.
- ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (November 11, 2013). "The Woman I Am - Kellie Pickler". AllMusic. Retrieved November 13, 2013.
- ^ a b c Ragusa, Tammy (November 12, 2013). "The Woman I Am by Kellie Pickler". Country Weekly. Retrieved November 13, 2013.
- ^ a b c Boldt, Blake (November 12, 2013). "Album Review: Kellie Pickler — The Woman I Am". Engine 145. Archived from the original on November 13, 2013. Retrieved November 13, 2013.
- ^ a b Block, Donna (October 30, 2013). "ALBUM REVIEW: Kellie Pickler "The Woman I Am"". Got Country Online. Archived from the original on November 13, 2013. Retrieved November 13, 2013.
- ^ a b c Burkhardt, Rob (November 12, 2013). "Kellie Pickler "The Woman I Am" –Album Review". Music Is My Oxygen. Retrieved November 13, 2013.
- ^ a b Gamboa, Glenn (November 8, 2013). "Kellie Pickler's 'The Woman I Am' review: Prettier". Newsday. Retrieved November 13, 2013.
- ^ a b Tannenbaum, Rob (November 12, 2013). "Kelly Pickler 'The Woman I Am' Review". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 13, 2013.
- ^ a b Bjorke, Matt (November 9, 2013). "Album Review: Kellie Pickler - The Woman I Am". Roughstock. Archived from the original on November 13, 2013. Retrieved November 13, 2013.
- ^ a b Mansfield, Brian (November 12, 2013). "Listen Up: Blue Rodeo, Kellie Pickler, Katey Sagal". USA Today. Retrieved November 13, 2013.
- ^ Bjorke, Matt (November 20, 2013). "Country Album Chart News: The Week of November 20, 2013: Christmas Albums From Duck Dynasty, Kelly, Blake, Lady A & Scotty Lead way; Kellie Pickler Debuts". Roughstock. Archived from the original on November 24, 2013. Retrieved November 20, 2013.
- ^ "Kellie Pickler Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
- ^ "Kellie Pickler Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard.
- ^ "Kellie Pickler Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard.
- ^ "Kellie Pickler Album & Song Chart History - Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved November 21, 2013.
- ^ "Kellie Pickler Album & Song Chart History - Country Airplay". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved November 21, 2013.