By Ann Reed – Staff Reporter

Kelsea Ballerini is getting a taste of fame and success for “The First Time” with her debut album.

With country music roots dating back to her birth in Mascot, Tennessee, 22-year-old Kelsea Ballerini is no stranger to this industry. Ballerini wrote her first song for her mom at just twelve years old, and moved to Nashville to pursue music three years later. After attending Lipscomb University for two years, Ballerini signed with Black River Entertainment and began her professional music career. Her debut single, “Love Me Like You Mean It,” reached number one on Billboard’s Country airplay, making her the first solo country artist to do so since Carrie Underwood did it with “Jesus Take the Wheel.” Her debut album, entitled “The First Time,” debuted at number 31 on the Billboard 200, and has sold over a hundred thousand copies as of January 2016.

“The First Time” is just as carefree and fun as you would imagine from a 22 year old songstress, perfectly capturing the essence of being young, in love, and curious of the world. Each of the 12 tracks feature a hopeful hint to them, even the more gloomy ones. The album’s namesake track, titled “The First Time” as well, tells the story of a relationship that kept hurting even after it was over. The bridge explains, “Even when you don’t have me, you can still be the one to hurt me.” Lyrics like this convey a meaning that is anything but carefree. However, the soaring guitar and percussion backing up the vocals lift the listener up, creating a conflicting message. The instrumental seems to be telling the listener that even though Ballerini was stuck in this endless heartbreak loop, there was a looming light at the end of the tunnel.

However, the album deems to be true to the name in other aspects, making it very clear that this is Ballerini’s “First Time” making an album. Several of the songs are as generic as possible, with lyrics like “Captured my attention make my heart stop and listen when you look my way.” Lyrics like these are the epitome of teen loves song, leaving the listener wishing for more creativity, or artistry out of Ballerini, who is clearly playing it safe to gain a sturdy fan base. But modern fans crave more out of music then generic lyrics about a boy looking at a girl; they crave meaning. It is slightly disappointing to see cheesy songs like “Yeah Boy”on the same record as songs like “Peter Pan” because listeners begin to expect more from the artist. Hopefully, Ballerini will grow as an artist before her next album, because if she does, listeners can expect great things.

“The First Time” is a perfect album for anyone looking for music to blast in the car with all the windows down as they enjoy the fresh spring air. This album is fun, and slightly cheesy, which everybody craves every once in awhile, making a perfect record to ring in the warm weather. If listeners are looking for anything more then that, they might want to search elsewhere.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars