One thing that I appreciate most with an album is when the artist writes or co-writes their own songs. Kelly Lang wrote or co-wrote 10 out of 11 songs on this album. That’s how you get a true feel of an artist. Kelly, also, produced the album. I do appreciate an artist that is this well-rounded.
I found this 11-track fully-produced album by Kelly Lang entitled ‘11.11’ to be enjoyable. While I couldn’t see this release topping the country charts or garnering nominations for CMAs or ACMS because I don’t think it fits into what country radio is playing right now, I still found it enjoyable and I think traditional country fans would appreciate this album. The songs flow and mostly traditional country. Although, it is an eclectic mix of songs at times, it mostly leans towards traditional country. The album as a whole is not going to “wow” you, but it’s still a nice listen.
“I Thought He’d Be here By Now” is a radio-friendly, uptempo song. I wasn’t a big fan of the singing at the beginning of this song because it sounded a tiny bit flat to me, but as the song progressed, I really enjoyed it and the singing was good. This song has a more contemporary feel and slight rock edge to it. “On And On” is my favorite song from the album. It is a ballad that flows musically, very traditional country, and soothing with great lyrics. “I Was Wrong” is a mid-tempo, bluesy song that I enjoyed, but it didn’t quite fit with the rest of the album. “If You Knew” is another mid-tempo, traditional country tune that I especially enjoyed the lyrics. I, also, really enjoyed “If I’d Only Known”. At the beginning, it had a very Irish feel to it. Reminded me of the score from ‘Lord Of The Dance’ and then flowed into being a traditional country, mid-tempo song about regrets with occasional rock guitar riffs. “I’m done” was perhaps my least favorite of the album. It was a mid-tempo song that had a little bit of a dated feel to me. Not traditional country and classic, but more of a blend of 80s pop along the lines of Lionel Richie’s “Hello”. It just didn’t quite fit with the rest of the album, either. The last track on the album is “You Are My Sunshine”–the classic song that has been redone many times that Lang put a very bluesy twist on and I loved her voice on it. I found this one to be a fun addition and nice way to end the album.
Rated 3 out of 5 stars.
