KIMBERLY KELLY

                                                                "Summers Like That" 

                                                                Show Dog Nashville/Thirty Tigers

Though she may just now be releasing her debut label single with “Summers Like That,” Kimberly Kelly is certainly not a new act, but rather a seasoned veteran when it comes to pounding the pavement and paying her dues as an artist and songwriter.

The Texas native spent her days before calling Music City home writing songs, self-releasing albums, being a weekend warrior by playing shows around the Lonestar State, and she’s even already been on a radio tour.

This July, though, Kelly will release her debut label full-length I’ll Tell You What’s Gonna Happen via Show Dog Nashville in partnership with Thirty Tigers, and with “Summers Like That” we get our first taste of what to expect from it.

Wrapped into a softer tempo, Kelly boldly steps into the spotlight to carry us through a reminiscing lyric with a looking back innocence titled into her vocals as she takes us on a nostalgic trip through coming of age by using the power of music and songs.

Namechecking several songs that have defined the life-changing moments of her youth, Kelly not only gives us a roadmap back in time, but also finds a very clever way to showcase a vast majority of her influences.

Amongst several other songs she refers to including George Strait’s “Carried Away,” Tracy Byrd’s “Keeper of the Stars,” and Tracy Lawrence’s “Time Marches On,” she also poignantly attaches the following moments to specific songs:

Relating Deana Carter’s “Strawberry Wine” to remembering when she first heard it in the middle of the summer that she turned 16 and could have sworn she was singing it straight to her.

Remembering back to her first kiss when she references Pam Tillis’ “Maybe It Was Memphis” and how it was the song playing on the radio.

Her first breakup that crushed her heart and gave her “My first taste of a Walkway Joe,” ala the popular Trisha Yearwood song.

Or catching her first buzz by sipping on Boone’s Farm while she sat on the hood of an O2 Model Mustang with David Lee Murphy’s “Dust on the Bottle” playing on the radio.

With a 90’s country style in its instrumentation and overall feel of the song, these references pop that much more and act as a bold introduction to Kimberly Kelly. However, by carrying a very similar type of feel to “Strawberry Wine” in its looking back approach, Kelly’s nostalgic trip down memory lane also effectively pulls the listener in and instantly elevates her star by allowing us to easily connect our own memories to those of hers.

(Review Written By: Jeffrey Kurtis)

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