KYLIE FREY

Saturday June 11, 2022

@ The Skydeck at Assembly Food Hall in Nashville, TN

(Review by: Jeffrey Kurtis)

With the threat of extreme heat moving into Nashville in the next few days, mother nature provided the perfect weather for a great night on the crowded Skydeck at Assembly Hall in the Fifth + Broadway complex; a personal favorite venue and the place to be in downtown Nashville during CMA Fest if you wanted to hear some of the best music from the artists who are knocking on the door to tremendous breakout success.

Opelousas, Louisiana native Kylie Frey, a third-generation rodeo queen and hitmaking country artist, tilted her rodeo background into her songs as she branded her style of country music with a healthy injection of Texas country that she sent out to the very receptive CMA Fest crowd.

Opening with the ultra-catchy “Spur Of The Moment” allowed Frey to immediately grab the crowd’s attention and get them bopping along as she pushed her vocals to the forefront while putting on a display of the range that she’d give us throughout the next forty minutes.

“Where’s all my ladies at?” Frey asked as she was met with cheers from the mostly female crowd. “I recorded this song a couple years back, but sing along with me if y’all know it,” she instructed as she played Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun,” a song that she and Bri Bagwell recently recorded together that rocketed up the Texas Regional Radio Report to the #1 position last week (6/3/22 dated chart).

“Do you mind if I play my sassy song?” Kylie asked to a round of applause. “This one is for all my ladies out there who don’t take any S**T!” she enthusiastically remarked as she played “Mistake,” a song that carried a chug along rhythm that steadily built to the power punch of the chorus, enticing everyone in the crowd to dance along.

After talking about her rodeo upbringing, as well as the inspirational speech that her grandfather gave her about sticking with music when she first started pursuing it, she then shared about how when nothing had been popping for her over the years and she was on the brink of accepting that it just wasn’t going to happen, Randy Houser heard her song on the way to a show at Billy Bob’s Texas and ended up coming in on it to record it with her and it changed everything.

“This song is the fastest to hit the top of the Texas charts ever by a female artist and I’m really proud of that,” she humbly stated as she delivered the incredible, “Horses in Heaven,” which she would transition into a stunning rendition of “How Great Thou Art,” transforming the Skydeck into a church hall as everyone joined in and lifted their voices of praise.

“Do you mind if I play a new song?” she asked as the crowd approvingly applauded. “I wrote this one with my good friend Trent Willmon. He said to me that day, “What do you want to write about?” I told him that I didn’t know, but I just met Jesus and when I get to those pearly gates I want Him to know I lived the best life that He gave to me,” she confided as she dipped into the vibey, catchy groove of “Hell of A Life,” which pulled the crowd in and had them bobbing their heads along with the rhythm while tapping their toes and popping their hips side to side.

After playing “One Night in Tulsa,” Frey delighted the county fanbase by smashing it right into a souped up, edgy version of the classic Don Williams song, “Tulsa Time” as everyone clapped along with her while she belted it out.

Graciously thanking everyone for coming out and hanging with her and her band, Frey then closed her set with her rowdy single “I Do Thing,” which saw her putting down her guitar for the only time during her set while patrolling the stage and hip shaking her way through its catchy chorus.

To the delight of the crowd, she’d also leave a very strong lasting impression when she fused in snippets of John Michael Montgomery’s “Sold (The Grundy County Auction Incident)” toward the end of “I Do Thing,” before rebel rousing her way through its final chorus. 

FULL SET LIST

1) Spur Of The Moment

2) Girls Just Wanna Have Fun (Cyndi Lauper cover)

3) Mistake

4) Horses in Heaven -> How Great Thou Art (standard version)

5) Hell Of a Life

6) One Night in Tulsa -> Tulsa Time (Don Williams cover)

7) I Do Thing

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