A companion to
Kelsea Ballerini's March 2020 album
Kelsea, September 2020's
Ballerini is an alternate version of her earlier record, containing new, stripped-back versions of the LP's 13 songs.
Ballerini decided to cut a new version of
Kelsea once the promotional plans for the original album were derailed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kelsea was a big, shiny album designed for radio and arenas, whereas
Ballerini is a gentle, vulnerable affair that by its very nature shines a light on her songwriting. While part of the appeal of
Kelsea was its modernity, particularly in how
Ballerini found a distinct, idiosyncratic lane separating pop and country,
Ballerini is all about traditional values of songwriting and unadorned arrangements. It's to her considerable credit that these 13 songs are as engaging in these bare-bones versions as they are in their slick, shiny incarnations.