This is a multiple choice poll, meaning you can pick more than 1 song if you want.
As we know, Small Town Girl is one of the best albums and full of great songs! Some of the best songs on STG haven't been released, which makes me wonder how the label is picking single releases. Are they even paying attention to Kellie's fans' opinions? So far this is what has happened
1. Red High Heels - great country/pop song, average+ compared to all songs on STG according to almost every poll and opinion I've read, and I agree
2. I Wonder - great country song, one of the very best songs on STG - very powerful story, vocals, and music.
3. Things That Never Cross a Man's Mind - great country/rock song, average+ compared to all songs on STG
So, what about the other great songs on STG? Many of the very best songs haven't been released yet. Here are the remaining best songs that I think will do very well on radio (make top 5 if promoted enough). I carefully consider the entire songs - lyrics, vocals, and music.
I will be very disappointed if these songs aren't released, in about this order
1. Small Town Girl - Awesome and this might be the most "radio friendly" song on the album. Better than RHH and TTNCAMM and at least as good as I Wonder. Very catchy, upbeat, awesome lyrics, vocals, and music! Great acoustic guitar! Kellie co-wrote it about her hometown. Much better than other "small town" songs like Famous in a Small Town, etc! This could have been a great lead song for the album. STG is the first song Kellie co-wrote, which is reason enough to release it. Those who like Taylor Swift's upbeat acoustic guitar singles, well this is the closest to it on Kellie's album! There's one minor thing I would change, a brief overly-tweaked part "Meeeeeeeeeeeeee" around 3:04 to 3:07 - they might want to adjust or de-tweak if possible for a new radio-only release version, otherwise the song is 100% perfect! BTW I prefer the producers or engineers never mess with Kellie's natural vocals that much or at all, and I've seen similar comments from others. There are a few other equally great songs on Kellie's album, however I imagine she can only write one great song about her thoughts about her mom and one about her hometown. So, like I Wonder, releasing this song is a one shot (soon or never) deal. *Also see More on Small Town Girl and Ideas for a Video below.
2. Wild Ponies - Awesome and definitely the next I Wonder/Alyssa Lies! Great country sound and story. When Kellie sings "Wiiiiiiiiiiild ponies," it sounds like magic! One of the best vocals on the album. The music is awesome and sounds very country! A bonus is that
Kellie chose and recorded WP for a friend and other abused women, so I think releasing it will also help people in these situations realize they can escape and get help, like I Wonder helped people with other problems.
3. Girls Like Me - Awesome and similar sound to STG, better than all other Guys Like Me and Girls Like Me songs.
I will be
extremely disappointed and feel that Kellie, her album, fans, country radio and listeners, and the entire country music world will be shortchanged if STG and WP aren't released!
Songs I'm on the fence about releasing
1. Didn't You Know How Much I Loved You - One of the best songs on STG. Awesome! However I wasn't sure if I would put this one here or in the above catagory. It's one of the most pop/rock sounding songs on STG so I'm concerned that it might not sound quite country enough for country radio, however similar songs have gone to #1 so maybe it is. Also, the lyrics aren't as deep, original or meaningful as her other songs and seem a bit repetitive - too many "Didn't you know how much I loved you" lines. I think it could also do very well on ac and pop radio IF the label would promote it to those formats! It drives me crazy that they didn't promote I Wonder to AC or Santa Baby to AC and maybe pop. This could be her first crossover hit!
2. One of the Guys - great very country song, has the most country sound on the album, however I think NFL season would have been the ideal time to release it. Also the music might sound too old time country or honky tonk for today's country radio.
3. Gotta Keep Movin' - great rockin' song.
I also think I'm On My Way and My Angel could do well on Christian radio, I'm not sure about country radio.
*More on Small Town Girl and Ideas for a Video
I think I Wonder and Small Town Girl are the best songs Kellie co-wrote and 2 of the best songs on the album. I'm surprised Small Town Girl hasn't been released as a single yet and I hope they release it this spring or summer. It's MUCH better than most of the other "small town" and "hometown" songs out there. Common sense says a video for Small Town Girl should be filmed in and around Albemarle. Daughtry's people got it right when they held a free concert in his hometown (Greensboro NC) to shoot a
video for "Home" there. When "Home" was shot it was a HUGE deal both in NC and across the country, and TONS of excitement and praise was generated! It's mostly a live performance video but they were thoughtful enough to also shoot a few scenes around his hometown area. Of course STG isn't about Kellie "going home", it's about where she lived and grew up, so the video should be very different. More similar to Brad's "
Letter to Me"
(news) only better.
Kellie and/or her friends and fans could probably do a better job directing it than a pro video director, or at least be advisors on the best places to film etc. But it's really simple, visit all of the places, things, and people she talks about and shoot video - I grew up where I could see the stars, drinkin' sweet tea from a Mason jar, dogwood trees like leaves through the pine, people on the porch watchin' fireflies, fishin' with Grandpa on the lake (Lake Tillery), Kellie wearing cutoff jeans with an old ballcap, cars drivin ‘round the Walmart on a Friday night, etc. I wonder if they could include Kellie's old grandparents' house she grew up in, and her grandfather and brother?
The I Wonder video is great although it's very glam and slick - not very country in theme. I Wonder is also an indoor video. It's time for Kellie to leave the wardrobe and makeup people behind, put her jeans on, leave the big city and get back to the real country, show everyone where she's from, what she's all about, and why she's such a great, unspoiled down to earth person. There could be some tremendous visuals in the STG video because Lake Tillery and much of the entire Albemarle/Stanly County area is some of the world's most beautiful country! Most people have never even seen country that beautiful before. They should shoot it in the spring when the "dogwood trees" and "wildflowers" are in bloom. The city of Albemarle also has some great architecture they could film.
Stanly County - a photoset on Flickr
Flickr: Search Brian Hathcock's photos
Imagine naturally beautiful Kellie surrounded by all of that natural beauty. If I were her, I would INSIST that a STG video be filmed there, just like she insisted the I Wonder video be shot at the Ryman! The video definitely should NOT be filmed on a set somewhere else, and I will be mad if they try that! They could give some people in Albemarle cameras and let them shoot scenes for the video too, or let them use their own cameras. They could even make a contest out of it. Kellie wouldn't even have to be in most of the video. They could just show people, places and things around Albemarle. In other words make the scenery the star, not just Kellie. I'd love to see Kellie, grandpa, and Eric in a boat fishin' on the lake though, and Kellie in those cutoff jeans and old ballcap (not TOO short or sexy though - don't forget about the song lol).
STG is also the 2nd longest track on the album, which gives them plenty of time to include various scenes. Most if not all of it should be shot outdoors.
Kellie had more hometown support than most idols and Albemarle even held a big Kellie Pickler day homecoming. She's long overdue to do something post-Idol for Albemarle. I will be very disappointed if STG isn't released as a single because it's one of the best songs on the album and if the best possible video isn't made in/around Albemarle because it's only natural. Spring or summer is the perfect season to release STG!
Promo bonus - "Drivin' 'round the Walmart on a Friday night". Gee, I think Walmart would love to do a national in-store CD promo based on that. How many great country songs even mention Walmart, the place where most people who live in the country/rural areas shop? Kellie even sang at the Albemarle store's grand opening. I'm surprised no exclusive Walmart promo was done when her album released. Are the people who handle Kellie's in-store promo asleep? I'm starting to wonder if they even exist? I'm afraid this entire video idea will be yet another great opportunity lost.
I've always wondered why Small Town Girl wasn't released. I absolutely love Wild Ponies. The other one i particularly like is One of the Guys. Ur probably right about the timing though. 
