For me Kalie Shorr seemed to come out of nowhere, yet this was not to be true. This young talent burst onto the Nashville music scene in 2016 with her self-penned hit “Fight Like A Girl”. The Portland, Maine singer-songwriter became a Sirius XM “Highway Find” and was spotlighted by Spotify, Apple Music, CMT, Radio Disney Country, Taste of Country, and even Billboard magazine. In 2017. She has toured with Sara Evans and RaeLynn on the CMT Next Women of Country Tour and on March 31, 2018, Kalie fulfilled a life-long dream when she made her Grand Ole Opry debut calling it “one of the most emotional experiences of my life”.
Now here she is; receiving major accolades from the NYT Best Album list of 2019. Kalie's debut album, 'Open Book' landed At No. 7 on pop music critic Jon Caramanica’s list, noting she was the only Country artist to be named. “Honestly, I can’t even believe it. I poured my entire heart and soul (even the darkest corners) into this album. For the first time, all that I factored in while creating this was self-exploration and healing. To have that be received by fans and critics alike is all I could have ever hoped for. I’m so honored to be included on a list with some of my personal favorite albums of the year as well," Kalie stated.
“Open Book, by the relative newcomer Kalie Shorr, is the sort of gut-wrenching album made by someone who understands how vital and detailed country music can be, and who is faithful to its heritage (including its lineage of resistance). Everyone in Nashville is likely hoping to sandpaper her into something just a little bit less confrontational; fingers crossed that doesn’t happen.” - Jon Caramanica, The New York Times
Kalie not only impressed the NYT, but received much praise from Chris Willman at Variety; “Kalie Shorr turned in 2019’s best freshman country effort.”
The Boot's Angela Stefano; “With Open Book, Kalie Shorr channels both her inner Dolly Parton and her inner Alanis Morissette. She leans in to country music’s story-song tradition – and almost no detail is too personal to share – but her deeply specific verses intertwine with universally relatable choruses. High school me would have stanned this album hard (and that’s a high compliment!).”
“Listen to the music and it becomes clear that Shorr hasn’t sensationalized her heartbreak and grief. Instead, she’s expertly navigated it and turned it into something artful.” -- Nancy Kruh, from PEOPLE.
With all this praise where do you go from here? For Kalie it will be a continual climb in her career as she keeps working on exceeding expectations. She is currently on tour with LeAnn Rimes for her “You and Me and Christmas” Tour and will be playing Nashville’s New Year’s Eve concert, Jack Daniel’s Music City Midnight, with Keith Urban, Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit, The Struts, Amanda Shires, Bren Joy and the Fisk Jubilee Singers.
This young lady is one to keep up with, cause I see more praise in her future. Stop by http://www.kalieshorr.com and make sure not to miss a thing.