Artist: Cassadee Pope
Album: Stages
Record Label: Awake Music
Recommended Tracks: Track 3- How I Feel Right Now and Track 5- If My Heart Had a Heart
Cassadee Pope is a 29 year old pop country artist from Florida who just released her second full length album “Stages” on February 1st, 2019. The country artist gained popularity in recent years after the release of her first album and when she became the first female winner of the reality singing competition show The Voice in 2012 under the wing of her mentor Blake Shelton. Pope was no stranger to the spotlight before The Voice though, prior to her solo work, she was the lead singer of the pop-rock band Hey Monday; a big shock when compared to her now country style music. Pope’s new country album features 11 songs and runs for 33 minutes.
“How I Feel Right Now” is a feel good song about doing what you want to because you can. Cassadee makes a reference to the 1997 hit “Semi-Charmed Kind of Life” by Third Eye Blind in reference to the nostalgia of the song and how it makes her feel good. The song talks about crushes she has and dancing around in parking lots adding to the happy feeling pop country song that it is. The whole song is really about her having fun and falling in love to an upbeat pop track that gives off all good feelings. Although this is not the most mainstream sounding song on the album, it does still give off pop radio vibes that does its job of staying in your head for the rest of the day because of the catchy beat and feel good lyrics.
The song “If My Heart Had a Heart” is the only single released so far off the album “Stages”. This song is much slower and emotional compared to “How I Feel Right Now”. The song is about a breakup and the sadness she is feeling in the moment. It directly talks about what her heart would do if it was in control while she was experiencing heartbreak and sadness. She’s delving into how she wishes she could stop feeling pain and sadness and if her heart had a heart it would understand what she needs in the moment. The song sounds more country than others on the album but still remains to her labeled genre of pop country.
Cassadee Pope’s album includes a song for every mood you can be feeling involving love. The album as a whole takes you through her ups and downs and everything in between with emotions pouring out onto country tracks, and has a sense of relatability that a lot of young girls would enjoy. It is a perfect bedroom listen when you want something fun and light to listen to but still feel a connection to. So if you consider yourself a country music with pop influences fan then this album deserves 4 out of 5 rating. If you listen to “Stages” and enjoy then you should definitely check out Kelsea Ballerini, Danielle Bradbery, and Marren Morris for similar styles.
