CONCERT REVIEW: CMT Next Women Tour // Kelsea Ballerini & Jana Kramer


5.7.15
House of Blues || Cleveland, OH
CMT Next Women of Country Tour

Kelsea Ballerini: The minute that I heard that Kels would be on the CMT Next Women Tour and that it was coming to Cleveland, I knew immediately that I had to have tickets. There was no way I would miss a chance to see this girl take over the HOB stage. And damn, am I happy I was witness to her star power. To be fully honest, most of the crowd that I talked to only knew “Love Me Like You Mean It” or “Dibs”. But when she came out on that stage, she had the whole room watching intently as she rocked out to the songs close to her heart. I’m not kidding when I say she had everyone’s attention and they could only talk about how adorable she was. I had tears in my eyes and was getting choked up while singing along at one point because I was so proud and my heart was full watching the crowd loving Kels just as much as I do. She shined brighter than the North Star on the clearest night. I could not be happier for the attention that she’s getting, or the success that is coming her way. This girl is the kindest, and deserves every ounce of praise.


Jana Kramer: I first heard of Jana Kramer on One Tree Hill when she came on as Alex Dupré. I wasn’t sure how I felt about her character, but I knew one thing for sure…this girl had a voice & she could sing. Fast forward, she’s now headlining the CMT Next Women of Country Tour. And let me tell ya, this girl has found her niche. Country music is where she belongs. Majority of the shows I go to are male artists, but Jana had more energy and power up on the stage than a lot of the boys in country music. I seriously couldn’t get over how impressive she was. I had no expectations going into the show, only that I knew I liked her style and I was diggin’ her music. She burnt the stage down from the heat she brought. A highlight of her set was when she decided to sing a song she had written while on OTH since there were so many fans of the show in the crowd.



I have to give CMT major credit for picking two of the biggest rising stars in all of country music, not just women in country music, to co-headline this tour. Kels has the sweetheart personality & raw emotion in her writing similar to what Taylor Swift brought to Nashville with her when she joined the country music fam and released her debut album in 2006. On May 19th, Kelsea will be releasing her debut album, The First Time. Jana on the other had has a feisty attitude and spitfire persona up on stage, while still being an all American girl with a gigantic heart. Her music has sweetness, but there’s also times when it has the sassiness. Her current “I Got The Boy” is out now.

 

xox
Christy