[tps_header]Kira Isabella: Caffeine & Big Dreams (Sony Music Canada)[/tps_header]
What It Is: The second album from Canadian country singer Kira Isabella.
Why You May Have Missed It: I would say it’s because she’s Canadian and hasn’t broken through stateside, but it appears that her albums haven’t even charted in Canada. Strange, since she doesn’t sound too different from most of the female artists on country radio.
Why You Should Hear It: Mainly because it features the best single of the year in “Quarterback,” a gut punch of a song that’s as devastating as anything I’ve ever heard. Telling the story of a Steubenville-type rape case, the song takes its subject seriously and heartbreakingly details the tragedy of the situation without holding back (unless you watch the music video, which ends with an inappropriately happy ending—thankfully, there’s an alternate version of the video, which I’ll post below). The rest of the album is pretty solid too, possibly even better than Angaleena Presley’s acclaimed American Middle Class (which was released on the same day). Still, “Quarterback” is such a masterpiece that it sort of feels out of place.
Highlights: “Shake it if Ya Got It,” “Quarterback,” “Ring Around It,” “Country’s Written All Over Me.”
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