Following the release of 2023’s “Rolling Up The Welcome Mat,” Kelsea Ballerini felt inspired to roll up the mat for good and move forward by tackling more mature topics, showcasing her growth as both an artist and a singer-songwriter.
Ballerini released her sixth studio album, “PATTERNS,” on Oct. 25 of last year, which saw appreciation from both music critics and fans. On March 7, Ballerini released the deluxe edition of “PATTERNS,” with an additional five songs that add to the stories of unpacking baggage, toxic masculinity and a mother-daughter relationship. “PATTERNS (DELUXE)” consists of 20 songs that showcase Ballerini’s traditional pop-country sound with elements of EDM, R&B and folk.
The album opens with its title track, “Patterns,” which sees Ballerini exploring her own personal habits and the reasons for the patterns in her life, like her lineage and horoscopic sign. The song, however, serves as a celebration of being human and the fact that nobody is perfect, despite having patterns.
“Sorry Mom” sees Ballerini apologizing to her mom for mistakes she made in the past. The song starts on a bit of a somber note, as she describes her mom’s disappointment at Ballerini coming home from a party the morning after. Eventually, the song becomes upbeat after the first chorus, when Ballerini discusses her dropping out of college and prioritizing her work as a musician over her personal relationships.
In “Baggage,” Ballerini unpacks her own baggage from both past relationships and her life as a performer who is always on the road. Ballerini seems to explain how she’s “got some bones of old skeletons,” but that she accepts her baggage and doesn’t let it stop her from moving forward.
“First Rodeo” provides listeners with a perspective of Ballerini giving up on love after a past relationship comes to an end. However, Ballerini explains that life continues after significant heartbreak and can even lead to new relationships, such as her current one with “Outer Banks” actor Chase Stokes.
“Nothing Really Matters” sees Ballerini experiencing two different emotions at the same time. Ballerini starts the song panicking about a number of things that seem to constantly worry her but later continues with the realization that you simply cannot do everything all at once and that “nothing really matters anyway.”
In “How Much Do You Love Me,” Ballerini asks someone in her life simply about how much they love her. Ballerini discusses a number of scenarios to see if this person would stick around as they happened, such as a meteor hitting the Earth or if she gambled her money away.
“Two Things” sees Ballerini using a more acoustic sound than her signature pop-country one. After someone from her past sends her flowers, Ballerini expresses confusion but declares that two things can be true in so many ways. She sings: “I’ll love and hate you / I’ll be your best and your worst day / I’ll be your blessing and curse.”
“We Broke Up,” one of my personal favorites, discusses Ballerini’s “it is what it is” mentality when it comes to past relationships and turning the outcomes of those relationships into public feuds. The song’s sound is much more pop than country, with elements of both electronic and dance music incorporated, with audible dobros and mandolins in the background.
“WAIT!” is an upbeat and powerful-sounding song that showcases Ballerini experiencing conflicting emotions once again, similar to “Nothing Really Matters.” Throughout the song, Ballerini grapples with herself to determine if she is truly better off being on her own or if she’s better off in a relationship with another person.
“Beg For Your Love” sees Ballerini standing her ground and standing up for herself in a relationship. She wants to be loved by her significant other but is a firm believer in not begging for someone to love her and not staying in a relationship where she feels unloved.
“Deep” is an example of a song on “PATTERNS” that doesn’t sound like one of Ballerini’s traditional pop-country songs. Instead, it has a sound that incorporates both pop and R&B elements, much different than many of the songs on this album. Lyrically, this song is about being so in love with an individual that you feel like you’re surrounded by an ocean of love at all times.
“Cowboys Cry Too” is an uptempo ballad that focuses on the theme of fragile masculinity, which includes vocals by folk singer-songwriter Noah Kahan. In this song, Ballerini and Kahan sing about men who choose not to showcase their emotions openly because of the societal connotation that showing one’s emotion is not “masculine.” However, Ballerini and Kahan work against this notion by singing, “When he’s showing his skin, letting me in / That’s when he’s toughest to me.”
“I Would, Would You” sees Ballerini celebrating her friends and the time they spent together during the summer of 2024, likely while the album was being created. The song has a very simple acoustic sound, created by the inclusion of both acoustic and electric guitars and clapping in the background.
“This Time Last Year,” another one of my personal favorites, describes Ballerini analyzing her life a year after a difficult situation took place. Here, she celebrates her growth and the maturity she has developed over the course of the past year. However, Ballerini also takes the time to acknowledge that it wasn’t an easy process, yet sings: “It’s all part of shedding old skin and starting again / But, baby, baby, look at me now.”
The album closes with an outro titled “Did You Make It Home?,” a minute-long album closer that brings together many of the album’s major themes. The song’s title references a line from “Two Things,” when Ballerini explains that she was checking her phone constantly to see if someone had made it home.
Deluxe tracks
“To The Men Who Love Women After Heartbreak,” which Ballerini first debuted at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry in 2023, expressed gratitude to men –– including her own boyfriend –– who support women through the devastating pain of breakups. Ballerini sings, “It ain’t fair, and it’s hard to understand / It ain’t easy, but you do it because you can.”
In “Future Tripping,” Ballerini describes how her present situation is so good that she’s becoming nervous that the future won’t be as good. She describes her nerves about the future but recognizes that it’s out of her control and that the best things take time to develop.
The melody in “Put It To Bed” combines Ballerini’s traditional pop-country sound with both synth-pop and rock elements. In the song, Ballerini describes wanting to spend all of her time with her significant other and not wanting to do anything else.
“Cut Me Up,” another personal favorite, showcases Ballerini’s dedication to her significant other, as well as her anxiety around losing them. Ballerini states that she shouldn’t be considering a hypothetical situation like this, but if it were to happen, she’d be okay eventually. However, it would still hurt her very badly at that time.
The deluxe album closes with “Hindsight Is Happiness,” a look at how Ballerini now feels about the fallout of a past relationship. Ballerini explains her hindsight surrounding the situation and how she has reconsidered the way it took place. As the album closes, Ballerini brings the music back to the major theme of looking back on the past, reconsidering it and moving forward.
As Ballerini begins her third decade of life, she has taken the opportunity to re-analyze her life and discover which patterns she believes are worthy of keeping and which she is ready to get rid of. At a time when many artists are also singing about maturing in their own lives, Ballerini seems to be doing something similar, as “PATTERNS” and its deluxe edition sees her come to terms with what has happened and then grow from those experiences.
