Like many of her artistic counterparts, Kelsea Ballerini has spent a considerable portion of her career flitting between one sound or style to another, creating records that reflect someone still trying to find what works for them – give Unapologetically a listen for proof, but now, on third release Kelsea, she appears to have finally decided who she is as an artist and a person, and the album very much reflects this.

It’s hard to ignore the fact that several of Kelsea’s artistic influences filter through on the album, with opening number “Overshare” playing out like something you might expect to hear on a Taylor Swift or Maren Morris album.

At a time when mental health and openness are being spoken about both in the media and by celebrities and society as a whole – a very good thing, in my opinion – there’s a strong relevance and timeliness to “Homecoming Queen”, as Kelsea encourages those who listen to the track to not keep things bottled up and share our troubles with others.

One of the stand-out tracks on the collection comes in the form of “The Other Girl”, about a love triangle, which features the often outspoken – and hugely popular – Halsey, while just the lyrics of “Love And Hate” make it somewhat – although not plainly – obvious that Kelsea enlisted some help putting the song together and in this case, she did so in the form of Ed Sheeran. “Bragger” meanwhile sounds very much like a blend between ‘Come On Over’ and ‘Up’ era Shania Twain – not that that’s in any way a bad thing.

The album has its weaker moments, as do most records, with “Hole in the Bottle” being a track that many may find themselves skipping over, but the lull doesn’t last long thanks to the arrival of “Half Of My Hometown”, featuring Kenny Chesney; somewhat of a nostalgic ode to her small hometown of Knoxville, Tennessee and how the population was divided after high school; some moving on to explore the world and discover themselves, others unable to pull away from the close-knit community they’ve known and loved all their lives.

“A Country Song” plays very much like a thank you letter to the genre of music she’s grown up with, found solace and strength in throughout her life and anyone who has a truly deep connection with music, of any genre, will no doubt feel the same thoughts and feelings as Kelsea does on the track.

Closing number “LA” meanwhile addresses a thought that many rising stars, especially those from smaller towns and cities, surely have when they try to make their mark on the world and find themselves rubbing shoulders with their idols and the like. The song is almost like a diary entry, Kelsea expressing her confusion and uneasiness about fitting in with the ‘in’ crowd while still trying to remain true to herself and her roots – it’s perhaps the one track on the album that listeners will find themselves genuinely relating to in some form or another.

On the whole, Kelsea is proof that an artist who is willing to experiment with their craft and who never gives up can and will in time find the sound and style that works for them and, certainly when it comes to this album, Kelsea Ballerini’s should go down a treat with their fans too.