Kelsea Ballerini is currently in her first season as a coach on The Voice, and she gave her team a leg up by selecting not one but four seasoned musicians to serve as Battles Advisors.
That’s the four members of Little Big Town, a quartet that’s been killing it in the country music game for so long that they once actually helped Ballerini launch her own career in the genre.
“They have 25 years as a band,” Ballerini recently told Extra TV in an interview where Little Big Town were also present. “Of consistent, just, storytelling that matters, and challenging conversation that matters, and just being a pillar in the genre that I love so much.”
She’s also a fan-turned-personal-friend to the foursome.
“I bought tickets to see them growing up, but also, they’re my friends and they’ve mentored me,” Ballerini adds. “And so to be able to be like, ‘Here, 12 artists, here’s a mentor that I know is a great mentor because they’ve been a mentor to me.’ And sisters, and brothers, and friends, and collaborators, and all those things over the years. It’s very, again, full circle.”
Little Big Town might be the sage words of wisdom for Ballerini’s contestants during the Battle Rounds episode, but in this particular conversation, they had nothing but praise for the artists on her team.
“Team Kelsea’s looking like it’s gonna win,” the group’s Kimberly Schlapman gushes. “I mean, they are great. Every single person on her team has risen to the occasion and they are ready to battle. And one of them’s gonna take it all the way home.”
“I mean, her team slays,” Schlapman jokes, adding that her daughter Daisy taught her that particular piece of Gen Z slang.
The Voice kicked off its Battles Rounds on Monday (March 10), and the Battles will continue on March 17 and March 24. The show airs on NBC and is available to stream next-day on Peacock.
50 Greatest Country Album Covers
The best country album covers are iconic, creative and original. You’ll find zero sets of train tracks, and just as few country men with guitars slung over shoulder wearing a brooding look on this expansive list of the greatest album covers ever.
Many are daring, perhaps even too risky for your tastes. However, if the album art pushed boundaries, the music inside did, too, which makes for an iconic album. This list stretches back to 1959 and includes albums released in 2022. See if your favorite album made our greatest country album covers list below.
Gallery Credit: Billy Dukes
