Kristen Kelly Releases Soulful New EP – Exclusive First Listen

On her debut EP, Kristen Kelly stands up and preaches for country girls looking for real love. The 'Ex-Old Man' singer throws her big Texas voice behind the unapologetic country jam 'Drink Myself Out of Love With You' and the soulful, yearning 'He Loves to Make Me Cry.' 'Kristen Kelly' will be available for purchase on Tuesday (Oct. 30), but Taste of Country has your exclusive first listen.

It turns out Kelly was holding back with her debut single, a Top 30 hit this week. 'He Loves to Make Me Cry' is a big, bluesy ballad that finds the singer reaching for and hitting notes high above those a normal human being should be capable of. The blues returns again with 'Miss Me,' a guitar-drenched love story.

'Ex-Old Man' is a true story about the singer's ex-husband, who became too familiar with one of her best friends. Both relationships blew up, but the singer got a hit song out of it. The cut not only features one of the more memorable choruses on the radio today, but it's a story that many women are familiar with. Heck, it's a story a few guys can relate to, even if they're playing the title role.

If all four songs on 'Kristen Kelly' aren't cut from the fabric of her personal life, she sure sells it well. "You know, I believe it's OK to say it hurts when it hurts, and I believe it's OK to say life is great when it's great," she told CMT.com. "You have to take the good with the bad and let life play out and roll with the punches. Take the highs when they come and run with those."

Look for Kelly across the southwest through early December.

Listen to Kristen Kelly, 'Kristen Kelly'