The latest episode of CMT’s new series Campfire Sessions featured artists performing intimate acoustic versions of cover songs. Kelsea Ballerini had a standout performance on the July 1st episode, adding a little country twist to Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams,” a 1977 song that went viral last year thanks to a TikTok video.
Ballerini’s rendition doesn’t have the keys or disco-lite beat of the original “Dreams,” but Stevie Nicks’ bittersweet melody gets center stage here amid a set of ringing open chords. With her band members backing her up, Ballerini shows her voice to be well-suited for the song, never exactly imitating the rock icon’s inflections but instead adding a bit of her own East Tennessee lilt to the mix. By the song’s end, it’s coalesced into more of a steady groove with electric bass and harmonies.
Campfire Sessions debuted on CMT June 10th and began with the Marfa Tapes trio of Jack Ingram, Miranda Lambert, and Jon Randall. Subsequent episodes featured Kane Brown, Brothers Osborne, and the trio Lady A. Upcoming shows will include Kelsea Ballerini’s own episode, Keb’ Mo’, and Trisha Yearwood.
Ballerini managed to stay incredibly busy during the slowdown of 2020, despite the lack of touring. Her third album Kelsea was released March 20th and, six months later, she followed it up with a completely acoustic rework of the album titled Ballerini. This summer, she’ll join up with the Jonas Brothers on the Remember This Tour and later this year, on November 16th, she’ll release her debut poetry collection, Feel Your Way Through.