Kellie Pickler Wants to Get ‘Dirty’ on Third Album

Kellie Pickler has released two albums since her breakthrough days on 'American Idol,' but the down-home blonde says she doesn't feel like the music she's put out so far really captures the essence of who she is musically -- which can be frustrating at this stage of the game.

"The past couple of years that I've been in Nashville since I signed my record deal, I've struggled to figure out where my place is," Kellie tells the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "There's a lot more to Kellie Pickler than the first two albums let you in on."

A heart-to-heart with childhood buddy Summer Townsend Herlocker helped Kellie come to grips with this musical identity crisis, followed by help from famed producer Frank Liddell to hone in on who she truly is this time around. And though Kellie dreams of cutting some serious country music without constraints, she knows it's not as simple as that when it comes to getting played on the radio these days.

"I know what I love, but how can I do that with today's styles?" Kellie asks. "I want to go in and cut the most country, backwoods -- some dirty country music. But I've got a lot of people to answer to, and I've got to make certain people happy because you have companies investing a lot of money into you. I'm patient, and I'm paying my dues."

The happy newlywed is enjoying life with hubby Kyle Jacobs, and there's obviously no lack of romance or adventure in their new life together, as evidenced by their recent mishap in the skies! Earlier this month, Kellie tweeted that Kyle planned a country picnic for them followed by a hot air balloon ride, but things took a turn for the scary when the balloon landed rather unexpectedly! "We just landed in someone's backyard in a tree," tweeted Kellie. "But we are ALIVE!!!! I felt like I was in the movie 'Up!'"

Kellie enjoys visiting her husband's home state of Minnesota, but says she and her mother-in-law often tease each other about their respective accents.

"I don't feel like I have an accent," says the North Carolina native. "So I always mock everybody there. Kyle's mom Sharon and I pick at each other about it. She tries to talk like me and I talk like her. We do get a lot of laughs out of where I came from versus where Kyle came from. We grew up eating grass on opposite sides of the fence."

The spunky singer entertained a crowd of several hundred Wednesday night (April 20) at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte as part of WSOC's Southern Girls Night Out benefit for the Make-a-Wish Foundation. See more of Kellie's upcoming tour dates here.