Featured Artist
Miranda Lambert
Miranda Lambert
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
Columbia Records Nashville
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Miranda Lambert had her first brush as a finalist on the hit show Nashville Star. There were many fans that felt she should have won the competition but that ended up being a mute point. Lambert was quickly signed by Columbia Records and began working on her first album, Kerosene. That album quickly launched her to country stardom debuting at number one on the album charts. The album lead to the hit single of the same name and nominations at both the CMA and ACM awards shows. It was clear that Miranda Lambert had arrived.
The sophomore album is always the true test of an artist’s talent. You can spend as much time as you want on that first record but then things get crazy. With all the touring and other responsibilities the second record needs to be completed on a schedule. That might not be a big deal for some artists who record nothing but songs written by other songwriters but for an artist like Lambert who writes much of her own material it can be a lot to take on at once. Thankfully, Lambert is up to the task and delivers another solid batch of attitude filled country tunes on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend opens with the rip-roaring “Gunpower & Lead” where Miranda loads up her shotgun, smokes a cigarette, drinks some beer and waits for her abusive boyfriend to return home. This in-your-face, don’t you dare screw with me type song is the type of tune which Lambert really excels at performing. Gretchen Wilson might have made millions of this type of song but Miranda does them better. The lead single “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” follows much of the same mold finding Miranda hunting down an ex and his new girlfriend in a bar and raising all kinds of hell. Both tracks are real winners.
The current single “Famous In A Small Town” is a song about the way life goes in a small town and should rightfully be a big hit if there is any justice on country radio. “Love Letters” is a massive dose of old school country balladry. Miranda’s twang filled vocal performance on this track is one of the highlights of this record.
When Miranda does cover songs written by other songwriters she shows exceptional taste. Patty Griffin’s rocking “Getting Ready” gets a funky country spin here. It’s hard to top Griffin’s version of any song she writes but Miranda holds her own here mainly because she’s willing to add her own twist to the song instead of opting for a cookie cutter cover of the demo tape. Gillian Welch and David Rawlings add the steel guitar drenched “Dry Town” where Miranda curses the law when stuck in a dry town where she has an impossible time finding even a sip of beer. It’s a fun song and much more country than anything you’ll hear on country radio in the last few years.
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend proves that Miranda Lambert was no one hit wonder. She possesses a wonderfully twang filled voice and a sassy attitude that adds a distinct flavor to most of her songs. When you hear a Miranda Lambert song you know right away who it is and that’s saying something in this age of cookie cutter music stars. Keep an eye on this one; she’s going to be a big star sooner than you might think. Crazy-Ex Girlfriend is a winner.
Album Review by Jeff Krasky
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