Miranda Lambert - Kerosene
By: George Peden, CSO Staff Journalist

Miranda Lambert: Kerosene 
“I’ve got five good years and a tank of gas,
50 watts and Johnny Cash,
A guitar and a broken heart just full of things to say.”

– Miranda Lambert from “Mama I’m Alright”.

Singing sweetheart, Miranda Lambert, nailed it when she called her recent album Kerosene. At a stretch, the title could serve as a metaphor for a slow burning flame, one that lights the way forward, showcasing bright possibilities. Best remembered as a 2003 hopeful in Nashville Star, eventually claiming third spot, the young performer has been everywhere and on everything since her signing with Sony Nashville. And on the strength of this album, of which she wrote or shared ink on 11 of the 12 cuts, it’s recognized praise well-deserved.

Growing up in Lindale, Texas, music has never been far from Lambert. She started her own band at age 17. Her song writing and guitar playing came perfected even earlier. Her rite of passage was complete when Dad, musician Rick Lambert, unclasped his bill fold in 2001 and peeled out $2,000 to fund the independently released Miranda Lambert.

The steady apprenticeship of gigs and auditions, while enjoying moderate chart placements with a couple of songs off ML, have all paid off – now riding on the back of the success of Kerosene, Lambert has snagged stage sharing with George Strait on his 2006 tour. Impressive? You bet! But the sudden praise and fame comes well-founded in the voice, presentation and, more importantly, the song writing finesse of a young woman who shares from her web site: “I don’t want my music to be taken as something you just hum along with. I want to say something that makes people think.”

It’s a determined ambition, one fully embraced in these tunes that come crafted and honed with the right amount of gritty polish. Lambert writes openly and honestly. She’s as bright as the flame she sings about. Listen to “Kerosene”. It’s there the energies become unleashed and the talent realized. Using the sensitivity of Trisha, the power of Shania, and the boundary-hopping of Faith, Lambert meshes a sharp country song. But don’t let this fool you though. Across this well-received album, Lambert proves, convincingly, that she’s her own woman with enough talent to cast her own shadow. 

When Lambert sings about the heartache of wasted love on the hard-hitting “Kerosene,” or drawls through the loneliness of tortured thoughts on “Greyhound Bound For Nowhere,” or the rocking misery of the up-tempo, “I Can’t Be Bothered”, a tale of moving on, only to recall this is Month 12, Day 31, and Hour 24 of the fizzled affair, Lambert shows not only diversity but a writing edge that spells career longevity. 

On an album that tingles with Texas and sparks with enthusiasm, it shows what commitment can bring about. Lambert in her bio admits inspiration from seeing Garth Brooks perform when she was ten. “It was awesome,” tells Lambert. “There I was in my braces screaming, Gaaaaaaarth! I was freakin’ out.”

From the mania of Garth, Lambert moved, deciding music was her choice, towards the reflective inspiration of Guy Clark, Jack Ingram, and Emmylou Harris. Now with her own style, voice and writing confidence, Lambert’s forging her own path. Tracks like “What About Georgia?” where being free is right where you belong, or “New Strings,” where an open highway, a vacant seat, and an old guitar and a new set of strings” can lead to possibility, to the image-rich, “Mama I’m Alright,” this is a standout album. Its well-regarded debut at #1 on the Billboard Country Chart earlier this year was no fluke.

She’s young. She’s talented. She writes from a vantage point beyond her almost 23 years, yet with simplicity that makes her stories of shattered love, loneliness and redeemed hope believable. She injects melody, sensitivity and connection into her songs, and she sings with a voice designed for listener karaoke.

Of her music, Lambert has said: “I want to be my own person. There are a million blonde chicks who can sing. I’ve always wanted to be different.”

This album proves one thing. She is.

Related links:
www.mirandalambert.com - Official Website
CSO: Miranda Lambert - CSO/CMA Profile

This album is awesome, I saw her with Keith Urban in Rapid City, SD and I'm very glad I got the chance.
~ Luanne