Miranda Lambert

I was a little skeptical about buying this CD but I had liked Miranda's radio hits so I bought it. I was delighted to find that all of her songs were worth listening to repeatedly. I especially like Dry Town, Deperation, Down, and Famous in a Small Town (which was her first song I had ever heard and continues to be a favorite of mine). Buy this CD!

either she has had no luck in love or she is a great story teller via song.

great songs, sung with great heart.

Let it be said that Miranda Lambert is the best artist to emerge from a 'reality show' on any station in any musical format. That this "Nashville Star" graduate had a great voice is a moot point, but few could have predicted that she would make a timeless, classic album such as "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" so early in her career.

The album title is unfortunate (I would have preferred that she chose something more laidback or meaningful), but the album is most decidedly a grassroot country album that gives you true country in this era of pathetic pop-rock being passed off as country. One listen to this album and you will not be able to take Carrie Underwood or Taylor Swift seriously anymore. The 'country music' that they make is fake, at best, but granted they know how to churn out good tunes.

Miranda targets a different audience - one that knows its' music, and one that respects the great tradition of country music. Its an art that few have appreciated, and a genre that very few have been able to truly embrace. I can safely say that Dolly Parton is the only female country artist who 'knew' what country was all about, in my opinion, as she was the best storyteller of them all.

"Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" is a concept album about a relationship that dies. Every track tells a story that neatly segues into the next song and message. While Miranda is great with some killer tunes, her voice is the most appealing instrument here - her pitch and vocal control is simply amazing, and she has by FAR the most unique voice in country music right now - you can't confuse her with anyone else. And what a superb Southern accent! Magnetic, is what I call her.

Highlights for me are "Down" (according to me the best track on the album, though it hasn't been released as a single), and "Desperation" (which sets the tone for the depressing subject matter the album contends with). The music here is vintage country and bluegrass, with rock elements rearing their head every now and then. Miranda is conscious of 'good tunes' and its evident they tacked on a few great melodies here, but it all just works. The title track for instance, with its rural-vocal opening and slowburn start, is a perfect introduction to one killer of an album.

An album or "LP" as it was once known, is a long player that needs to have a cohesive message. In this age of one or two hit singles and an album full of filler, its a rare treat that Miranda Lambert has taken time out to craft an album where every song tells a story, where every song has a discernible melody and personality of its' own. To me, this country album epitomizes the very best of what the genre has to offer, and is easily one of the greatest country albums of all time.

Introduce yourself to Miranda's music, and you might just learn to appreciate what REAL country music is all about. In fact, if you listen to this album and then listen to Shania Twain, you'll realize the vast difference. Lambert is bringing country back, and has single-handedly given back respect and dignity to a genre that has been overtaken by corporate muppets.

Five Stars. An Epic Album that will go down in history as one of country musics' best of all time.

it's simply one of the most brilliant country albums ever released. Buy it, you won't regreat it

I was a skeptical buyer and I only bought this because it got album of the year and I am so glad I did... Miranda really kicked this one up after her debut album Kerosene. I love watching a good country gal come out and kick it with an album and she did just that.

The album kicks off with my favorite tune Gunpowder & Lead. The best "I won this time" song since the Chicks released Earl. Way to go on that one! Dry Town is just a go ol' honky tonk tune - cute and catchy! More Like Her is amazing - love, love it! This is the one you have to hear to form your own opinion. Hope to see this as a release soon!

So if your wondering if you should - buy it. It's just that good that you'll want the entire album.

I didn't think that I would love this CD, but it really surprised me.
I really love the song "Greyhound Bound for Nowhere". Her voice just captures you. Amazing.

At 24 years old, Miranda's tracks sound like a 14-year-old's. Kasey Chambers she ain't. Might be able to give a good delivery on a recording when she's 34 years old...but not yet.

Yes, a good solid easy to listen to female country singer. She has much to offer.

Country, acoustic and southern rock from a beautiful and amazingly talented girl. Third place finish in Nashville Star???
"...teach them what they need to learn. HA!!!" Excellent CD.

This CD has it all, from easy listening to cutting edge. Every song is a keeper.

Great songs and a winner all the way! If you like Miranda, you will love this!

Not a weak song on the album, great writing, great music. One of my best buys.

Miranda Lambert has sure come a long way since her 3rd place finish on Nashville Star. This album is rockin' and on fire all the way. If you want a good country album with some soulfull lyrics, this is the CD for you. Miranda also wrote or cowrote almost every song on the album.

Prime Cuts: Greyhound Bound for Nowhere, I Can't Be Bothered, Kerosene

"Kerosene," Lambert's major label debut, unleashes out of the gate with a roar: debuting at the apical position of the Billboard country album chart and boasting a top 30 single "Me and Charlie Talking," this former Nashville star contestant is definitely turning heads. This comes as no surprise as Lambert, who sounds like Dixie Chicks' Natalie Maines sonic sister, is an arresting vocalist who sings with virtuosity and volubility. Furthermore, with its booming percussions, snarling electric guitar riffs and hard-edged sounding acoustic guitars, this has a mass appeal to those who are fans outside the rustic edges of country music. Liken perhaps to a Southern Kelly Clarkson, save for a couple of more country numbers, "Kerosene" could pass muster for a contemporary pop album.

Regardless of genre specificity, how does "Kerosene" fair? Needless to say there are a few prized moments: Aficionados of country music's equivalent of "American Idol," "Nashville Star" would have remembered Lambert's arresting performance of the plaintive ballad "Greyhound Bound for Nowhere." Penned by Lambert (who wrote or co-wrote all but one track), "Greyhound" tells the agonies of a disillusioned divorcee finally leaving behind her past behind. Though such a theme is perennial within the canon of country music, Lambert's impassioned nuances engulfs an authentic ache and regret making her performance here a tour de force. Trying to hide behind the marquee of self pretense, the protagonist of "I Can't Be Bothered" has her true feelings of heartache exposed by the song's wailing steel guitars and its mournful sounding fiddles. On an album that is decisively pop slanted, with its Patsy Cline-like backings, the traditional sounding "I Can't Be Bothered" is a gem.

Less striking, however, still worthy of listening is the title track. With a Gretchen Wilson redneck kick-your-ass faux, "Kerosene" finds a feisty, cuspidate and strong willed Lambert ready to set her roving man aright. Despite an abyssal attempt to create an integument sounding intro, the pop sounding ballad "Me and Charlie Talking" is a little too treacly. This is the problem with the rest of the material here: While Lambert explores salient themes such as a depreciative relationship ("Bring Me Down"), the disintegration of communication ("There's a Wall") and starting anew ("New Strings") she does not deal with them beyond a nondescript way. They are not bad, but it's that these tunes are far too polished with a commercial sheen to be viscerally acerbic. Maybe the culprit lies with Lambert herself as she pens too many of the songs here.

With her fetching good looks, her enthralling and vivacious vocals, Lambert is a name to watch. However, "Kerosene," is let down primarily by its largely unremarkable material. Save for the prime cuts mentioned above, this is a pretty average Nashpop album that finds more affinity with the stars of American Idol than Nashville Star.