Miranda Lambert: True-Blue Honky Tonk Woman
Since her sophomore album “Kerosene” was released in 2005, Miranda Lambert has successfully created a new face—and sound—for female country music artists: that of an assertive, confident, and sometimes aggressive honky tonk woman. Lambert—a native of Lindale, Texas—is a “self-proclaimed redneck who enjoys talkin’ and singin’ about boys, booze and bullets.” Her stage persona, much like the character she embodies in her albums, evokes a “don’t mess with me” attitude that is noticeably absent from contemporaries such as Carrie Underwood, Julianne Hough, and even Taylor Sweetheart. Indeed, it would be quite difficult to call her a “country sweetheart.”
Lambert first broke into the mainstream through her third-place finish in the 2003 season of Nashville Star, an American idol-styled program for country music hopefuls. On the strength if her performance in the competition, she went on to sign with Epic Records which produced her groundbreaking album “Kerosene.” It was such a resounding success that the album was certified platinum by RIAA and produced four hit singles including, “Me and Charlie Talking,” “Bring Me Down,” “Kerosene,” and “New Strings,” all of which made their marks within the Top 40 hits of the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. Upon transferring to the Nashville arm of Columbia Records, Lambert made more history when her second album, “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” was released in 2007 and again produced Top 40 hits such as “Famous in a Small Town,” “Gunpowder & Lead,” and “More Like Her.”
About “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” Lambert says, “I definitely put more of myself out there on this one. People hear songs like “Kerosene” and even “Gunpowder & Lead” from “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” and think I’m always that badass, but if you listen to the record and hear songs like “Desperation” and “More Like Her,” the softer side comes through. And at first I was like, “Crap, I just said a whole lot about myself and now there’s no going back!” but fans and critics have responded so well I guess it was a good thing to do!
When asked about what it is like to be a professional musician, Lambert answered, “Well, I always like to remind folks I’m just a normal girl. I love music and I love songwriting and always have. Now it just so happens to be my job—but it’s the best job out there! I like to balance the craziness by surrounding myself with good people and so far that has really helped me keep things in perspective.”
This perspective has helped her maintain her accessibility and her down to earth nature compared with other stars. These are certainly rewarded by her fans who continued to support Lambert as she released more hit singles and albums, especially the recently released and aptly titled, “Revolution.”
At this rate, Lambert is set to reap more awards and commercial success in the future. The healthy and positive attitude she exudes, which of course influences young country music fans, will ensure that she will continue to be a name to reckon with as a singer and more importantly, as a songwriter.
