Album Review: Miranda Lambert – Postcards From Texas
3 min read
Miranda Lambert is one of the biggest names in country music, with over two decades in the industry and more Academy of Country Music Awards than any artist in history. Postcards from Texas marks her tenth studio album and is her first album since leaving Sony Music Nashville where she worked for the past nineteen years. It’s the first of her albums to be recorded in her home state of Texas and Lambert described the move as a fresh start providing her more independence,
The lead single Wranglers is a fun revenge song that takes inspiration from hits like Before He Cheats. The fun drumbeats, powerful electric guitar line, combined with Lamberts playful lyrics, singing “One thing that she’s learned is Wranglers take forever to burn” makes it a catchy and memorable track. The trope of the scorned ex destroying her lovers things is a well worn country trope that Lambert takes full advantage of, creating a new fun entry into the country breakup songbook.
Dammit Randy is the second single that Lambert co-wrote with her husband Brendan McLoughlin. Contrary to what the title might suggest it’s a dreamy ballad, looking back on a toxic relationship now she’s through it. Lambert reflects not with anger but with pity towards her ex’s difficult life singing that he’s “smoking cigarettes like are going out of style”. She makes a meta reference to her stardom as she about him “turning her up on his radio dial”. The folky, ballad style works well with Lamberts powerful vocals and the lyrics are clever and affecting.
Lambert excels at subverting expectations with her songs, twisting the meaning as the song progresses. The playful Bitch on the Sauce about running back to an ex every time she drinks, asks “are we in love or are we just drunk”. The fun lyrics are undercut with a slower backing track that lends the at-face-value funny song a more serious tone. The bitterly titled I Hate Love Songs, turns into a tragic ballad of lost love, with Miranda’s voice sounding almost tearful as it draws to a close. The hopeful No Man’s Land gives a new take on the country music classic of a travelling wanderer who can be tied down, in a story-style song. The folk style and stripped-back production work well with lyrics about “purple heather on the high plain”.
Other songs on the album are more cheerful line dancing number “Armadillo” has a fun rhyme style and a talk singing effect. The upbeat Alimony was inspired by her parent’s work on divorce cases as private detectives, a spin on the Texas phrase “remember the Alamo”. With drawling vocals and line-dancing beat that Lambert describes as a “shuffle” it’s perfect for tapping your cowboy boots too. She sings “what’s mine is mine and what’s yours is mine” as she jokes about taking everything her ex-husband has. Way Too Good at Breaking My Heart has all the making of a country classic with catchy chords, dreamy guitar lines and impressive ballad lyrics.
With Postcards from Texas Lambert proves she can do it on her own. The album matches up to the best of her previous albums with a mix of fun country and heartfelt ballads. She’s been called the greatest country artist of all time and has the accolades to back it up, and with Postcards from Texas Lambert that more than live up to the title.
