Album Review: Miranda Lambert – Postcards from Texas 

I know it sounds insane but Miranda Lambert begins her 10th album ‘Postcards from Texas’ by hitching a ride with a gun-toting armadillo, and that surreal song sums up where she is in her career: off the beaten track, free from expectations, back in her home state of mind, no longer caring too much about the Nashville establishment, ready to have a good time, driving off to whatever adventure seems interesting with her guitar and her buddies along for the journey. 

She follows the crazy fun of Armadillo, with the equally witty ‘Dammit Randy’, where she sings of finally escaping from a bitterly bad situation (her old record label). By calling this album ‘Postcards from Texas’ some may think she’s trying to hark back to her old self but this isn’t the sound of a woman trying to recapture her youth. She’s made it to the other side, learned a ton about how to live and that’s what makes these songs, and her vocal delivery, so compelling. 

Despite being a woman on a mission to move forward, she’s still open to letting some nostalgia in, and the lovely Looking Back on Luckenbach takes us right there into her memory. The other song with a place in the title is a duet with Parker McCollum, Santa Fe, an autumnal swoon of a love song which sweetly showcases their Texas twang. 

Miranda may not have written ‘January Heart’, a Brent Cobb/Neil Medley composed song, but you feel like this one is really personal to her. She’s the January Heart and her husband is the one who has brought ‘better weather’ into her life (and to a certain extent her music too). 

I know some fans are not so keen on the promotion that Wranglers has had over some of the other songs on the album but I quite enjoyed the fire starting, hellraising spirit on this one. Miranda is an underrated rock and roll singer, and you can tell how much she loves to perform Kerosene and those Crazy Ex Girlfriend era tunes, so I don’t blame her for pushing this one. 

The fan favourite so far seems to be the solo written ‘Run’, which was written in her post divorce era of 2015. It’s an honest, gorgeous song about the ‘state of defeat’ in her relationship at the time. Much like ‘Running Just in Case’ and ‘Track Record’ she paints a picture of herself that’s not always flattering but that self-awareness is what makes her songwriting so good. 

Fun Miranda is back big time on ‘Alimony’, channeling the best of her Pistol Annies persona. Of course ironically it’s Miranda who’d be paying the alimony if she got divorced, but don’t let that fact stop you enjoying this catchy little tune.

I love everything that Miranda has written with Jon Randall and Jack Ingram and on first listen ‘I Hate Love Songs’ hit me in the heart. Some songs just speak to your soul. I’d love to hear a Marfa Tapes version of this one. 

Prize for best track title goes to ‘Bitch on the Sauce (Still Drunk)’ and while the song doesn’t quite match her best drinking songs (Tequila Does and Drunk), it’s got some great lines and is a fun listen all the same. 

My only criticism is that towards the end of the album there’s probably one too many ballads with ‘No Man’s Land’ and ‘Way Too Good at Breaking My Heart’, both veering a little too close to filler for my liking.

‘Wildfire’ is a better ballad and offers us more real Texan country – using the specific sense of place to convey the depth of her emotional pain.

She ends the album with a slightly altered version of the David Allen Coe song ‘Living on the Run’, sounding like she’s embracing the outlaw spirit moving forward. What’s also nice to see is that while she changed the lines about murder, she kept the pronouns as they were, and having Miranda sing about loving a woman is just the kind of small nod to the LGBT community which is nice to hear. 

Fun, free but still with enough of her feisty spirit to keep the fans happy Postcards from Texas delivers. Sometimes you just have to go home again to find out exactly who you are and how far you’ve travelled.