Dream Setlist for a Miranda Lambert ‘Eras’ Tour

On her recent appropriately titled ‘Eras’ tour, Taylor Swift has been blazing a trail for how to curate a setlist that appeals to your hardcore fan base while also appeasing those who may just have been dragged along and only know the hits.

Taylor has split her setlist into ‘eras’, playing a selection of tracks from every album (except her debut) in sections, totalling 44 songs from her ten albums. To keep things interesting she includes two random song choices near the end of her set. The running time of the show is about three hours fifteen minutes, rivalling even Springsteen for stamina.

What’s great about this idea is that unlike a Greatest Hits show or a show that focuses on a new or old album, Taylor is clearly trying to celebrate her back catalogue by honouring the fans who have been with her since the beginning and those who have invested time in her discography. She knows she can’t make everyone happy (that would involve her performing every song, from every album on a loop for the rest of her life only stopping to break up with a new boyfriend and write new songs) but she’s doing her best in the way only Taylor can.

And so I got to thinking about some other artists who I’d love to see do an eras-style setlist. Miranda Lambert is the obvious choice to me since she’s my favourite but also because she has enough albums to make it interesting.

Continue reading “Dream Setlist for a Miranda Lambert ‘Eras’ Tour”

Album Review: Miranda Lambert – Palomino

During the restlessness of the last couple of years Miranda Lambert decided to become something she hadn’t had a chance to be for a long time: a tourist. Taking her Airstream and husband along with her she drove around the country, savouring the sights which had long since just become nothing more than blurry tour stops.

Of course this is Miranda Lambert so she didn’t exactly relax for very long. That time led to her recording the Marfa Tapes project, which in turn fed into the writing of this new album Palomino (she also released the underrated Pistol Annies Christmas album last year too). Her career as a popular mainstream performer on the country music festival circuit and live scene is cemented for life and consequently there is a sense of freedom to the music on this album which suggests she’s taking a pragmatic approach to commercial chart success (ie she tries a little but doesn’t really care about the outcome).

Continue reading “Album Review: Miranda Lambert – Palomino”

Live Review: Miranda Lambert & Country to Country Festival, Glasgow Hydro 13/03/22

After three long and turbulent years C2C festival finally made its welcome return to Glasgow this past weekend. Two years ago it suffered from being the first of the major covid cancellations. Last year’s festival was also postponed, since the date hit right during the second wave. Many fans still had tickets from two years ago – for a completely different line up. The fact that this 2022 festival went on without a hitch is a miracle. Credit to all involved for bringing us Scottish fans a much needed booster dose of country music. Continue reading “Live Review: Miranda Lambert & Country to Country Festival, Glasgow Hydro 13/03/22”

Album Review: Pistol Annies – Hell of a Holiday

For me the best Christmas music contains truths about the emotional complexity of the season: from the drunken conflict of Fairytale of New York to the aching sadness of River by Joni Mitchell. Too many recent Christmas albums seem content with cliched offerings or weak cover versions of classics designed to capitalise on the streaming algorithm, rather than having anything meaningful to say about the season.

Luckily for us then our resident reality check heroines Pistol Annies are here to offer us something fresh with their brilliant new Christmas album Hell of a Holiday. We last found Miranda Lambert, Angaleena Presley and Ashley Monroe on the Interstate Gospel, searching for comfort in Jesus and dealing with heartbreak, inertia and family trouble. Christmas then, being the time of year where women and relationships are stretched to the limit, is a natural fit for their songwriting skills. Continue reading “Album Review: Pistol Annies – Hell of a Holiday”

Album Review: Jack Ingram, Miranda Lambert, Jon Randall – The Marfa Tapes

Out here you’ve got nothing else to lean on…you’ve got sky, desert, emotion.’ The here is Marfa, Texas. Last year Miranda Lambert, Jon Randall and Jack Ingram escaped to their hideaway searching for solace, sunsets and songs. The results are The Marfa Tapes, a bare bones collection which beautifully evokes a place out of time. Continue reading “Album Review: Jack Ingram, Miranda Lambert, Jon Randall – The Marfa Tapes”

Recommended 2019 Albums for Serious Self-Care

After writing about the overwhelming paradox of choice that comes from the tidal wave of music released in 2019, I started thinking about how I could recommend some of my favourite albums of the year in a different way so that no one is sent into a tailspin of anxiety about what’s cool, what’s good or worrying about what you’ve missed out on.

We should never underestimate the importance of music as self-care. I believe it is vital in helping us to deal with this tumultuous, chaotic world. While I do still plan on writing traditional ranking end of year lists too, read on for recommendations as to how 2019’s best music can be used as serious self care. Continue reading “Recommended 2019 Albums for Serious Self-Care”

Album Review: Miranda Lambert – Wildcard

Miranda Lambert’s last album The Weight of These Wings and the Pistol Annies’ Interstate Gospel are not just two of my favourite records of the last few years but indeed of all time. The former is one of the reasons I started writing this blog, and the latter has been a constant friend to me ever since its release. So to say I have been waiting in anticipation for Miranda’s new record is somewhat of an understatement.

On the other hand my intense connection with those two records has also made me nervous. After all how could anyone, even a country music genius like Miranda Lambert, possibly follow up the emotional depth and lyrical scope of those two albums?  Continue reading “Album Review: Miranda Lambert – Wildcard”

Put These Suckers on Spin: Miranda Lambert Releases New Songs ‘It All Comes Out in the Wash’ & ‘Locomotive’

Today is the blessed day that have we woken up to not one but two brand new solo songs from Miranda Lambert. They are her first in three years – not that she’s been quiet that whole time – we’ve been treated to tours, the Pistol Annies incredible album and her personal life has been as eventual as ever, with her marrying again earlier this year. Continue reading “Put These Suckers on Spin: Miranda Lambert Releases New Songs ‘It All Comes Out in the Wash’ & ‘Locomotive’”

Album Review: Dolly Parton – Dumplin’ (Original Soundtrack)

The new Netflix movie ‘Dumplin’ begins with the heroine Willowdean Dickson in her car, singing along to Dolly Parton’s debut single ‘Dumb Blonde’, a song about subverting the expectations of those who judge you unfairly on appearances. The film, based on Julie Murphy’s wonderful novel, concerns a plus size teen who decides to enter a beauty contest as a protest and finds out she really is pageant material after all. Continue reading “Album Review: Dolly Parton – Dumplin’ (Original Soundtrack)”

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