Thursday, 25 July 2013

Miranda Lambert- Four the Record Album Review



 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
Album- Four the Record

Artist- Miranda Lambert

After coming into the spotlight as a finalist on the 2003 season of Nashville Star, Miranda Lambert has steadily risen in the charts and has now become a staple figure in the country music scene, with her music having an infectious energy that has seen her become critically successful to the point where an awards show is not complete without her. Lamberts brings us more music in the form of Four the Record, her fourth studio album (the clues in the title), but has she still got the goods to keep her longevity really going.

Track 1- All Kinds of Kinds

The opening track is a mid tempo, breezy offering that acts as a nice celebration of diversity. Lyrically Lambert provides us with an array of imagery of various individuals, emphasises there uniqueness and centring the song on the hook of how it takes all this individualism and uniqueness to keep the world going. It’s a really nice sentiment that works well as the opening track through the way Lambert keeps things vocally on a really warm, simple level that doesn’t need a lot of power to get the message across, as that would be unnecessary. The production just adds to the warmth and simplicity with the simple slinky guitars and fuzzy back beat that makes for a cool sound, with the final instrumental section having that nice kick with the use of drums to get you in an almost euphoric state of happiness that will have you thinking about your own individuality.

3.5/5 

Track 2- Fine Tune

Lambert brings us that kind of old school country flavouring with this track, coupled with a nice rock edge. The song is lyrically a sensual, lustful piece all about how this man knows exactly how to make Lambert feel so good. The lyrics are strong and have that punchy, sing along kind of quality within the chorus, but whilst the lyrically content may intrigue you, what is more attention grabbing about the song is the vocals which are fuzzed out in a way that makes this song sound like she is singing it over an old fashioned radio. Sometimes that can be annoying, but for this song it really works, giving us this gritty quality to balance the smooth sensuality of the subject matter. Production keeps things at a rough but chilled, toe tapping pace with the simple back beat and forceful guitar riffs that make the song a little more powerful.

3.5/5

Track 3- Fastest Girl in Town

As the title would suggest, Lambert ups the tempo a little for this song, but doesn’t necessarily go full throttle. Rather than being an actually exclamation of her speed, the song is lyrically all about the rough and dangerous relationship that Lambert has with this male character, giving us the sense of them being two rebels on the run. The structure is cool with the four verses and the way that we don’t have a bridge, giving it an unconventional edge that works well with the rebellious ideology. The production is really cool with the clattering drum beats and guitar riffs that speed us along with Lambert, whilst the rock guitar instrumentals really give a kick to the middle section and end, although the production is perhaps a little stereotypical for this type of country tune. However, whilst stereotypical, there is still enough zest in this song for an enjoyable time, with Lambert creating a controlled vocal performance that is loaded with edgy personality.

3.5/5

Track 4- Safe

Safe is a catchy mid tempo track that transitions us into a more chilled taste from the previous track and is also less edgy, having that idea of love as steady and smooth. This comes out within the lyrical quality of the track, as Lambert focuses upon how her partner is so great and makes her feel so good in the way that she knows nothing will happen to her when she is with him. She also focuses on how she will do the same for him in making sure nothing bad happens. It’s a sweet message that is a little clichéd in the verses but is saved by the simplicity of the chorus with its one line repeated statement that is great in that that is all she really needs to say. Lambert has a smooth tone that brings a sense of warmth to the track, with a lightness that is cool and a power in the chorus that layers the song with that essence of sincerity. Production on this track is also in keeping with the light and pleasant ideology, with a simple back beat and nice guitar riffs that are mellower than the previous offerings and keeps you excited when listening to this record as it’s not too familiar.

3.5/5

Track 5- Mama’s Broken Heart

Lambert seems to produce a song that has a little more of a youthful flavouring, as this moderate up tempo tune has that kind of crazed, so in love teenage heartbreak quality. Lyrically the track is all about Lambert struggling after a break up, with her heartache causing her to act erratically, which people begin to notice. The chorus then centres on how her mother is not happy about this and tells her to regain her composure, but Lambert can’t make her understand, with the second verse suggesting that she will seek revenge rather than act as if nothing happen like she would if she was part of her mother’s generation. Lyrically the track is really great in terms of how if you were just kind of listening to the track in the background you can just kind of rock along to it, but when you really listen to the lyrics they actually have quite a deep quality behind the simple nature. Vocally Lambert is excellent here, seemingly entering into silly in love one moment and then going full on aggressive and slightly unhinged in no time at all, making for a song that works great in keeping you on your toes. And this keeping you on your toes is also really complimented by the production, which is engaging in terms of how it is quite minimal but keeps the suspense going, with the chorus being so catchy with the punchy, more rock influenced sensibility.

4/5

Track 6- Dear Diamond

The second of two tunes Lambert wrote entirely by herself (the first being Safe) the sixth track is another sweet mid tempo offering that perfectly contrasts with the velocity of the previous number and has much more of a sweet quality. With the lyrics you can’t help but feel this is quite a personal tune, as the motif of the song is all about Lambert singing to this Dear Diamond, and how she will be tied to her man and will love him for life, but there is also this secret that she can’t say. It’s a very deep tune that asks you to really question what she is singing, like if dear diamond is this metaphorical object or a reference to her husband, and what she means when she sings of such things as lies. Yet whilst it may be deep, that is half the fun of the song, and there is a real warmth to the track with Lamberts smooth vocal tone that gives the song this essence of it almost being like a page from her diary. The country production is a bit more traditional and rustic, with slinky guitar riffs that layer together to form a cool, swaying kind of rhythm.

3.5/5

Track 7- Same Old You

Things are kept in a more rustic and mid tempo state with this song, but the lyrical concept completely changes, as this has much more of a straightforward quality that is all about Lambert complaining about the various things that her man does and how he will never change, so she has decided to leave, and how his mother will be upset, but nothing can keep her from going. The disappointment of the track is a bit too simple but is given more power by the rough and cool vocal performance that Lambert gives, with the chorus having a bit of a kick through the vocal layering that gives a cool, echoing quality. Production wise the track has much more of an old school country flavour with that acoustic guitar riff as the base and stirring strings that are complimented by slinky guitar melodies that punctuate the track very nicely.

3/5

Track 8- Baggage Claim

Described as “an exercise in attitude done right”, this is definitely a song where Lambert brings a really strong persona and shows that she isn’t one for messing around, with the background vocals by Josh Kelley complimenting her smooth feminine vocals in the chorus very nicely. The track is a play on the idea of the emotional baggage, comparing them to the idea of a man who is unfaithful picking up baggage at the airport, with Lambert basically focusing on how she isn’t going to take that and is just going to go off with her own troubles. The concept could have been focused upon a bit more smoothly as the track isn’t as catchy as it could be, but the vocals do have that catchy attitude, with the production giving us another nice toe tapping melody and a cool middle section with the use of an organ.

3.5/5

Track 9- Easy Living

A bit of a left turn is taken here with this breezy back porch swinging number in which Lamberts Nashville roots are really shown in her vocal that has that definitive country edge, and has a smooth quality that permeates the track. The concept of the song lyrically focuses on how life is going by and some bad things like the weather will occur, but Lambert finds it easy to go through life because she has her man by her side. The track is short and sweet, with a whistling melody in the middle section that is catchy and something you quickly learn to go along with. But what is interesting with this track is the way that the production doesn’t necessarily have that breezy tone: the laidback vibe is still there, coming through with the whistling, but as a whole the track features a prominent back beat that is really forceful sound, and so this is a really intriguing song that you can enjoy in a variety of ways.

3.5/5

Track 10- Over You

From the idea of easy living we come to a much more potent and emotional level with this song that was co-written by Lambert’s husband, country star Blake Shelton, and in many ways this is Shelton’s song rather than Lamberts. This is because the track (which is lyrically about missing someone and the pain that goes with that) was based on a personal experience of Shelton’s as a teenager after losing his brother in a car accident, and was recorded by Lambert as Shelton felt to strongly about the track to perform it and . But Lambert does a stirring job in bringing true emotion and passion to the song, with a smooth tone that works really well in feeling contained but having that slight edge of she is almost about to break. The only real issue with the track is that it has that touch of cliché that drags a song down, with the lyrics having a small amount of this, but prominently coming out in the production with the clunky guitar riff and stereotypical country ballad sound. So whilst this is a pure and nice track, certain factors mean that it lacks the potential brilliance that it holds.

3.5/5

Track 11- Look at Miss Ohio

Originally recorded by the songs co-writer Gillian Welch in 2003, Look at Miss Ohio is a slow burning country tune that is all about the sound rather than the message and has a potent, heavy quality. The lyrics show Miranda looking at this girl, Miss Ohio, and focusing on how she is a little messed up and can’t seem to get on the right track. The chorus has a really nice up and down, lilting quality that is catchy, and the song’s lyrics are strong in that this is one of those songs that can easily have different meanings for different people. Lambert vocally keeps things on a simple level, lowering the key at the ends of lines to give a chilled atmosphere that just combines with the steady, back beat driven production to create a simple yet appealing song.

3.5/5

Track 12- Better in the Long Run (with Blake Shelton)

A duet with her husband was probably inevitable in the case of these two artists was probably inevitable, and so Lambert now provides us with that musical offering. The song is all about the couple’s relationship and how it is wrong now, they have gone all the way that they could, and so they have to end it, but they still love each other despite this and can’t help feeling hurt even if though will be better after a while. The message is nice, if clichéd, and this is also a probably with the production with its clattering drumbeats and sweet piano melody that invoke some essence of passion within the track but yet feels a bit too stereotypical of this kind of song. This is nothing more than a sad and at the same time soppy love/heartbreak song that can easily be enjoyed or easily skip, and whilst it doesn’t break any new ground or excites you the way it should, both artists still give a lot vocally and so give the song a slight gloss of emotion.

3.5/5

Track 13- Nobody’s Fool

Beginning with this laid back guitar strumming that lulls you into this false sense of security where you think this is a chilled out country affair, this song is in fact a stomping tune that is probably the most rock influenced track on the record. The thumping drumbeats gives you a whip your hair back and forth rhythm that culminates in a great guitar solo in the middle 8 where you can just go a bit crazy. However, whilst the production is very powerful and enticing, vocally Lambert doesn’t convey this intense sense of passion that the song needs, and feels like a singer just going through the emotions, whilst the lyrical content of Lambert being a smart, independent woman lacks the fun bit that should be here, and it kind of feels like this song needs to take some tips from track 4.

2.5/5

Track 14- Oklahoma Sky

The final track is a beautiful down tempo record that makes up for the lack of passion that was missing from the previous track, as vocally from the beginning and throughout Lambert exudes this sense of deep love and fragility, with background vocals creating some great harmonies that give the track an added sense of poignancy, and the vocals are also great in the way that her voice rises and falls, giving things a bit more power. Lyrically the track is about finding love after a long time and just holding on, with Lambert asking her beau to meet her under the Oklahoma sky. There is a poetic quality to the lyrics that is really appealing, and this appeal is also really helped by the simplicity of the production with the light guitar strumming intermingled with some potent strings and subtle drums, as well as some softer guitar and piano melodys. It’s a sound that you can really just get absorbed in and feel the love that is embedded within the song, and so this is definitely a lovely note to finish the record on.

3.5/5

Final Review

This is a good fourth album for Miranda Lambert, where she has found a style and really cultivated it, and so the songs a filled with personality. This album feels a little bit more polished than her previous records, but the bite of her music still remains. I think my only real issue with this record is that there is this lack of really great songs, and although as a whole it’s a cohesive album with good songs, something of a wow factor is missing that would elevate the record to a higher level of greatness.

7/10

Best Track- Mama’s Broken Heart

Worst Track- Nobody’s Fool

 

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