Miranda Lambert "Kerosene" (Sony, 2005)
Newcomer Miranda Lambert was a finalist on the Nashville Star talent, er -- reality -- show. But since I don't get cable, I can't hold that against her. All I've got to go by is the album in front of me, and it's pretty damn good. Lambert has a distictive, plaintive voice that makes up in sincerity and emotional directness what it lacks in richness of tone. She also has an unusual repertoire of seemingly awkward lyrics wed to sleek-yet-twangy tunes... Sound familiar? It should: listening to Lambert's debut is a bit like listening to a theoretical solo album by Nathalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks. And I don't mean that as a slam -- hardly! I like the 'Chicks a lot, and I think there's plenty of room in the Country charts for like-minded gals, particularly when they pen memorable material like the songs on this album. Several melodies echoed around in my head on the days that I was listening to this disc, and yet these tunes -- all but one of which was written or co-written by Lambert -- have little of the overblown, over-the-top pop feel of contemporary Nashville studio music. There are a few raspy, Sheryl Crow-ish blues/rock touches that could've been left out, but other than that, I gotta say I'm impressed. And I'm looking forward to her next album!

Miranda Lambert "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" (Sony, 2007)
(Produced by Frank Liddell & Mike Wrucke)
First-rate top country... On the opening tracks, Lambert lays it on pretty thick with the bad-gal/outlaw schtick... On "Gunpowder And Lead," she follows the Dixie Chicks' example of glorifying murder as a solution to domestic violence: Lambert's character sits at home in the dark, a shotgun on her lap just waiting for Mr. Wrong to come back, so she can get to the gunshot heard at the end of the track... This is followed with the similarly rowdy, but funny "Dry Town" about the arcane liquor laws of the Midwest and South (and, hey, it's written by Gillian Welch and David Rawlings! Nice indie roots, there, gal!) From there on out we are treated to a wealth of original tunes written or co-written by Ms. Lambert, all of them impressive, in various ways. "Famous In A Small Town" is a great tune about life inside a goldfish bowl, while the title track brings us back to the Gretchen Wilson-esque tough-girl routine... but it's also a funny song, and not just a gimmick. Then come some slow, sad ballads, and the force of personality that propelled us through her rowdy songs suddenly gives way to some genuine interpretive powers: this gal really can sing country, when you take the neo-Southern rock guitars out of the mix! I'm not fond of a few tunes -- "Down" and "Getting Ready" are real clunkers -- but overall this is a very impressive record. Lambert emerges as a potent songwriter (as well as an anomaly in the Nashville machine, where most singers are interpreters first, songwriters second...) and with this batch of self-penned smashes, Miranda firmly establishes herself as a force to be reckoned with. Plus, her cover of Susannah Clark's "Easy From Now On" is a nice way to close the album... Hey, I'm sold!

Cristy Lane "Greatest Country Hits" (Collector's Choice, 2005)
Singer Christy Lane came pretty late to the countrypolitan party, having worked on the periphery of the country mainstream for the better part of a decade before she cracked into the lower rungs of the charts in 1977... Fans will be thrilled by this generously-programmed collection with her main chart hits from the late-'70s and early-'80s... It starts off with her first entry, "Tryin' To Forget About You," a song with a simple, Loretta Lynn-like sound that showed the promise Lane held out to fans of plain old, rootsy country-pop. Like so many country singers before her (and after), however, she got bit by the Pop bug, and poured on the strings and prefab arrangements... Eventually, buoyed by the success of inspirational hits such as "One Day At A Time" (her lone #1 hit) and "Footprints In The Sand" (her last chart big entry, back in '83), Christy Lane went born-again and recorded religious albums for numerous small labels. She dropped off Nashville's radar, with her country hits falling out of print for over a decade before this best-of came along. That's just one reason listeners should be happy to see this set come out: Lane's demure, down-to-earth sincerity is another -- even when the songs were kind of iffy, she still had a pretty appealing vocal presence. Worth checking out, particularly if you're curious about what happened with the latter-day countrypolitan sound.

k.d. lang "Angel With A Lariat" (Sire, 1987)
(Produced by Dave Edmunds)
In retrospect, the driving, bouncy, mix provided by producer Dave Edmunds (of Rockpile fame) may have been a little too aggressive and 'billyish for Ms. Lang, a genre and gender-busting Canadian torch singer with a penchant for twang and a big lesbian following... But it did the trick getting her foot in the door and making a big splash as a founding member of the nascent alt-country scene of the late '80s... Even though this is one of her more overtly "country" records, I wouldn't rate is as one of my faves: the music is played at too manic a clip, and as too much of a joke... I can see how some of it might have been a welcome antidote for some of the excesses of the straight/mainstream country dance scene, but it sells her short as a singer. Lots of near misses, like her too-tinny cover version of "Rose Garden" and the jittery hillbilly boogie of "Pay Dirt." Exuberant, but it sounds rushed and over-amped.

k.d. lang "Shadowlands: The Bradley Barn Sessions" (Sire, 1988)
(Produced by Owen Bradley)
Ever conscious of the rigors of retro-hiposity, lang made a pilgrimage to the production studios of Owen Bradley, one of the great architects of the Nashville studio sound of the 1950s and '60s,. She takes full advantage of the presence of veteran studio cats like Harold Bradley, Hargus Robbins and Pete Wade, the flowery string sections, and the doo-dooo-ooooo-oooo background vocals of the Jordanaires and Tennessee... This album gave lang her biggest country hit, "I'm Down To My Last Cigarette," but also some of her schmaltziest, most memorable moments of countrifying, and laid the foundation for her claim to the mantle of Patsy Cline, country's one true queen of countrypolitan torchsinging. Speaking of country foremothers, Brenda Lee, Loretta Lynn and Kitty Wells join Katheryn Dawn on a quaint (though sluggish) "Honky Tonk Angels Medley." This album's campy and sedate, but worth checking out.

k.d. lang "Absolute Torch And Twang" (Sire, 1989)
(Produced by k.d. lang, Ben Mink & Greg Penny)
A pretty fun, pretty slick, pretty laid-back set which still has enough of a twangy, rootsy bite to keep my interest. After the strong opening numbers, "Luck In My Eyes" and her cover of Willie Nelson's "Three Days," she starts to slide a little, and my attention starts to wander on certain songs... You can kinda see where she's headed from here, but this still can be considered one of her early "country" albums, and it's certainly worth checking out. Also has a nice cover of Wynn Stewart's "Big Big Love," a mildly raunchy double entendre tune which takes a bizarre twist when sung by a gal... Oh, that wacky, campy cowgirl! A nice smooth album that makes country safe for folks who don't like country.

k.d. lang "Ingenue" (Sire, 1992)
(Produced by k.d. lang, Ben Mink & Greg Penny)
Not so much "country," but still quite nice. There's a pedal steel lacing through the record here and there, but this is really a rather straightforward, very dreamy pop album. Several beautiful songs stand out, particularly "Mind Of Love," with its warm, hypnotic refrain... Her longtime band, the Reclines, really hit their stride here -- here's an artist who's supremely comfortable in the studio, and the right musicians to back her up... This is certainly one of, if not the, best k.d. lang album.

k.d. lang "All You Can Eat" (Warner Brothers, 1996)
(Produced by k.d. lang, Ben Mink & Marc Ramaer)
Oh, whatever. She's clearly too much of a "star" by now, and thinking far too deep of thoughts... This slow, poppish album is a bit dreary, with only a faint vestige of country twang left in the mix, and a lot of big, bombastic belting. Still, despite those showy vocal key changes, a few songs, like "You're OK," are kinda sweet. Mostly, this is a bit much, though. Not my cup of tea.

k.d. lang "Live By Request" (Warner, 2001)
A rock-solid, crowd-pleasing, croonalicious concert by the majestic Ms. lang. I guess it would be silly to point out that she really overdoes the schmaltz on a few tunes ("Crying," for example)... Especially since I'm pretty sure it's all on purpose. But when she plays it straight (if you'll pardon the expression), it's pretty darn good. Recommended.

Blaine Larsen "In My High School" (Giantkiller, 2004)
WOW. Mark my words, this guy -- or should I say, this kid -- is going to be huge. Like, super-duper, Kenny Chesney-Tim McGraw-Alan Jackson mega-huge. Blaine Larsen, an eighteen-year old newcomer from an old logging town in Washington state, has a tremendous voice, with perfect vocal control, and a strong command of the musical conventions and sentimental lyrical formulae of modern neotrad country. I put this disc into my player not knowing what to expect and was, quite simply, totally blown away. I've heard a lot of independently produced country records which aim at recreating the sound that the fats cats in Music City use to put a lock on the Top 40, and usually these underfunded efforts fall well short of the mark... This is the first one I've heard that really had no flaws -- Larsen's voice is tremendous, and the simple, strong studio accompaniment is right there to back him up. Plus, he writes most of his material, and the songs are pretty darn good. You might never have heard of this guy, but if you like those deep-voiced, sensitive hat act guys who are on TV and the top of the Billboard charts, then you should buy this record and enjoy the fact that you just got in on the ground floor. I think he's going to be huge.

Blaine Larsen "Off To Join The World" (BNA, 2005)
The first time I heard Blaine Larsen sing, I thought, Dang! This kid's got the goods! That was about a year ago, when his name came up as a customer recommendation on Amazon... I was working as an online Country Music Director, so I got ahold of Larsen's independently-released debut album and was pretty blown away... I mean, there is a whole substrata of country music that practically nobody ever hears, of commercially-inclined, indie-label folks who are nowhere near the Nashville power structure, but who are also not aligned with the twangier-than-thou, alt-country scene... These are people who want to make it big, but probably never will, and usually their demo tape-y releases fall pretty short of the mark. Blaine Larsen was the first of these would-be chart stars who simply blew me away, and the only one who I knew from the instant I heard him sing that he was gonna be a star. To begin with, he's got an amazing voice, more rich, confident and resonant than any eighteen year old has got a right to sound. Then, there's his material, and his allegiance to rootsy-sounding, rumbling country. Oh, sure, he's very commercial sounding, but he's got real roots, too, sort of like Alan Jackson or Randy Travis... I played several songs off the album in a variety of radio formats and they all did really well... So, here it is a year later and sure enough, Larsen is blowing through the roof and sailing up the charts. This album is mostly a reprise of the original record, In My High School, with one new tune ("That's All I've Got To Say About That," which unfrtunately is the weakest tune in the set...) and a fresh coat of paint on that fine batch of tunes (including an added-on cameo by Mr. Haggard himself on the end of the tribute tune, "If Merle Would Sing My Song...") And it's still a damn fine album. If you want to hear some Top 40 country that's heartfelt and doesn't suck, then pick this album up. You won't be disappointed.

Blaine Larsen "Rockin' You Tonight" (BMG/BNA, 2006)
(Produced by Rory Lee Feek & Tim Johnson)
Washington state's Blaine Larsen continues to be one of my favorite new country singers, precisely because that's what he really is: a for-real country singer, a guy who sounds great when he digs deep into style's long tradition of morose emotional ballads. Now a country veteran at the ripe old age of 18, Larsen's deep baritone growl is less remarkable than when he put his first album out (at age 16), but he still sounds like the guy most likely to be the next Alan Jackson -- and I mean that in a real good way. This disc took a couple of listens before I was really sold, but, yeah -- the kid's still really, really good. The opening track, "I Don't Know What She Said," is one of those tropical-themed, margaritas-and-little-grass-shack songs that seem to be all the rage in Nashville these days. It's okay, but it doesn't hold a candle to the album's best songs, the heartrending "They Don't Grow Enough Roses," "Lips Of A Bottle" (a great duet with Gretchen Wilson) and "No Woman," a hilarious guys-will-be-guys novelty song penned by Larsen and co-producer Tim Johnson. Larsen also covers Mark Chesnutt's hit, "I'm In Love With A Married Woman" (also written by Johnson) and turns in another rollicking performance on the uptempo "I Don't Wanna Work That Hard," wherein the singer decides his high-maintainance girlfriend just ain't worth the effort. There are a couple of misfires, though. The title track is terrible: Larsen should stay away from that kind of loud, rock-based material, and stick to the Lefty'n'George side of the street, rather than getting all Montgomery Gentry about it. Also, his version of "Baby Don't Get Hooked On Me" initially struck me as a mistake (really, no one's ever gonna take that tune away from Mac Davis -- why even try?) but eventually I decided it was okay... Not great, but okay. The album's closer was another nice surprise, a gospel tune called "At The Gate" which summons a lot of depth and further demonstrates Larsen's versatility. All in all, a Top 40 country record with just one song on it that I don't like is a damn good ratio... I've said it before, and I'll say it again: this guy could be country music's real future. Check him out.

Tracy Lawrence "Sticks And Stones" (Atlantic, 1991)
(Produced by James Stroud)

Tracy Lawrence "Alibis" (Atlantic, 1993)
(Produced by James Stroud)
Settling comfortably into his role as the new John Anderson, Lawrence croons sweetly over a smooth, pleasantly poppy formula. This album has four of his biggest early hits -- "Can't Break It To My Heart," "Alibis," "If The Good Die Young" and the clever little boozin' ballad, "My Second Home" -- with another half-dozen tunes that alternate between so-so would-be hits and deliciously rich honkytonkers. All in all, a fine set of commercialized hard country tunes. Recommended.

Tracy Lawrence "I See It Now" (Atlantic, 1994)
(Produced by Flip Anderson, Tracy Lawrence & James Stroud)
Likeable, though kinda generic, soft-edged hat-act country. He scored several career hits off of this album, but his success had definitely caught up to him by now, and the studio producers had definitely tamed him. Pretty much every song on here feels too controlled and safe, and not all that clever or thoughtfulÉ Even the much-deserved duet with John Anderson, "Hillbilly With A Heartache," starts out with great promise -- they sound great together -- but the backing instrumental tracks are pretty trite and by-the-numbers. I did like "As Any Fool Can See" and "I'd Give Anything To Be Your Everything Again," but even they are a little too "perfect" sounding; Lawrence seems like an artist who'd really benefit from letting a few rough edges show, and this is possibly my least favorite of his records.

Tracy Lawrence "Live" (Atlantic, 1995)
(Produced by Flip Anderson & Tracy Lawrence)
The arrangements are fairly standard-issue, but I sure like his voice. The songs are still nicely constructed, but probably work better in the studio versions. Still, it's fun to hear some fan shout out, "We luuvv you, Tracy!!" He loves you, too, honey!

Tracy Lawrence "Time Marches On" (Atlantic, 1996)
(Produced by Flip Anderson, Don Cook & Tracy Lawrence)
The title track is pretty good, in a high-concept kinda way (the changes of an all-American family seen through the decades, starting in the 1950s and moving through the present day...) The rest of the album is a little slick and overly placid; even the "rowdy" southern-rockish numbers seem pretty by-the-numbers. Definitely not his best album, but still has a couple of fun tunes.

Tracy Lawrence "The Coast Is Clear" (Atlantic, 1997)
(Produced by Flip Anderson, Don Cook & Tracy Lawrence)
This disc has its moments, but overall feels a bit perfunctory and bland. Hard country fans can take solace in songs like "I Hit The Ground Crawling," which is slick, but still not bad. But even from a commercial perspective, this leaves a bit to be desired -- and this was reflected in Tracy's slide off the charts... Better than some, but not really all that exciting.

Tracy Lawrence "Lessons Learned" (Atlantic, 2000)
(Produced by Flip Anderson Butch Carr & Tracy Lawrence)
A fairly rote, unsubtle, and formulaic album, with Lawrence displaying too little individuality or independence from the smooth Southern rock ballads niche that had been carved out for him. The opening tracks are too abrasive, and the rest of the album too bland, to really hold my attention. I liked a couple of tracks, particularly "The Man I Was" and "From Here To Kingdom Come," but mostly Lawrence just doesn't seem like his own man on this disc. If you already owned best-of packages by Travis Tritt or the Bellamy Brothers, why would you need this album as well?

Tracy Lawrence "Tracy Lawrence" (Warner/Atlantic, 2001)
(Produced by Flip Anderson & Tracy Lawrence)
A Music City dude who sticks pretty closely to a hard country vibe -- which is to say, a Nashviller whose whole album I can listen to without having my blood pressure rise too high. He's poppy and calculated, but Lawrence mainly follows in the traditionalist path laid down by John Anderson and Randy Travis. He also traffics in the broadest, most archetypal knee-jerk sentiments -- small town memories, good hearted women who save ne'er-do-well boyfriends, outlaw wanderlust, etc. The most shameless song on here -- and I mean that as a compliment -- is "What A Memory," in which Mama's dying wish is that her boy should get a guitar, so he can follow his dreams as a musician... well, you see where this is headed... Still, slick as he is, Tracy Lawrence is a pretty listenable Top 40 artist... Worth checking out.

Tracy Lawrence "Strong" (Dreamworks, 2004)
(Produced by James Stroud)
A surprisingly weak album for a guy I still consider to be a ray of hope for the neotrad scene. This poppish outing strains at the edges on almost all the tracks. "Sawdust On Her Halo" is a fun shuffle tune, but the rest of the album is a mishmash of electric guitars, by-rote string arrangements and iffy lyrics: very few of these songs have readily identifiable themes, much less a catchy chorus. And the closing number, "The Questionnaire," make you wonder what the hell has gone wrong with this guy. Particularly disappointing in light of how good his last album was.

Tracy Lawrence "For The Love" (Rocky Comfort, 2007)

Tracy Lawrence "The Best Of Tracy Lawrence" (Atlantic, 1998)
(Various producers)
A satisfying collection, gathering Lawrence's chart hits from 1991-98. Some choice material, and a couple of duds... The good stuff includes songs like "Time Marches On," "Is That A Tear," and "Her Old Stomping Ground." I can't help liking this guy... he's just such an amiable, uncomplicated, likeably formulaic kinda fellow!

Tracy Lawrence "Then And Now: The Hits Collection" (Mercury Nashville, 2005)

Tracy Lawrence "The Very Best Of Tracy Lawrence" (WEA/Rhino, 2007)

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Hick Music Index

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