Pistol Annies album “Hell on Heels”

Miranda Lambert’s brand new girl band Pistol Annies has a brand new record out. [Pistol Annies is composed of Miranda Lambert (Lone Star Annie), Angaleena Presley (Holler Annie), and Ashley Monroe (Hippie Annie).] Today marks the album’s one week birthday!

I preordered “Hell on Heels” from the Annies’ website and was so excited to find it in my mailbox on the very day of its release. I started listening right away. My first reaction wasn’t over the moon, but after a few more spins the music has really grown on me. It’s definitely one of a kind and oh-so-country.

My life is like a lemon drop
I'm suckin' on the bitter to get to the sweet part
I know there are better days ahead

The album's second track is called “Lemon Drop.” It’s been stuck in my head for a few days now—the melody and the harmony are happy, hopeful, and light, considering the hard time this woman is having.

My muffler’s tied on with a guitar string
I owe $7,000 to a bank machine
Before this car is ever really mine

Angaleena really did tie her muffler to her car with a guitar string once. She told Country Weekly, “[‘Lemon Drop’] was just about my life and my struggle at that time and just knowing in my heart that a better day was going to come . . .” It's said that writers should write about what they know. These girls know hard times and the better days that follow. That's what makes their music so strong.

“Beige” is a beautiful and sorrow-filled song, sung by the amazing Ashley Monroe. The music sets the stage for the emotional lyrics that tell the story of a young woman who didn’t wait and ends up wearing beige at her shotgun wedding. Ashley’s voice is soft and sorrowful and makes you feel what this girl must be feeling. “Beige” also showcases Ashley and Miranda’s incredible talent for writing heart-wringing lyrics:

A bride shouldn’t be four months and three weeks . . .

Daddy’s pride and joy was marrying some boy . . .

Everyone in this place knows I didn’t wait
Cause I was wearing beige . . .

The song in no way recommends or endorses its subject matter; it is simply sharing the story of one girl who ended up in this situation. I love CW’s interview with the girls on this song. Miranda talks about how the idea came out of the blue. The word beige popped in her head, and she yelled it at Ashley, who had no idea what she was talking about. Miranda, who recently got married, explained her thought process: girls who are pregnant wear beige for the wedding. Then she and Ashley wrote a song about it—to tell the story of the bride wearing beige.

“Bad Example” will make your foot start tapping. I love the energy in this song, and I don’t think the message is harmful or meant to be taken too seriously.

Somebody had to set a bad example
Teach all the prim and propers what not to do

It’s a fun song. The twangy vocals take you straight back to the original country queens like Loretta Lynn and June Carter Cash. The harmony is perfect.

Angaleena takes the lead in “Housewife’s Prayer,” a song she wrote about a time in her own life. She told CW, “I was going through a divorce and sitting there literally thinking about how I could burn my house down because I was in a really low place, scared, and didn’t know what to do.” This song tells the story of a woman in that same boat. She’s at the end of her rope and needs a break. Granted, the best idea isn’t to set the house on fire, but it sounds good to this woman in this moment, and she just needs to vent.

Track 6 is sort of an autobiography of the band members. The lyrics express how the hardships of life on the road and trying to make it in the music business—

We owe $400 to the boys in the band
Gas light’s blinkin’ on our broke-down van
Livin’ on truck stop burgers and fries,
Crossin’ our fingers for a vacancy sign

Ain’t tryin’ to get rich, just tryin’ to get by
By playing for tips on Saturday night.

—often result in some bad habits. “Takin’ Pills” expresses how the girls could deal with the stress: “One’s drinkin’, one’s smokin’, one’s takin’ pills.” Ashley told CW, “Everybody has a vice, and parts of it are definitely exaggerated, but it’s kind of like what we would have been if we started this band right out of high school.” Miranda defends the song further saying, “That's the good thing about song writing. You can write about killing people, but you don’t actually do it."

“Family Feud” is the last song on the album, and the girls co-wrote it with the one and only Mr. Miranda Lambert. This song addresses the greed in human nature. A girl’s mother has recently passed away, and just two days after the funeral, her relatives are looting the house. The daughter in the song is disgusted with her family and condemns their behavior:

Who gives a damn about a cedar chest
When we just laid her soul to rest?

I love that the girls get back to the basics of real country music. They tell stories about real life without apology. I appreciate the incredible artistic talent it takes to compose such stories in such short lines, while getting the point across in less than three minutes. I love the album's "bluesy country sound," its "sparse production, unabashedly country lyrics,  and strong rhythm sections." It's good-ole country music.

Best. Night. Ever.

As some of you may know, I "ran into" my idol and her hubby last night at a local Nashville establishment: the one and only duo Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton.

Here's the story.

Several of my neighbors have dogs, and Miss Bella and I have made friends with them. After work most evenings, we have play time on the tennis court. Last night was one of those typical evenings. When we'd finished playing, Bella and I came inside, and I was ready for a low-key evening reading a book I should have finished a week ago. About five minutes after we came inside, someone knocked on my door. It was one of my neighbors. She told me her boyfriend, who is a local musician, was out listening to music downtown and just happened to be standing near Miranda and Blake Shelton, and she thought I'd appreciate that.

Little did she know!

It was around 8:30 p.m., and I appreciated the tip so much that we decided to go see if it was true. In less than ten minutes, we were on our way and at the venue in record time. We walked through the door, and THERE THEY WERE. In the flesh. Right in front of us. Sitting in a booth with a of couple friends. I started shaking.

We went on over to stand with my friend's boyfriend and listen to the music, which was good and country. I really didn't want to be "that person" (you know who I'm talking about: that crazy fan who stalks and harasses famous people). What's more, since I live in Nashville, I'm supposed to abide by the unwritten yet understood rule: locals don't bother artists when they see them around town. And trust me, we see them around town pretty often. (I ran into Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman at the doctor's office a couple months after moving here!)

So we hung out and enjoyed the music. I noticed maybe two or three people go over and ask for a photo. We realized that Chris Young was also there sitting with them. After about an hour, I saw an opportunity, and we walked over. Miranda was talking to her friend, so we waited, not wanting to interrupt. Blake looked our way, and we apologized for intruding and asked if we could get a picture. He was pretty nice and said, "Yeah!" Miranda turned, and we posed. My friend snapped the picture, and then I took one for her. We said thank you, apologized again, and went back to our group. We stayed a while longer (the music was really good!), and Miranda, Blake, and Chris moved up by the stage to better enjoy the band.

It was so indescribably amazing to be listening to a good old country band playing Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, and George Strait with Miranda and Blake five feet away. I wish I could've stayed all night. But I was blessed (or cursed?) with the responsible gene and had to be at work the next morning.

I'm so glad we went out on this little adventure and that I got the picture! What an amazing Nashville experience. :-D

Why I Love Miranda Lambert

In honor of my exciting week ending with a Miranda Lambert concert on Friday, I think I'll write a post about her :)

A friend asked me the other night, "So, what is it you like so much about Miranda Lambert?"

I fumbled for words to explain the feeling. And it is a feeling I get.

It's in her music. It's in the lyrics and the notes. It's in her story. It's in who she is. And it's in her boldness. Just listen to Revolution... Each song is different, powerful, and thought-provoking.

It's in who she is:
Miranda is a good ole country girl from Lindale, Texas. She goes hunting and posts pictures of it on her Twitter and professional website. She can get filthy dirty riding four wheelers in the mud and then walk down the red carpet in a gorgeous fashion gown. She rocks out on a pink guitar.

She's strong and brave. She stands up for what she believes in and doesn't take crap from anybody.

On her website Miranda says,

"I mean every word I say in every lyric of every song on this record, and every record I've ever done . . . I would never take back one word or lyric or point I've ever made, because it's part of who I am. And there are plenty of artists who wouldn't do so much of that, if that's the kind of music you're into. But if you're into honesty, I have the records for you."

She worked her butt off to get where she is.

She's charming and gorgeous.

She loves the puppies and even has her own pet charity, MuttNation Foundation.

It's in the sound:
I love the perfect blend of country and southern rock. I love the fiddle. I love the prelude before the first verse of "Airstream Song." I feel that it's so obvious what a good time she and the band were having when they made this album.

Again, just listen to Revolution.

It's in the lyrics:
I think Miranda's lyrics are incredible.

Take for instance, this song "Heart Like Mine":

I ain’t the kind you take home to mama
I ain’t the kind to wear no ring
Somehow I always get stronger
When I’m on my second drink 

Even though I hate to admit it
Sometimes I smoke cigarettes
Christian folks say I should quit it
I just smile and say “God bless”

‘Cause I heard Jesus, He drank wine
And I bet we’d get along just fine
He could calm a storm and heal the blind
And I bet He’d understand a heart like mine

Daddy cried when he saw my tattoo
Said he’d love me anyway
My brother got the brains of the family
So I thought I’d learn to sing

‘Cause I heard Jesus, He drank wine
And I bet we’d get along just fine
He could calm a storm and heal the blind
And I bet He’d understand a heart like mine

I’ll fly away
From it all one day
I’ll fly away

These are the days that I will remember
When my name’s called on the roll
He’ll meet me with two long-stemmed glasses
Make a toast to me coming home

It's bold. It's raw truth. Miranda wrote it with one of her best friends, Ashley Monroe, on a random girls night.

"I grew up in church, and I've been a Christian my whole life. My mom always says I cut my teeth on a church pew. It could be autobiographical in a way, because I've definitely had my share of being judged but I'm playing a character a little bit in every song, too."

I can relate to that, especially being "grown up" and living out on my own.

And then there's the second verse that I absolutely love in "That's the Way the World Goes 'Round":

[verse 2]
Well I was sittin’ in the tub just a countin’ my toes
When the radiator broke and the water froze
Got stuck in the ice without any clothes
Naked as the eyes of a clown
I was crying ice cubes hoping that I'd croak
When the sun came through the window and the ice all broke
I said son of a gun man that’s just a joke
And that's the way that the world goes 'round

[chorus]
That's the way that the world goes 'round
One minute you’re up and the next you’re down
It's a half an inch of water and you think you're gonna drown
That's the way that the world goes 'round

I mean, it's just an awesome little ditty! It's vivid and saucy and witty and comical. Miranda throws in the attitude. The first time I heard the song I thought, Wait, she what? My favorite line is "I said son of a gun, man, that’s just a joke." I laugh out loud every time I hear it, even at work sometimes... :)

And then, after songs like this with a solid, upbeat sound, she launches into "Virginia Bluebell":

Carrying the weight on the end of a limb
You’re just waiting for somebody to pick you up again
Shaded by a tree, can’t live up to a rose
All you ever wanted was a sunny place to grow

Pretty little thing, sometimes you gotta look up
And let the world see all the beauty that you’re made of
‘Cause the way you hang your head nobody can tell
You’re my Virginia Bluebell
My Virginia Bluebell

Even through a stone a flower can bloom
You just need a little push, Spring is coming soon
Umbrella in the rain, let it roll off your back
Weather what you can, realize what you have

Pretty little thing, sometimes you gotta look up
And let the world see all the beauty that you’re made of
‘Cause the way you hang your head nobody can tell
You’re my Virginia Bluebell
My Virginia Bluebell

Put a little light in the darkest places
Put a little smile on the saddest faces

Pretty little thing, sometimes you gotta look up
And let the world see all the beauty that you’re made of
‘Cause the way you hang your head nobody can tell
You’re my Virginia Bluebell
My Virginia Bluebell

This song, to me, is a beautiful story of encouragement to a woman who is down on herself. It's pretty straightforward and very touching.

What are your thoughts on Miranda Lambert and her music?