New Album Review: Miranda Lambert- Palomino

Miranda Lambert- Palomino

Label: RCA

Producers: Miranda Lambert, Luke Dick, Jon Randall, and Mikey Reaves

The ninth studio offering from mainstream country’s troubadour superstar is one that is loosely conceptual in nature, with Miranda Lambert serving as a tour guide throughout the American landscape, from the lens of a roaming musician addicted to the road and the people and stories she encounters along the way. It’s a tone she sets in fantastic fashion with the swamp-meets-surf opener, “Actin’ Up”, which encourages this restless lifestyle and the saucy behavior it lends to. This spirit carries through in plenty of standout moments throughout Palomino, from “Scenes” and “Tourist” to “Music City Queen” and “Wandering Spirit, two tracks that find Lambert exploring her rock side, with the former featuring guests The B-52s while the latter is a Mick Jagger cover. In between, she bestows upon us full-blown studio versions of highlights from her 2021 side-project, The Marfa Tapes, on “In His Arms”, “Geraldene”, and “Waxahatchee”. Her core country sound still remains the bedrock of the collection, as evidenced by the hit “If I Was A Cowboy”, “That’s What Makes the Jukebox Play” and the stunning circus-themed closer, “Carousel”. That album finale easily ranks among one of Lambert’s finest recorded moments across her nearly two-decade career, brimming with her trademark sincerity and emotive lyrical power. Sung from the perspective of a former big-top star mourning that lifestyle’s romance and spotlight, it’s a heart-tugging story song that Lambert masters better than anybody working today, and one that certainly many faded stars and broken hearts can relate to: “Every show must end/Every circus leaves town/You don’t know the magic’s gone/Until the lights go down.” Thankfully, Lambert’s own show doesn’t show any signs of concluding any time soon, or losing its unique standard of excellence. She remains an artistic gold-standard in every way, across every genre of music.

Track Listing:

1. “Actin’ Up” (Miranda Lambert, Luke Dick, Jon Randall)
2. “Scenes” (Lambert, Dick, Natalie Hemby)
3. “In His Arms” (Lambert, Randall, Jack Ingram)
4. “Geraldene” (Lambert, Randall, Ingram)
5. “Tourist” (Lambert, Dick, Hemby)
6. “Music City Queen” featuring The B-52s (Lambert, Dick, Hemby)
7. “Strange” (Lambert, Dick, Hemby)
8. “Wandering Spirit” (Mick Jagger, James Rippetoe)
9. “I’ll Be Lovin’ You” (Lambert, Dick, Randall)
10. “That’s What Makes the Jukebox Plays” (Lambert, Dick, Hemby)
11. “Country Money” (Lambert, Aaron Raitiere, Mikey Reaves)
12. “If I Was A Cowboy” (Lambert, Jesse Frasure)
13. “Waxahachie” (Lambert, Ingram, Randall)
14. “Pursuit of Happiness” (Lambert, Dick, Hemby)
15. “Carousel” (Lambert, Dick, Hemby)