Miranda Lambert is the current reigning queen of country music and an undeniable powerhouse. If you’ve been feeling like you’re missing out on hidden gems but you don’t know where to start, here are five of our favorite tracks.
“Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” (from Crazy Ex-Girlfriend)
If you want to fully grasp what Miranda is about, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is the perfect place to start. The title track from her third album dares to go where no one else is willing to with confessions of perhaps slightly irrational post-breakup behavior. Miranda has never been anything but honest so when she sings, “those pretty girls can play their game but they’re damn well gonna know my name,” you’d better believe her. The track is perhaps overlooked by the other singles on the album such as “Gunpowder and Lead” even though it carries the same vibe. It’s everything we love about Miranda.
“Girls” (from Platinum)
Platinum saw a completely new side of Miranda, she displayed a different self-confidence and attitude with almost a sense of personal growth. “Girls” is the prime example of this, written by Natalie Hemby, Nicolle Galyon, and Jimmy Robbins; it has a more relatable edge than some of her previous tracks and shows an alternative depth to Miranda. The track celebrates the complexity of women – in comparison to a radio full of music negatively discussing how complicated women are, it’s refreshing to listen to a more positive outlook on this and certainly shows a slight departure from the Miranda we’re used to. “If you think you’re the only one she’ll want in this world then you don’t know nothing about girls,” Lambert sings. Platinum is one of Miranda’s best bodies of work and yet this track still manages to stand out from the rest.
“Love Letters” (from Crazy Ex-Girlfriend)
“Love Letters” is arguably one of Miranda’s most underrated break up songs, carrying the sound and feel of a traditional country track without losing that classic ‘Miranda Lambert’ sound. Lambert’s vocals inject a raw, almost sorrowful sound and if there’s anything she does well, it’s emotion. The lyrics provide a slight sense of sad irony: “You find Jesus and it’s too late he’s already closed the front gate and the sign’s flashing no vacancy,” Lambert sings as she looks back on her relationship-gone-wrong.
“Mama’s Broken Heart” (from Four The Record)
We couldn’t have done a top 5 song list without mentioning this track. Being written by Brandy Clark, Shane McAnally and Kacey Musgraves, it’s bound to be country music gold. In true Lambert form, the song humorously describes that post-relationship breakdown with a little self destruction (“I numbed the pain at the expense of my liver”) however this time talks of her mother’s despair over her behavior. “Go and fix your makeup girl it’s just a breakup run and hide your crazy and start acting like a lady” Lambert narrates the mothers’ perspective of the breakup showing stereotypical gender roles, and the need to “save a little face.” It’s one of Lambert’s best singles to date and definitely a fan favorite.
“Fastest Girl in Town” (from Four The Record)
Miranda carries a certain sass around knowing that she’s a country badass and this song is everything great about that – she’s playful and powerful and knows there’s no shame in turning the charm on if it’s needed. “Ain’t no use in trying to slow me down ‘cause you’re running with the fastest girl in town,” Lambert sings with so much confidence that it’s almost endearing. One of the best things about the lyrics is the exaggerated tales of trouble making, guns, whiskey and of course a little law enforcement.