Eminent Domain

Revolution, the third album from Miranda Lambert (myspace), racks up today and the spin's been that the critical favorite and burgeoning star has broadened her writing palette by showing a softer side.  Lambert blew out the gates with scorned scorchers like "Kerosene" (still her best song), "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend," and "Gunpowder & Lead."  Her characters were half-drunk, heavily armed, unhinged, self-aware, well sold.  They were mostly outside relationships, came with shovel and shotgun.

The first single for the new record, "Dead Flowers," was unveiled half a year ago at the American Country Music Awards.  That she led with a ballad might have seemed notable at the time, though it shouldn't have; she'd scored hits off her second record with slower stuff like "Famous in a Small Town" and "More Like Her."  Mired and moving, it's a great song and more evidence that Lambert's interesting as long as she's frustrated.

"Flowers" marks a directional shift less in format than situation and attitude.  Revolution's songs come from inside a relationship and sometimes she is even content there.  "Love Song" (co-written with beau Blake Shelton and two others) is just that, "Makin' Plans" is a homestead act.  Both include male harmonies.  Here lies are white and the only byproduct of vengeance ("Sin for a Sin") is regret.  Lambert hasn't sacrificed any complexity, but this record's not as instantly engaging as Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.  It's the type of work that makes people both nod and sigh at the word "mature."

Miranda Lambert - Time to Get a Gun (Fred Eaglesmith cover)(mp3)(buy)

Which makes the album's middle track, the Eaglesmith cover above, a shock when it comes along.  Lambert, who writes or co-writes most of her material, imports a couple rockers - John Prine's "That's the Way That the World Goes 'Round," Buddy & Julie Miller's "Somewhere Trouble Don't Go" - and has, in the past, gone for smirks like David Rawlings' and Gillian Welch's "Dry Town."  Eaglesmith's own version of "Time to Get a Gun" backs its bleakness and anger into the mouth of a junkyard coot and feels harmless.  (Eaglesmith is Canadian.)  Its playfulness ("Time to get a gun, that's what I been thinkin', I could afford one if I did a little less drinkin'") seems to square with Lambert's established ATF profile, but amidst this record's tender moments -- it follows "Makin' Plans!" -- it feels sincere and matter-of-fact.

That makes "Gun" desperate and dangerous in a way I wish more of this record were.  But the song also feels like a genuine underemployed town hall-bustin' tea-baggin' big guv'ment zeitgeist moment.  Because wild child Lambert, who rocks and rolls and freely employs AutoTune, doesn't harp on traditionalism this feels imminent.  Because, despite the name of her record, she doesn't generally concern herself with politics ("Only Prettier" teases the speak - "universal plan," "crossing party lines" - into a relationship song; "Kerosene's" "Forget about your high society, I'm soakin' it in kerosene" merely injected class into another) this feels unprogrammed, called-for.  "Gun" reveals John Rich's "Shutting Detroit Down" as opportunistic pap and brushes aside the fumbled progressiveness of Brad Paisley's American Saturday Night as wistful distraction.

I wasn't surprised to find, under a promo clip of the song on YouTube, someone taking bait:  How Ironic, your new alblum name Revolution & we are headed there very soon Im afraid,Its about time this goverment wakes up is it not? ... Get with the Party folks ,get your & lets get our goverment working for us People again.. Something they havent done for 40 years now.. Its up to us to give our children the american dream as well.  [sic]  Not that we shouldn't ignore YouTube commenters in general, or the internet as a whole.

But I felt safer back when Miranda Lambert only aimed her anger at ex-boyfriends.

(You can stream Revolution here.  Lambert's on Letterman tonight.  AND Amazon has a bonus non-album track available for free download .)

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Choo Choo La Rouge - The Relentless Money Love Blues (mp3)(buy CD/mp3)

Odd that this band has been together for a decade, now.  Not just because it's surprising to find a group of people willing to call themselves "Choo Choo La Rouge" (myspace) for that long.  (Name's apparently got something to do with the Beantown subway, not the drag queen porn director.)  But because on Black Clouds, their second full-length, the sound feels like it's still waiting to come together.  A smidge thin, a touch sloppy, a step slow.

It's an amiable sort of inadequacy, though, ear-friendly roots-rock that goes out words first.  "The Relentless Money Love Blues" has an obvious subterranean stomp and turns phrases with built-in pivot points.  That doesn't rob the song of its pleasures.  It's still spinning come its "money love love money money love" conclusion.  That part could do with a little more fist-pumping, but you've got fists, don't you?

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I get retarded amounts of pleasure from the "Rockabilly Roadhouse" show on WPRB now every Tuesday between 3 and 5pm.  Station streams online.  Its hosts spin all variations on what you're expecting, but with more variety than you'd expect.  Perfect kick to your late afternoon if you're able.

(Despite the banter.  Sometimes because of it.)

PRB's gearing up for its annual pledge drive.  Located on the Princeton college campus, it's an independent station that receives no funding from the University.  Fundraiser takes place from October 7-14, and I'll mention it again come that time, but they're already accepting donations.

tags: miranda lambert  choo choo la rouge  

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