Miranda Lambert takes a sombre turn in her newest release The Weight Of These Wings.
Lambert’s high-profile marriage with fellow country star Blake Shelton came to an end mid-2015 and naturally, the album is rife with melancholic relationship tunes.
She is decidedly introspective and rather hard on herself. Lambert sings about being an inherently flawed individual that unwittingly destroys everything or everyone she cares about in Things That Break and To Learn Her.
But none of them are as heartbreaking as Tin Man, referencing the character from the children’s classic The Wizard Of Oz who’s in search of a heart. Reflecting on how lucky he is to not have a heart, she sings, “You can take mine if you want it, it’s in pieces now.”
Hope seeps in at the very end of the album. The 33-year-old Texas native, who has a new beau in R&B singer Anderson East, talks about seeing the light in Dear Old Sun and moving forward in I’ve Got Wheels On.
Musically, Lambert is also sounding gloomier than we’re used to, with slow and mid-tempo tracks dominating the mammoth 24-track release. Sure, there’s lighter fare like Pink Sunglasses and Ugly Lights but they are nothing like her earlier foot-stomping hits Little Red Wagon or Somethin’ Bad.
The singer has a number of catchy tracks like lead single Vice but most of the album isn’t as commercial-sounding as her previous releases. She opts for subtle melodies and a more subdued vocal performance, letting her emotions and songwriting speak volumes instead. True to its title, The Weight Of These Wings is her heaviest album yet.
Miranda Lambert
The Weight Of These Wings
Sony Music