Miranda Lambert has quietly put up one of the best discographies from any mainstream artist over the last two decades. From her spark plug debut album, Kerosene, to her latest Grammy-nominated, Palomino, Lambert has covered a lot of ground both lyrically and sonically in her eight independent albums.
For the sake of consistency, her collaboration album with Jack Ingram and Jon Randall, The Marfa Tapes, as well as her Pistol Annies albums will be left off. I’m just focusing on her solo outings on this list.
8. Platinum
To me, Platinum feels like a bump in the road in the Miranda Lambert mythos. While I don’t think that she has produced a truly bad album, Platinum is easily the most forgettable project as a whole. This mainly has to do with her only writing eight of the 16 songs present on the lengthy record. I’ve always found Lambert’s personality through her writing the most interesting aspect of her as an artist. While we get flashes of this on tracks like Automatic, Bathroom Sink and Two Rings Shy, the album feels very generic.
I think the main issue with the album is the singles. Though Automatic started Platinum’s singles off with a bang, the following three are some of her weakest to date. Somethin’ Bad (feat. Carrie Underwood), Little Red Wagon and Smokin’ and Drinkin’ round out a very weak batch of singles that don’t have that classic Lambert vibe.
Though it can be argued that Somethin’ Bad and Little Red Wagon showcase her rockin’ edge fairly well, they simply don’t have the same charm as hits like Kerosene, Gunpowder & Lead and Mama’s Broken Heart. They sonically have a similar feel, but lyrically they don’t have the same bite. The singles ultimately serve as a microcosm of the issues present on Platinum.
Standout Track: Automatic
7. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend feels very similar to Eric Church’s Carolina. It takes a similar vibe to their debut albums (Kerosene and Sinners Like Me) and sticks to that formula. Given that both Church’s and Lambert’s formulas work very well, the albums are rock solid, just not as dynamic as their later, greater records.
It progresses Lamberts’ early character arc of being a wild, reckless woman while still showing hints of vulnerability on tracks like More Like Her. Nothing showcases her flashing her wild side like the runaway hit, Gunpowder & Lead. It’s such a strong, southern rock-inspired track that truly makes the album burst out of the gate in the best way possible.
That being said, it’s a little too similar to Kerosene. While Kerosene struck an excellent balance of Lambert showcasing her recklessness, youth and wandering spirit, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend does similar things without much else setting it apart.
Standout Track: More Like Her
6. The Weight of These Wings
It seems like this will be the most controversial placement on the list; however, I didn’t fall in love with this record the way I have with many of Lambert’s other projects. Seeing this being her essential album on Apple Music and routinely being placed in her top three confuses me a bit. While I wouldn’t call this a bad record or even an average one, there are much better ones from the Texan singer/songwriter.
I recognize that this was a bold, open album that came off of the heels of her public divorce with Blake Shelton, but I never quite feel the pain on this record honestly. Tin Man is the obvious standout from both a heartbreak and lyrical standpoint. It’s a gut-wrenching take on heartbreak, and I can’t help but wish that she tapped into this a bit more throughout.
Overall, I wish the weight placed on Lambert’s wings was a bit more tangible on this record. Though there are great tracks throughout, they get a bit lost in the album’s lengthy hour-and-a-half runtime
Standout Track: Tin Man
5. Wildcard
It feels criminal to have Wildcard this low on this list. That being said, it’s a testament to how great of a discography Lambert has built up over the past 18 years. It has just about everything you’d want from a Lambert. She has her patented rockin’ track with Locomotive, a sassy track with It All Comes Out in the Wash and a conflicted track with Settling Down.
Some of the deep cuts present are some of her weakest, in my opinion. Mess with My Head, Way Too Pretty for Prison (with Maren Morris) and Track Record really fade to the background on this record.
That being said, Tequilla Does, is one of her best songs to date. It has such a classic, southwestern sound that is packed full of great wordplay. The chemistry between her, Ingram and Randall in the writing room can be felt here as well as on Palomino.
Wildcard is a great record from Lambert that simply doesn’t quite have as strong of a thematic centering as the albums higher on this list.
Standout Track: Tequila Does
4. Kerosene
The album that started it all for the The House That Built Me singer still remains an incredible record. Kerosene is as close to perfect as a debut record can be. It sets up themes that will be explored deeper in later albums, it establishes her musical style that blends classic country with southern rock sensibility, and arguably most importantly, it sets up her wandering ways that will be a reoccurring theme throughout her career.
Kerosene ends up striking a unique balance between feeling youthful and wise at the same time. Songs like the title track as well as I Wanna Die display a youthful sense of brashness and passion while tracks like Me and Charlie Talking and What About Georgia? show a reflective and mature side of the then 22-year-old Lambert.
With five solo writes and six co-writes, only one song on the album was not written by Lambert. Not only is this extremely impressive for a mainstream debut album that was released in 2005, but it gives the album an incredible sense of identity. Lambert’s wit, rage and vulnerability all simultaneously get established beautifully here.
Standout Track: Me and Charlie Talking
3. Revolution
When an album spawns as many hits as Revolution does, there can’t be too many issues present with the overall construction of the album for the most part. With career staples like White Liar, Only Prettier, Heart Like Mine and the standout, The House That Built Me, all being present on Revolution, the album contains her best set of singles throughout.
The hit singles are balanced out with some fantastic deep cuts such as Airstream Song, Somewhere Trouble Don’t Go and Makin’ Plans.
When you analyze songs such as Airstream Song, Makin’ Plans and The House That Built Me, it reveals an interesting dichotomy that is presented throughout Lambert’s career. That is her conflict between being a wandering spirit and wanting to settle down. Conflicts like these that are explored throughout her records are ultimately what makes me come back to Lambert record after record and fascinate me beyond measure.
Standout Track: The House That Built Me
2. Four the Record
Arguably no record showcases Lambert’s self-proclaimed old soul as well as Four the Record does. It simply sounds timeless. Whether it is Easy Living or Look At Miss Ohio or Same Old You, she captures a unique sound that sounds equally as modern as it does classic.
All Kinds of Kinds is the standout on the record. Like Carousel on Palomino, Lambert does a brilliant job of capturing this world of circus performers. The complexities, problems and darkness present in these circus performers ultimately serve as an excellent metaphor for not judging people and overall acceptance. The world-building leads beautifully into the chorus where the final line, “To keep the world spinning, it takes all kinds of kinds,” hammers home the concept of individualism and acceptance.
Four the Record is an incredibly well-rounded album; there’s truly nothing missing from it. She captures her sense of humor perfectly on Baggage Claim, her wild side on Mama’s Broken Heart and Fastest Girl In Town, her acceptance on All Kinds of Kinds and her vulnerability on Over You . Top-to-bottom, the record is stacked.
Standout Track: All Kinds of Kinds
1. Palomino
Palomino is one of the thematically strongest mainstream country albums I’ve heard in quite a while, evoking such a strong sense of travel and motion throughout. Tracks such as Scenes, Tourist and Pursuit of Happiness display this the most.
I can’t help but highlight my favorite Lambert song to date, the closing track, Carousel. It displays her writing prowess arguably the best, putting the perfect bow on this gift of an album. The track is a classic in the making, detailing a love story between two circus performers that is sure to bring a tear to your eye. The amount of world-building and character-creation Lambert created in four minutes and twenty seconds is simply incredible.
Overall, Lambert released an absolute gem of an album with Palomino. Thematically rich, lyrically strong and sonically rocking, the record is a triumph from Lambert. It feels like a culmination of the sense of wandering and restlessness she’s set up dating back to Kerosene.
It might be an unconventional album to have at #1. That being said, Palomino is expertly focused and masterfully constructed; it simply had to be #1.
Standout Track: Carousel