Artist: Miranda Lambert | Album: The Weight of These Wings | Released: 2016 | Genre: Country

Miranda Lambert came to stardom via reality TV, so living in public isn’t unusual for her, yet suffering through a public divorce from Blake Shelton had to take its toll. Lambert, however, doesn’t wear her heart on her sleeve on The Weight of These Wings, a sprawling double-disc album released in the wake of her separation from Shelton. She channels whatever sorrow she has into a moody, muddy production that has more in common with the impressionistic smears of Daniel Lanois than whatever sounds were emanating from Nashville in 2016. Even on its sunnier songs — the slurring stumble of “Pink Sunglasses,” the Southern shade on “We Can Be Friends” — The Weight of These Wings seems to take place at dusk, its melodies and rhythms nestling into a comforting murk. Perhaps Lambert never explicitly writes about heartbreak, but she’s got leaving on her mind — she opens the record with “Runnin’ Just in Case” and concludes with “I’ve Got Wheels,” realizing along the way that she’s a “Highway Vagabond” while throwing in a cover of Danny O’Keefe’s “Covered Wagon” for good measure — and admits there are “Things That Break.” All these songs suggest some uncertainty lurking in Lambert’s heart, but The Weight of These Wings is a work of extreme confidence. If the two discs don’t appear to adhere to their specific subtitles (disc one is called “The Nerve,” the second “The Heart”), all 24 songs derive from the same viewpoint, which isn’t markedly changed from 2014’s Platinum. Maybe the swagger is tempered a bit, but Lambert still blends ballads with pop, old-time country, sly stories, and a bit of rebellious rock. By radically shifting her sound, she winds up focusing attention on her songwriting and musicality: it may have mainstream songs, but The Weight of These Wings isn’t produced like a country-pop album, so it demands attention and rewards close listening. It is by no means tight, but its excess is also its asset because immersion reveals different pleasures with every spin.

Tracklisting:

01. Runnin’ Just in Case 04:33
02. Highway Vagabond 03:53
03. Ugly Lights 03:01
04. You Wouldn’t Know Me 03:19
05. We Should Be Friends 02:50
06. Pink Sunglasses 04:06
07. Getaway Driver 03:53
08. Vice 04:00
09. Smoking Jacket 04:54
10. Pushin’ Time 03:33
11. Covered Wagon 04:08
12. Use My Heart 03:50
13. Tin Man 04:19
14. Good Ol’ Days 03:18
15. Things That Break 03:47
16. For the Birds 03:47
17. Well-Rested 04:40
18. Tomboy 04:01
19. To Learn Her 03:47
20. Keeper of the Flame 03:59
21. Bad Boy 04:40
22. Six Degrees of Separation 03:09
23. Dear Old Sun 04:56
24. I’ve Got Wheels 03:40

Single download
Miranda Lambert – Even on its sunnier songs — the slurring stumble of “Pink Sunglasses,” the Southern shade on “We Can Be Friends” — The Weight of These Wings seems to take place at dusk, its melodies and rhythms nestling into a comforting murk. Perhaps Lambert never explicitly writes about heartbreak, but she’s got leaving on her mind — she opens the record with “Runnin’ Just in Case” and concludes with “I’ve Got Wheels,” realizing along the way that she’s a “Highway Vagabond” while throwing in a cover of Danny O’Keefe’s “Covered Wagon” for good measure — and admits there are “Things That Break.” All these songs suggest some uncertainty lurking in Lambert’s heart, but The Weight of These Wings is a work of extreme confidence. If the two discs don’t appear to adhere to their specific subtitles disc one is called “The Nerve,” the second “The Heart”
Miranda Lambert – Runnin’ Just in Case 04:33
Miranda Lambert – Highway Vagabond 03:53
Miranda Lambert – Ugly Lights 03:01
Miranda Lambert – You Wouldn’t Know Me 03:19
Miranda Lambert – We Should Be Friends 02:50
Miranda Lambert – Pink Sunglasses 04:06
Miranda Lambert – Getaway Driver 03:53
Miranda Lambert – Vice 04:00
Miranda Lambert – Smoking Jacket 04:54
Miranda Lambert – Pushin’ Time 03:33
Miranda Lambert – Covered Wagon 04:08
Miranda Lambert – Use My Heart 03:50
Miranda Lambert – Tin Man 04:19
Miranda Lambert – Good Ol’ Days 03:18
Miranda Lambert – Things That Break 03:47
Miranda Lambert – For the Birds 03:47
Miranda Lambert – Well-Rested 04:40
Miranda Lambert – Tomboy 04:01
Miranda Lambert – To Learn Her 03:47
Miranda Lambert – Keeper of the Flame 03:59
Miranda Lambert – Bad Boy 04:40
Miranda Lambert – Six Degrees of Separation 03:09
Miranda Lambert – Dear Old Sun 04:56

Category:Country
Main catalog

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