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Miranda Lambert - Wildcard Era

Farawayhills

Farawayhills

Well-known member
One thing I particularly like about Miranda is that, as well as her big concerts, she still likes to perform in small venues, similar to the ones where she began. She often chooses to launch new songs in venues like that, and yesterday she premiered "Dark Bars" in the Exit/In in Nashville. This is a venue that can hold an audience of about 500, and she's used it before for an album launch. It's in a cluster of restaurants and bars, between the hospital district and the Vanderbilt campus, and is popular with students.

"Dark Bars" is one of the songs she wrote with the Love Junkies, and it's probably one of the songs that will most please those who particularly like her slower, more reflective, emotional songs. Interestingly, the lyric seems to suggest a progression in the narrator's life, from going to bars earlier to drown her sorrow, but now going again, as a person in control of her emotions, simply to relive the memories from a more settled perspective. She says it's one of her favourites on the album, and on this showing it's looks to be one of the best. You can see her acoustic performance here:

https://theboot.com/miranda-lambert-dark-bars-live/


This was not a proper album launch, but more a preview for industry professionals - so I don't think we are likely to get more videos of the performances yet. But there are some more details (such as "Holy Water" being described as "swampy", and "Tequila Does" transitioning from two-step to waltz time) in this Billboard article, which is worth reading for insights on how some of the songs came to be written

https://www.billboard.com/articles/...iranda-lambert-debuts-wildcard-song-dark-bars
 
lizcarlo

lizcarlo

Well-known member
Farawayhills said:
One thing I particularly like about Miranda is that, as well as her big concerts, she still likes to perform in small venues, similar to the ones where she began. She often chooses to launch new songs in venues like that, and yesterday she premiered "Dark Bars" in the Exit/In in Nashville. This is a venue that can hold an audience of about 500, and she's used it before for an album launch. It's in a cluster of restaurants and bars, between the hospital district and the Vanderbilt campus, and is popular with students.

"Dark Bars" is one of the songs she wrote with the Love Junkies, and it's probably one of the songs that will most please those who particularly like her slower, more reflective, emotional songs. Interestingly, the lyric seems to suggest a progression in the narrator's life, from going to bars earlier to drown her sorrow, but now going again, as a person in control of her emotions, simply to relive the memories from a more settled perspective. She says it's one of her favourites on the album, and on this showing it's looks to be one of the best. You can see her acoustic performance here:

https://theboot.com/miranda-lambert-dark-bars-live/


This was not a proper album launch, but more a preview for industry professionals - so I don't think we are likely to get more videos of the performances yet. But there are some more details (such as "Holy Water" being described as "swampy", and "Tequila Does" transitioning from two-step to waltz time) in this Billboard article, which is worth reading for insights on how some of the songs came to be written

https://www.billboard.com/articles/...iranda-lambert-debuts-wildcard-song-dark-bars
Click to expand...

I have always loved small venues for my favorite artists. Performances always feels so intimate. Love that she still does it. That's why I really like about her Live By Candle Light she released around Revolution era. In fact this is still my favorite Tin Man performance. Miranda and her guitar is heaven to me. Just love it.

 
Farawayhills

Farawayhills

Well-known member
Miranda was chosen as the inaugural recipient of the RIAA's "Artist of the Year" award. The citation was in recognition of “her bold and fearless efforts to move the industry forward while making important and positive contributions to our culture and society.” - specifically, for her efforts in promoting the role of women, in songwriting , touring and management.
The ceremony was held on Capitol Hill, and is intended to be an annual event. Artist of the Year is an all-genre award, and the similar Executive of the Year award also went to a woman, Lanre Gaba, who handles Urban Music A & R for Atlantic Records. The Policy Maker of the Year Award was shared by the House of Representatives Majority and Minority leaders (in recognition of bi-partisan support for the Music Modernization Act).

There is a picture here, of Miranda making her reception speech
https://twitter.com/CJRosenbaum/status/1176996512456413185/photo/1

And an article from the Tennessean discussing the award (it seems clear that the industry is bowing to pressure to make a statement, in the face of the accusations of sexism in many parts of the recording and radio business)
https://eu.tennessean.com/story/ent...her-support-fellow-female-artists/2430494001/

Miranda also sang at the event - I'm not sure how many songs, but the most talked about was "Bluebird". Her friend and most frequent writing collaborator, Natalie Hemby sang harmony with her, and her guitarist, Boo Massey, provided acoustic accompaniment.
 
Momin

Momin

Well-known member
Thanks for posting all this information. I always read these articles but feel rather lazy to post them here and make a comment. So thank you for bringing this to my and everybody's attention.

I'm really glad Miranda is receiving this recognition for her efforts to support women because, like she said, she's been doing it since the beginning. It's something that I think doesn't get noticed a lot, or at least it didn't get too noticed until "the conversation" started taking place. The first notable example I came across was when Miranda praised her fellow FVOTY nominees during her win-speech in 2012. It is one of my favourite speeches at any awards show for being so sincere.

I'm looking forward to the new songs she has performed. They sound more like her. "Bluebird", I do want to say, is the track I'm fondest of from Wildcard. It's heartfelt and the music has this beautiful mix of happy and sad; when I listen to it, it's like, "hey, this crap happened in my life but I'm still taking it with me, learning from it and making myself a better person". And while the lyrics are reflective of that sentiment, there is something about the music that, regardless of the words being sung, strikes a very deep chord in me.
 
Momin

Momin

Well-known member
I have a little interest in music myself and, in an ideal world, I would have been a musician and songwriter (I've only started writing songs recently though). And I have always thought that, if I ever make music, it would be jarring, odd and it defies expectations. Which is why this song pleases me so much. Apart from the instrumentation, I love the strange, odd structure of the song which! It makes for a very, very interesting composition for me, something I would revisit and also would like to replicate myself if I make a side-career out of composing music.
 
R

rcramer

Well-known member
adam1995 said:

This is my favorite song so far.
Click to expand...


Miranda has always been a hard sale for me, but this song is one that I would call a favorite as well.... I like the way the song was stylistically done, if that makes any sense.... Always one or two of her songs, I can really get into.....
 
Farawayhills

Farawayhills

Well-known member
It's certainly one of the strongest and most interesting songs revealed so far. It's written with Jack Ingram and Jon Randall, two highly rated Texas artists, whom she's known for a long time, and worked with before

I read at least three things into the theme she's chosen to express in this song:

1. The concern she's also shown in a number of other ways recently about closing off the Southern border. She identifies strongly in this song with the mixed ethnic and cultural heritage of Texas
2. What I perceive as a defiant facing down of the tabloid and social media obsession with her personal life. The lyrics of this song take sexuality and a "wild girl" image as something of a badge of honour
3. I also take this "traditionalist" honky-tonk styled number as a reply to those who complain that much of her work is more "Americana" leaning and not "pure Country".

I have a pre-order in place for the album, and am looking forward to hearing it as a whole. I think we're seeing a definite mix of "old Miranda", with her biting defiance, and the innovative progression she adds to her Country Rock. What it may prove a little short on are the slower, introspective "heartbreak" ballads, but I think she's already said that "sad Miranda" is not the focus at this stage of her life.
 
Farawayhills

Farawayhills

Well-known member
Miranda is giving a release performance of Wildcard at an intimate venue in New York, and is offering a block of free tickets to members of her fan club, allocated by draw. Non-members can also see a recording of the show a few days later, through I-Heart

https://www.mirandalambert.com/fanclub/wildcard-release/


--------------

This article, from the StarTribune (the main Minneapolis newspaper) contains some familiar material, but also refers to her unconventional release strategy, of opening her tour well before the album comes out, and releasing seven songs (half the album) before the project is available for sale. Her replies relate this to the music being her main concern, and her preference for going with her "gut feeling". She also talks a little about radio, and why she regards the RIAA award as particularly special

http://www.startribune.com/nashvill...ngs-an-all-women-lineup-to-st-paul/563298282/
 
Farawayhills

Farawayhills

Well-known member
Some pre-release activities:

She sang "It All Comes Out in the Wash" (her current pitch to radio) on Stephen Colbert's Late Show. (It's not one of my favourites from her songs, I'm afraid, but Spencer Cullum adds some innovative steel work on the chirpy chorus refrain)



She spent the following evening with her husband at Madison Square Garden, watching a Bob Seger concert. There are some photos here of her backstage, meeting Bob Seger and Steve Earle - underlining her long standing interest in Roots Rock.
https://twitter.com/mirandalambert/status/1189980185845805056/photo/1

Billboard have an in-depth article on her career - emphasizing her mix of tradition and progressive rock, which has tended to make her an unconventional figure for Mainstream radio. The article summarizes each of her albums, with references to some of the standout songs, and concludes "Lambert remains one of country’s most distinctive and consistent voices. One of popular music’s best singers, she’s immune to trends and inextricably tied to the tentpoles of traditional country without being overly reverent."
https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/country/8541769/miranda-lambert-discography-review
 
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