After delivering the excellent "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" in 2007, Miranda Lambert was on her way to becoming country's next big superstar. "Revolution", her third album, certainly doesn't shy away from this inevitability, starting with the album title itself going all the way down to its big choruses and pop melodies. With every record she makes, Lambert steps into the mainstream just a little bit more, but this is hardly in the vein of Taylor Swift. "Revolution" is loaded with banjos, twangy guitars, two-step rhythms and another great delivery of Lambert's smooth vocals in order to set it apart from country-pop, even if this record is the poppiest any country album has been in years. It's no small feat, and as "Revolution" proves, it couldn't have been made by any other artist in the 2000s. Lambert re-defined the country market with "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend", so she was free to keep following that path of rousing country-rock and great ballads. The only real difference between "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" and this is mainly length--most country records clock in at 40 minutes and twelve tracks, this has fifteen tracks and runs a staggering 51 minutes. Obviously, Lambert isn't playing around, she intends to deliver what she promises, and she certainly has no problem in her execution. "White Liar", the purest piece of country-pop here, opens the album and is incidentally the longest song on this record. It successfully combines country and pop in equal measures, unlike "Love Story" or "You Belong With Me" from Swift. No other song on "Revolution" may be as delectable as its first track, but that's hardly an issue. "Only Prettier" follows it, and is sung with Lambert's signature back-handed sneer, while the ballads "The House That Built me" and "Dead Flowers" add a nice change of pace from what's otherwise an arsenal of the finest country-rock around. What makes all of these songs stick is Lambert, a restless artist who never ceases to amaze with lyrical depth or varying sonic layers in the music: "Maintain the Pain" could have been a Duran Duran record, and "Sin for a Sin" echoes fellow country star Blake Shelton (no surprise as he co-wrote the song). "Revolution" is far from revolutionary--all songs here are crafted exquisitely, but are not unfamiliar or experimental enough to completely change the game--and as previously mentioned, time does become an issue, as the album sags mid-way through and has trouble getting the party re-started. But these mistakes can be forgiven, after all, Miranda Lambert has already racked up an impressive record in fine music, and thankfully "Revolution" doesn't disappoint.
Recommended Tracks in Bold:
1. White Liar 2. Only Prettier 3. Dead Flowers
4. Me and Your Cigarettes 5. Maintain the Pain 6. Airstream Song
7. Makin Plans 8. Time to Get a Gun 9. Somewhere Trouble Don’t Go
10. The House That Built Me 11. Love Song
12. Heart Like Mine 13. Sin for a Sin
14. That’s the Way the World Goes Round 15. Virginia Bluebell
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