Platinum

by Miranda Lambert

Overview

Platinum is a double-edged title. The first edge refers to Miranda Lambert's hair -- as she sings on the title track, "what doesn't kill you only makes you blonder" -- the second refers to her fame, a topic she returns to often throughout her fifth record. A star since her 2005 debut Kerosene -- it was released on the heels of her also-ran placing on 2003's Nashville Star, so she's never known a time outside of the spotlight -- her fame reached the stratosphere in the 2010s, after she married fellow country star Blake Shelton in 2011, not long after he became one of the judges on NBC's The Voice. This romance pushed Lambert into mainstream tabloids, a situation she addresses on "Priscilla," where she laments that "it's a difficult thing being queen of the king," an odd turn of phrase considering Miranda is by no means subservient to Blake. By most measures, she reigns supreme in 2010s' contemporary country in a way her husband does not: she's a songwriter, which he is not, she spends her spare time in the Pistol Annies and he spends his downtime on TV and she, far more than her husband, takes musical risks. Platinum is notable because Lambert tries to be everything to everyone here and damn near succeeds. There are times when she drifts too far toward crass crossover, but she doesn't run risks when she adopts a vocoder, which she does to great aplomb on "Smokin' and Drinkin'," a duet with Little Big Town that has all of their smoothness and none of their slickness. Lambert only sounds desperate when she's racing to keep up with Carrie Underwood on "Somethin' Bad" -- a song co-written by American Idol stalwart Chris DeStefano -- and perhaps on "Automatic," a paean to the past she feels too self-conscious about and doesn't have a melody to sell its nostalgia, either. Apart from these two cuts, Platinum doesn't take a wrong step, which is all the more remarkable because Lambert tries to have it both ways: she pulls out all the stops making gilded contemporary pop, but spends a significant section of the album playing songs the way they used to, covering Tom T. Hall's "All That's Left" with the Time Jumpers, offering a bluegrass ode to "Old Shit," and then concluding with a vaudeville shuffle "Gravity's a Bitch," a riotous admission that there's no denying the ravages of old age. Most of Lambert's co-writing comes on the concluding third of the record, where she collaborates with Ashley Monroe on "Holding on to You" and "Another Sunday in the South," while working with Brandy Clark on "Two Rings Shy," songs that reaffirm her taste for sharply crafted modern country, but Platinum is cannily constructed, opening with the most modern tunes ("Girls," a record that crawls when it seems like it would run, "Platinum," and the breakneck "Little Red Wagon") before settling into more pure country. Perhaps Platinum would've benefitted from a tighter construction, but its mess and lopsided sequencing wind up appealing: at its heart, this is a classic double-album where the misses enhance the home runs and, eventually, are endearing on their own terms. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	06/03/2014
Label:	Rca / Sony Music
UPC:	0888837927826

Tracks

1. Girls
2. Platinum
3. Little Red Wagon
4. Smokin' and Drinkin'
5. Priscilla
6. Automatic
7. Bathroom Sink
8. Old Sh!t
9. All That's Left
10. Gravity Is a Bitch
11. Babies Makin' Babies
12. Somethin' Bad
13. Holding on to You
14. Two Rings Shy
15. Hard Staying Sober
16. Another Sunday in the South

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Miranda Lambert   Primary Artist,Vocals
Paul Franklin   Guitar (Steel)
John Jarvis   Piano,Keyboards,Synthesizer
Larry Franklin   Fiddle,Vocals (Background)
Greg Leisz   Pedal Steel,Guitar (Acoustic)
Ashley Monroe   Vocals (Background)
Glenn Worf   Bass,Bass (Upright)
Glen Duncan   Fiddle,Mandolin,Guitar (Acoustic)
Mando Saenz   Harmonica
Harry Stinson   Vocals (Background)
Kenny Sears   Fiddle,Vocals (Background)
Billy Thomas   Drums
Jay Joyce   Dobro,Mandolin,Keyboards,Synthesizer,Organ (Hammond),Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Dawn Sears   Vocals
Jedd Hughes   Guitar (Electric),Guitar (Electric Baritone)
Karen Fairchild   Vocals (Background)
Jimi Westbrook   Vocals (Background)
Phillip Sweet   Vocals (Background)
Carrie Underwood   Vocals,Featured Artist
Nicolle Galyon   Vocals (Background)
Dr. G.K. Drakoulias   Vocals (Background)
Jams Byous   Vocals (Background)
Stephanie Lambring   Vocals (Background)
Warren Givens   Vocals (Background)
Carolyn Dawn Johnson   Vocals (Background)
Joe Spivey   Fiddle,Vocals (Background)
Ranger Doug Green   Guitar (Acoustic),Vocals (Background)
Vince Gill   Guitar (Electric),Vocals (Background)
Little Big Town   Featured Artist,Vocals (Background)
Jessi Alexander   Vocals (Background)
Richard Bennett   Banjo,Tiple,Bouzouki,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Marty Raybon   Vocals (Background)
Matt Chamberlain   Drums,Percussion
Randy Scruggs   Slide Guitar,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric),National Steel Guitar
Mike Rojas   Piano,Synthesizer
Fred Eltringham   Percussion
Andy Reiss   Guitar (Electric)
Kimberly Schlapman   Vocals (Background)
Jeff Taylor   Piano,Accordion,Vocals (Background)
The Time Jumpers   Featured Artist
Mallary Hope   Vocals (Background)
Gwen Sebastian   Vocals (Background)
Chris Stapleton   Vocals (Background)
Eddie Perez   Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Gene Miller   Vocals (Background)
Brad Albin   Bass (Upright)
Audra Mae   Vocals (Background)
Heather Little   Vocals (Background)
Aubrie Sellers   Vocals (Background)

Technical Credits

Natalie Hemby   Composer
Chuck Ainlay   Mixing,Engineer
Tom T. Hall   Composer
Ashley Monroe   Composer
Leslie Richter   Assistant
Dave Bianco   Engineer
Neil Mason   Composer
Carrie Underwood   Duet
Kam Luchterhand   Assistant
Joe Ginsberg   Composer
Nicolle Galyon   Composer
Paul Cossette   Assistant
Dixie Hall   Composer
Shane McAnally   Composer
Gavin Lurssen   Mastering
Jessi Alexander   Composer
Miranda Lambert   Composer
Brett James   Composer
Brandy Clark   Composer
Brent Cobb   Composer
Scotty Wray   Composer
Randee St. Nicholas   Photography
Matt Wheeler   Engineer
Priscilla Renea   Composer
Chris DeStefano   Composer
Brittany Hamlin   Production Coordination
Luke Laird   Composer
Jimmy Robbins   Composer
Audra Mae   Composer
Matt Rausch   Engineer
Brandon Schexnayder   Assistant
Heather Little   Composer