{"id":3978,"date":"2015-03-23T13:18:10","date_gmt":"2015-03-23T18:18:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sites.dwrl.utexas.edu\/countrymusic\/?page_id=3978"},"modified":"2015-05-20T11:15:56","modified_gmt":"2015-05-20T16:15:56","slug":"kerosene-2005","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.dwrl.utexas.edu\/countrymusic\/music\/kerosene-2005\/","title":{"rendered":"Kerosene (2005)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Many will agree that Miranda Lambert is one of the most successful women Country Music has ever seen. She has won countless awards with her chart-topping albums, singles, and her amazing performances. All of her successes, however, can be attributed to her debut album, Kerosene<\/em>. Lambert\u2019s first album thrust her into the spotlight of country music with its alternative sound and homegrown roots. The album shows honesty and Lambert\u2019s habit to speak her mind with little boundaries, which are reasons for her current fame and likeability.<\/p>\n

Miranda Lambert was born in Longview, Texas in 1983 and grew up in Lindale, Texas. She began performing in front of large audiences at the age of 16 when she performed in a talent show titled \u201cThe Johnnie High Country Music Revue\u201d in Arlington, Texas. After this, Lambert started recording with a label in Nashville, but left because of the \u201cpop\u201d sounds of the songs she was asked to record. She learned to play the guitar so that she could write her own songs instead, stating in an interview, \u201cI want to say something that makes people think\u201d (Crossan).<\/p>\n

In high school, Lambert led a band called \u201cThe Texas Pride Band,\u201d which played in Longview at different venues. At one of the performances she met Rod Phelps, an entertainment attorney who helped kick-start her career by sending demos to producers he knew. Lambert moved back to Nashville, which resulted in her auditioning for Nashville Star<\/em>, an American Idol<\/em> style TV competition show. She ended up winning 3rd<\/sup> place and signing with the label Epic Records a year later.<\/p>\n

\u201cMe and Charlie Talking\u201d<\/a> was Miranda\u2019s first single and debuted at 42 on the Billboard<\/em> Hot Country Songs chart. Her debut album, Kerosene<\/em>, was released in March of 2005 and reached Number 1 on the charts. Lambert wrote or co-wrote 11 of the 12 songs on the album, 4 of which were Top 40 singles on the Billboard<\/em> Country charts. However, the only single that reached the Top 20 was the title track, \u201cKerosene.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2005, the same year Kerosene<\/em> was released, YouTube was founded and the first video launched in April. Facebook had been launched the previous year. One can argue that these dates were the \u201cstart\u201d of social media, which has been a huge success in aiding artists\u2019 careers and increasing their fan bases. Before this, many artists used MySpace as a way to put out their music and connect with fans. It is unclear as to whether or not this site was used by Lambert for Kerosene<\/em> or previous to its release. Miranda Lambert\u2019s (now) friend, Carrie Underwood, won American Idol<\/em> this year as well.\"\"<\/p>\n

According to NutsAboutCountry.com<\/em> many fans are impressed with Miranda Lambert\u2019s ability to stay true to herself.\u00a0By TV exposure on Nashville Star<\/em>, Lambert was able to build a large fan base early on, rather than through commercial exposure. This quality is appreciated by fans and listeners across the board, including DanD from Amazon.com who commented, \u201cFew artists on the Texas country scene have enough commercial appeal to make national playlists. Miranda Lambert is an exception to the rule; the amazing thing is, she does it without sacrificing who she is.\u201d One of the reasons why this album appeals to so many people is because of the mix of music influences. It has the \u201cTexas Country\u201d sound while also incorporating pop and rock sounds into songs as well. This is especially impressive coming from a younger artist.<\/p>\n

Despite the numerous glowing reviews, there were also some bad ones as well, including one from Amazon user LJS \u201cJumper\u201d who said, \u201cAt 24 years old, Miranda\u2019s tracks sound like a 14 year-old\u2019s\u2026 Might be able to give a good delivery on a recording when she\u2019s 34 years old\u2026 but not yet.\u201d The review is probably harsh considering Kerosene<\/em> was her first album and Lambert most likely wrote some of these songs at a younger age. Another common critique was of the title track, \u201cKerosene,\u201d<\/a> her most popular single from the album. Many argued that the song sounds almost identical to Steve Earle\u2019s \u201cFeel Alright.\u201d Amazon user Michael A. Smith agrees with this notion stating, \u201cI was furious the first time I heard it. It\u2019s a total musical rip-off [with] different lyrics\u2026 Hard to give her praise when she\u2019s selling music that\u2019s not hers, nor giving credit where due, for the music.\u201d However, Steve Earle, along with Guy Clark, Jack Ingram, and Emmylou Harris, are some of Lambert\u2019s greatest influences. Because Miranda Lambert strives for a rock-country\/alternative-country sound, the song was most likely influenced by the sounds of Steve Earle.<\/p>\n

Lambert\u2019s first album hosts many breakup songs, some sad and some angry, including \u201cKerosene,\u201d \u201cBring Me Down,\u201d \u201cThere\u2019s A Wall,\u201d and \u201cWhat About Georgia.\u201d The song \u201cWhat About Georgia\u201d was actually written about another contestant on Nashville Star<\/em>, Travis Howard. He wrote a song about dating Miranda describing her as a train wreck. After Howard sent her the song, Lambert was furious and decided to write a song about how he left home and forgot about everyone else. On this album, Miranda Lambert also had three songs about moving on. \u201cNew Strings\u201d and \u201cI Can\u2019t Be Bothered\u201d are both about getting past a relationship ending. However, \u201cMama I\u2019m Alright\u201d is about a girl leaving home in a small town to bigger and better things. The song is aimed towards the mother of the girl, telling her not to worry and that the mother did a great job of raising the girl. Lambert\u2019s debut single \u201cMe and Charlie Talking\u201d was written with her dad about childhood love and how much it is treasured, as opposed to love between adults, which the singer argues isn\u2019t always appreciated like it should be.<\/p>\n

One of the main reasons that attributes to the success of Miranda Lambert\u2019s first album is how real it is. Similar to Taylor Swift, Lambert writes the majority of her music, making it relatable; this is especially true considering that more than half of the songs are about love, relationships, and heartbreak. The artist uses personal experiences to create a strong bond with her fans, leaving them coming back for more. At this point in her career Miranda Lambert has won over 40 different awards including \u201cNew Artist of the Year\u201d at the Music Row Awards in 2005, \u201cFemale Vocalist of the Year\u201d 12 times, and \u201cArtist of the Year\u201d in 2014. Lambert has clearly had a successful career and most likely will continue that success for years. Her many successes can be traced back to her original album Kerosene<\/em>, which caught the attention of the country music world as Lambert prepared to take it by storm.<\/p>\n

\n

Tracklist:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. \u201cKerosene\u201d<\/a> \u2013 (M. Lambert)<\/li>\n
  2. \u201cWhat About Georgia?\u201d<\/a> \u2013 (M. Lambert)<\/li>\n
  3. \u201cGreyhound Bound for Nowhere\u201d \u2013 (M. Lambert, R. Lambert)<\/li>\n
  4. \u201cNew Strings\u201d \u2013 (M. Lambert)<\/li>\n
  5. \u201cI Can\u2019t Be Bothered\u201d \u2013 (M. Lambert, T. Howard)<\/li>\n
  6. \u201cBring Me Down\u201d \u2013 (M. Lambert, T. Howard)<\/li>\n
  7. \u201cMe and Charlie Talking\u201d \u2013 (M. Lambert, R. Lambert, H. Little)<\/li>\n
  8. \u201cI Wanna Die\u201d \u2013 (M. Lambert, S. Wray)<\/li>\n
  9. \u201cLove is Looking for You\u201d \u2013 (M. Lambert)<\/li>\n
  10. \u201cMama, I\u2019m Alright\u201d \u2013 (M. Lambert, T. Howard)<\/li>\n
  11. \u201cThere\u2019s a Wall\u201d \u2013 (M. Lambert)<\/li>\n
  12. \u201cLove Your Memory\u201d<\/a> \u2013 (M. Lambert)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
    \n

    Works Cited:<\/p>\n

    Crossan, Jeff. “Special Interview (2006): Miranda Lambert Talks About Her Debut Kerosene Album, And How She Got Started.” Songwriter Universe<\/em>. Web. 10 Mar. 2015.<\/p>\n

    “Kerosene: Miranda Lambert.” Amazon.com<\/em>. Web. 10 Mar. 2015. <http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Kerosene-Miranda-Lambert\/dp\/B0007OP284>.<\/p>\n

    Peden, George. “Miranda Lambert – Kerosene.” NutsAboutCountry.com<\/em>. Web. 20 Mar. 2015.<\/p>\n

    Webb, Jennifer. “Miranda Lambert – ‘Kerosene'” About Entertainment<\/em>. Web. 20 Mar. 2015. <http:\/\/countrymusic.about.com\/od\/cdreviewsal\/gr\/blkerosene.htm>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Many will agree that Miranda Lambert is one of the most successful women Country Music has ever seen. She has won countless awards with her chart-topping albums, singles, and her amazing performances. All of her successes, however, can be attributed … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":63,"featured_media":0,"parent":18,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-3978","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.dwrl.utexas.edu\/countrymusic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3978","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.dwrl.utexas.edu\/countrymusic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.dwrl.utexas.edu\/countrymusic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.dwrl.utexas.edu\/countrymusic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/63"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.dwrl.utexas.edu\/countrymusic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3978"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/sites.dwrl.utexas.edu\/countrymusic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3978\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4895,"href":"https:\/\/sites.dwrl.utexas.edu\/countrymusic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3978\/revisions\/4895"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.dwrl.utexas.edu\/countrymusic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/18"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.dwrl.utexas.edu\/countrymusic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3978"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}