Miranda Lambert will have a new album out next month. The reigning ACM Entertainer of the Year will release her 15-track record, Palomino, on Friday, April 29.
Much of Palomino was created during the lockdown brought on by the pandemic. The first track written became the unexpected guiding light for the rest of the project.
“The making of this record has been one of the most fun and creative experiences of my career,” Lambert explains. “Luke Dick, Natalie Hemby, and I went out to my farm in Tennessee in 2020 and started writing songs. We figured while we have time let’s get out to the country and see what happens. The first one we wrote was ‘Tourist,’ and that set us on a path to create something with a bit of a theme. Since we couldn’t travel at the time, we decided to go on a journey through songs.”
The country music superstar enlisted one of the most iconic rock acts of all time, the B-52’s, to join her on one of the tracks.
“Unthinkable things coming together,” Lambert reflects. “When Natalie, who is such a badass singer and the kind of person who raises the cool in every room, started singing ‘Rollin’ on the river…,’ we were all like, ‘What if The B-52s sing on this?’ They loved the song. They Zoomed in with Luke and Jon [Randall] and sang their part, which gives me so much joy. I missed their Zoom, ‘cause I was on a plane; but to ZOOM The B-52s into your record? Yes, please.”
Palomino follows The Marfa Tapes, her joint record with Jack Ingram and Randall, which was recorded in Marfa, Texas around a campfire, largely unedited. That record became the impetus for Lambert’s ambitious Palomino project, with three of the tracks returning on Palomino, this time as fully-produced songs.
“I love everything about Marfa: some friends around a campfire, no fixes, no protocols, no filters. It was raw and real, and I wanted to take some of that with me,” Lambert explains. “‘In His Arms,’ ‘Waxahachie’ and ‘Geraldene’ got to go on this journey with us, cutting them with a full band – and usually the public doesn’t get to hear that part, which I’m really excited about.”
Lambert’s debut single, “if I Was a Cowboy,” from Palomino is in the Top 20. See a track list below, and pre-order the album here.
Palomino Track List:
1. Actin’ Up (Miranda Lambert, Luke Dick, Jon Randall)
2. Scenes (Miranda Lambert, Luke Dick, Natalie Hemby)
3. In His Arms (Miranda Lambert, Jack Ingram, Jon Randall)
4. Geraldene (Miranda Lambert, Jack Ingram, Jon Randall)
5. Tourist (Miranda Lambert, Luke Dick, Natalie Hemby)
6. Music City Queen feat. The B-52’s (Miranda Lambert, Luke Dick, Natalie Hemby)
7. Strange (Miranda Lambert, Luke Dick, Natalie Hemby)
8. Wandering Spirit (Mick Jagger, James Rippeto)
9. I’ll Be Lovin’ You (Miranda Lambert, Luke Dick, Jon Randall)
10. That’s What Makes the Jukebox Play (Miranda Lambert, Luke Dick, Natalie Hemby)
11. Country Money (Miranda Lambert, Aaron Raitiere, Mikey Reaves)
12. If I Was a Cowboy (Miranda Lambert, Jesse Frasure)
13. Waxahachie (Miranda Lambert, Jack Ingram, Jon Randall)
14. Pursuit of Happiness (Miranda Lambert, Luke Dick, Natalie Hemby)
15. Carousel (Miranda Lambert, Luke Dick, Natalie Hemby)
Photo Credit: Courtesy of EB Media / Robert Ashcroft