Revolution

While Miranda Lambert's first two albums spun tales of kerosene fires, bar fights, and firearmed vengeance, Revolution finds the Texan taking a good degree of comfort in her relationship with Blake Shelton, whose influence can be heard in the album's mellow, leisurely pace. Lambert has never played by anyone's rules, be they dictated by Nashville or society in general, but she has carved out her own set of principles over the course of a four-year career. Accordingly, Revolution offers a strong, cohesive take on what has quickly become "the Lambert sound": a blend of casual ballads and loud, fire-breathing anthems, many of which owe as much to rock & roll as country. She's more comfortable with the slower songs this time around -- "Dead Flowers" delivers one of her strongest vocal performances to date, while "Airstream" recalls the graceful delivery of Loretta Lynn -- but the harder numbers continue to pack a punch, even if they're not as R-rated as they once were. When Lambert howls her way through "Maintain the Pain," whose phaser-laden guitar underscores a decision to "put a bullet in my radio," she wields a double-edged sword like a pro, courting the Nashville crowd while simultaneously sending a kiss-off to those who deem her too dangerous. ~ Andrew Leahey