The Weight Of These Wings - Miranda Lambert (#480)

In episode 1, season 2 of Backwards Beats, Dan and Carl dive deep into Miranda Lambert’s emotionally charged double album The Weight of These Wings (2016). Released in the wake of her public divorce from Blake Shelton, this sprawling 24-track project is divided into two thematic discs: The Nerve and The Heart. The hosts explore the album’s sonic risks, lyrical introspection, and Lambert’s evolving artistic voice, praising her fearless honesty while critiquing the occasionally muddy production.

 

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Key Points

• 🎤 Background & Legacy: Lambert, a Texas native and outlaw-country heir, delivered this album as a post-breakup catharsis, citing it as a “seven stages of grief” journey. The lead single “Vice” went double platinum.

• 🧠 Disc One – The Nerve:

  • A stylistic mash-up of country, rock, and experimental pop textures.
  • High points include “We Should Be Friends” (tight structure, clever writing) and “Vice” (dark, layered, and emotionally raw).
  • Production is a recurring sore spot—particularly the bottom-heavy mix and gratuitous overdrive on vocals.
  • Carl and Dan agree Lambert’s performance is consistently strong, but some arrangements suffer from over-ambition.

• ❤️ Disc Two – The Heart:

  • A pivot to more traditional country storytelling with refined arrangements.
  • The production is notably improved, allowing the songwriting to shine.

• 🥁 Musicianship:

  • Frequent praise for drummer Matt Chamberlain’s tasteful Tom fills, when not buried in the mix.
  • Rich instrumentation throughout, though sometimes overcrowded or poorly balanced.

• 🧠 Final Thoughts:

  • Lambert proves she’s a powerhouse vocalist and songwriter with wide emotional range.
  • While The Weight of These Wings could’ve benefitted from tighter editing, it remains a bold and personal work deserving of its place on the list.

Music Referenced

• Platinum by Miranda Lambert
• Blake Shelton
• Dear John by Taylor Swift
• Battle Studies by John Mayer
• Continuum by John Mayer
• Paper Doll by John Mayer
• Love on the Weekend by John Mayer
• Slow Dancing in a Burning Room by John Mayer
• The Beatles
• Sonny & Cher
• Reba McIntire
• Anderson East
• Tammy Wynette
• Dolly Parton
• Sheryl Crow
• Edie Brickell
• Devil's Haircut by Beck
• Garbage
• In Bloom by Nirvana
• Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield
• Lucille by Kenny Rogers
• Me and Bobby McGee by Kris Kristofferson
• Me and Bobby McGee by Janis Joplin
• Nick of Time by Bonnie Raitt
• Melissa Etheridge
• The Pixies
• You Oughta Know by Alanis Morissette
• Courtney Love
• Robert Randolph
• Guy Clark
• Jerry Jeff Walker