Album Review – Miranda Lambert’s “Crisco”
Country pop (#530.2), Classic Country (#510.1) on the Country DDS.
This album is fine. It’s meant to be fun. It’s meant to be fluff. And similar to the Sturgill Simpson/Johnny Blue Skies “disco” album from earlier in the year, if you take this business too seriously, you run the risk of the joke being on you. And on the surface level, you also appreciate the risk this album takes, trying to do something different, and attempting to spark a trend instead of follow one.
Crisco is not meant to be an exploration of involved songwriting like Miranda’s albums The Weight of These Wings or The Marfa Tapes. It’s meant to be a dance record, and a departure from the regular rhythm of country album releases. It succeeds in this effort. It just happens to be that “success” in this case comes after setting the bar quite low.
We live in an era when little if anything is new. This is nothing new in itself. It’s been the morass much of American culture has been stuck in for an elongated period. Movie remakes and rehashed ideas dominate the marquees. Nostalgia is the well we’re all drinking from because everything contemporary feels fake and empty. So people look to the past to find something with feeling. That’s why the catalog of past albums far surpasses new releases in overall consumption, while even pop stars like Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga lean into vintage pastiche.
What makes country music unique is it’s always looked to the past for inspiration, or direct influence. Even when The Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers were recording in Bristol in 1927 during the “big bang of country music,” they weren’t playing the songs of the day. They were performing the songs of generations past, carried down in oral traditions. On the surface, Miranda Lambert is doing something similar by mixing ’70s disco sounds with ’70s country influences, along with more modern sentiments.
The greatest thing about Crisco is its concept and sonic approach. The lush string arrangements and simple grooves make for an easy listen. But the concept is also it’s greatest burden. It seems to think that making catchy, vintage-inspired music is enough. Many of these songs don’t really say much of anything. The title track is basically just a song about mixing country and disco as opposed to using that as the backdrop to tell a story, or explore something deeper. “A Song To Sing” with Chris Stapleton is about writing a song to sing. The Ella Langley duet “Snakeskin Boots” just sort of comes and goes.
Miranda Lambert name drops “Islands in the Stream” in the title track as an example of disco country. And sure, it was written by the Gibb Brothers of the Bee Gees. It also happens to be an excellently-written song that explores a deep and involved human experience delivered with poetic feeling, and named after an Ernest Hemingway novel. There’s nothing like this on Crisco. Miranda Lambert also mentions the song “Afternoon Delight.” But she fails to mention how polarizing that song was, and how it made the Starland Vocal Band a “one hit wonder.”
Some have memory holed just how vilified disco was in its era, especially by country fans. It was seen a vapid frap. Sure, it was “popular.” But it was popular like how Nickelback and Bro-Country were popular, meaning by the go along masses instead of distinguished consumers who often found this music downright reprehensible. Making fun of disco became its own genre of entertainment, just like Bro-Country. There were television sketches and “Death Before Disco” T-shirts sold en masse.
Some have also complimented Crisco for pulling from the influence of yacht rock. Once again, we seem to forget just how lampooned yacht rock was in its era. Are we so thirsty for sounds of the past that we’re pulling from influences that decades ago were declared creatively vacant and bankrupt? What is the value of this exercise?
Even if the sounds of Crisco stimulate a positive nostalgic reaction, the writing pretty consistently says so much nothing, it lends to an experience that might be initially pleasant, but ultimately hollow. Did they really try to take the cutting onions cliché and turn it into a country song in 2026? Compare that to the inventive nature of Johnny Russell’s “Act Naturally” recorded by Buck Owens in 1963. What happened to those novel sentiments explored in otherwise simple country songs?
But remember, this isn’t supposed to be a songwriter record. It’s supposed to be a fun record. A song like “Whiskey Business” is what this album is all about. But even then you can’t help wondering what some of this writing is going for. “All up in this whiskey business, and business is good. Stealing kisses and knocking on wood.” What exactly are we knocking on wood for, because it rhymes?
When Kacey Musgraves cut the disco-inspired song “High Horse,” or Lainey Wilson recorded “Grease,” or even Miranda Lambert went for it with “Little Red Wagon,” these songs made the purists shriek, but they were also pure fun. They were also just one song in a greater album concept that looked to deliver a much more fulfilling and longer-lasting listening experience. That’s what Crisco is missing. It’s all crust, and no filling. It’s the private equity version of a classic country album.
That doesn’t mean Crisco doesn’t have some impressive moments. It’s amazing how you can gaze through a record and simply by looking at the songwriting credits, you can find the best track. That’s the case with Crisco and the song “To Everything” co-written by Ashley Monroe and Waylon Payne. This is a perfect example of how Crisco could have been more than just a shallow nostalgia kick. “Right Where We Left It” also exhibits an elevated level of songwriting that the rest of the album lacks.
Crisco is one of those records where you can find a lot to criticism, but ultimately, if it comes on, you struggle to find it offensive, and might even find yourself tapping your toes. It’s not as much about it being a bad album. It’s what Miranda and producer Jesse Frasure could have done by taking this concept and marrying it with quality songs. Instead, Crisco just delivers a lot of empty calories, however harmless they might be.
6.7/10
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October 5, 2026 @ 7:32 am
As a big Miranda fan, I’m just going to hope this is a phase and she needed to make this album to get it out of her system. This is the opposite of Marfa Tapes. I hope she turns around back toward Marfa soon. Elevator country music does not become her.
October 5, 2026 @ 10:45 am
Marfa was recorded in March per a Jack IG post and also a Presidio mariachi band posted they recorded with her.
October 5, 2026 @ 4:01 pm
Mr. Coroneos, here, you avoided the “risk of the joke being on you” through receipt of a free copy.
Any other real world advice for us hacks?
October 8, 2026 @ 4:06 pm
Miranda Lambert hasn’t released a decent album in a very long time thanks in part to her “Jay Joyce” producer phase
October 5, 2026 @ 7:37 am
You can’t have 12 To Everythings. I think this is a much, much better record than you give it credit for, as I will explain on Wednesday at http://www.countrywol.substack.com.
Also, it is NYACHT rock.
October 5, 2026 @ 7:45 am
I’ll have to go back and re-read the review, but I don’t think I was advocating for 12 versions of “To Everything.” I just don’t want 10 versions of “A Song to Sing” or “Crisco” which are songs about songs instead of saying something deeper. Even when you’re having fun, you can be clever, you can say something a little deeper in a verse or two. This music just isn’t good or original enough to simply rely on the music itself.
October 5, 2026 @ 9:30 am
Good point well made. I did think they hammered the aesthetic a bit much, but no differently than Wallen did on his last record or Ella did on hers.
October 5, 2026 @ 7:54 am
Actually, “A Song to Sing” is a pretty standard love song, not a song about songwriting. They’re calling each other “the harmony” and “the melody.” The songwriting part is just a metaphor.
Like so many others of my generation, I hated disco when it bubbled up from the club scene and wound up pushing genuine r&b off the radio. But my opinion of it softened with time, and now I can even listen to “Silly Love Songs” and actually hum along rather than grumbling about how McCartney had soiled his Beatles legacy. And yes, I liked “A Song to Sing” instantly and either like or very much enjoy most of the tracks on this album. It’s extremely well crafted, which you’d expect from the people involved in the concept and production.
But I do worry about the copycat knock-on effect if one or two of these tracks become radio singles and connect far better than “A Song to Sing” did. There’s a disco element in Koe Wetzel/Ella Langley’s “Jaded,” and that is an absolute smash headed for multiple weeks at No. 1 in the near future. You can also detect it in Luke Combs’ pulsating “Rethink Some Things,” which leans more toward R&B but still has something of a smooth disco groove to it.
The big problem with musical copycat fads is that the quality drops off sharply even as it gains in airplay and popularity, and attracts listeners who otherwise wouldn’t listen to the genre that was being changed by them. “Jaded” and “Rethink Some Things” are well-executed, well-produced and at least average lyrically. Kind of like “She Works Hard for the Money” and “Bad Girls,” from Donna Summer’s more mature years, post-disco crash. What I dread is this subgenre turning into “Get Dancing” or “A Fifth of Beethoven” or even, God help us, “Disco Duck.”
Great review, and the 6.7 is appropriate for an album that is very much mainstream but largely resists the worst elements of mainstream country — lists, pickup trucks and trap beats.
October 5, 2026 @ 7:59 am
I just want to say that to Trigger’s point- possibly even the silliest of silly songs “You Can’t Rollerskate In a Buffalo Herd” makes a surprisingly deep point. In the middle of all of these bizarre and ridiculous scenarios then setting your mind to being happy seems relatively simple. Sometimes we need to shake ourselves off and go “at least I’m not taking a shower in a parakeet cage.” Yes, it’s blatant fun. It IS possible to do both. On the Gospel side of things Kenny Hinson did something similar. He wrote a humorous song about how hard it is to write a song about how amazing God’s love is. Humor or silliness and depth do not have to be mutually exclusive.
October 5, 2026 @ 8:00 am
I don’t know if this is how it’s always been but I am seeing more and more effort to sort of reclaim the stuff that was popular when people my age were kids but was viewed as low rent at the time. Like in music I am thinking of how I see more and more people saying limp bizkit was actually really good music. Which it’s fine you liked some shitty stuff as a kid but just cause you liked it as a kid doesn’t mean it was good.
October 5, 2026 @ 9:16 am
Going back and trying on nu metal, Bro-Country, disco, rap rock, or whatever else is a sign of creatively bankrupt times where nobody has a new idea. Though the ’90s country thing has been slightly better in quality, it still suffers from this imitation aspect as opposed to trying to be inspired by an era and bring something new to it.
The panacea to all of this is better songwriting. Everyone’s so focused on sound and era, they’re missing the part of the music that is most likely to connect with the audience.
October 6, 2026 @ 8:57 am
“Though the ’90s country thing has been slightly better in quality, it still suffers from this imitation aspect as opposed to trying to be inspired by an era and bring something new to it.
The panacea to all of this is better songwriting. Everyone’s so focused on sound and era, they’re missing the part of the music that is most likely to connect with the audience.”
Nailed it!
October 6, 2026 @ 12:53 pm
Yep. Part of the reason I have been generally unenthused by the “90’s revival” is that a lot of the songs to date have been very forgettable. And that might be charitable to the songwriting.
It’s relatively easy to mimic the sound and look of the 90’s, but Nashville has a serious songwriting gap when it comes to these major label artists. The only thing I can think of is that the shitty economics of the music biz combined with the long era of “bro-country” pushed out a lot of the professional songwriters with actual talent and now these “new guys” are trying to do it themselves and not succeeding mostly.
October 5, 2026 @ 8:30 am
I’ve listened to it twice now and I liked it more on the second go round. “Crisco” and “Cutting Onions” were the worst for me, but like you said, they’re not so bad that they’re offensive. I liked several of the songs (I think “Two Things Can Be True” and “Say I Love You In a Song” will probably make my playlist). I guess for me, the whole thing just kind of fell flat. For all the hype surrounding this project, it seemed uninspired to me.
I will say MCA should release “Snakeskin Boots” as a single – not because it’s good (it isn’t) but because everything Ella Langley touches turns to gold and Lambert could use a radio hit.
I will say your observation about not expecting this record to be anything other than fun is spot on. I think the reason I disliked it so much on the first listen was because I was looking for so much more. Taken for what it is, It’s easier not to judge it for what it isn’t.
October 6, 2026 @ 4:18 pm
It looks like “Snakeskin Boots” will be the first single. #1 most added at Country radio as of today per All Access.
October 5, 2026 @ 8:42 am
For the record, I was not at Comiskey Park here the night of Disco Demolition in 1979, but had my friends and I known it would go down in history, we would have been. No, instead I was at home in my basement honing my craft as a drummer, trying to learn Rush’s Farewell To Kings note for note. As an 18 yr old rocker, I hated everything that Disco was and stood for. But like Howard said above, over time I came to love all the Saturday Night Fever tunes and the like but not take them too seriously…lol
I’ve been spinning this out on the bike trail the last few days in the beautiful sunshine, and I have to say much of this record is just fun and makes me smile. Like Sturgill’s album, it’s not going to make my rotation or anything. I really like what Chasen Wayne did by just throwing one song like Easy Money to dance to into an incredible album to mix it up a little bit.
October 5, 2026 @ 8:51 am
To build on your brief “Mutiny after Midnight” comparison, the reason some otherwise well-sensed people gave it a “10/10” was that it did an excellent job of capturing the cultural moment in which it was released. Musically, the record kind of dragged and only really had 3 or 4 songs that sounded complete, but it still had the aforementioned element that impacted how people viewed it. In many ways, the letter Sturgill published about the record was better than the record itself.
I only bring all this up to point out that “Crisco” works in almost the exact opposite way, and, as you pointed out, that’s kind of the point (for better or for worse). This is an album written to be catchy and easy to listen to. The crux of even being mildly innovative in popular music is that you risk alienating large slews of listeners, so it’s hard to blame Miranda Lambert for saying that just getting people to accept the explicit genre mish-match is enough of a bridge to cross.
Either way, good review. I do wonder what the trend will be once this disco-reprise thing blows over, but that’s a conversation for another time.
October 5, 2026 @ 9:21 am
It was definitely the political/cultural moment that many seized on with Sturgill Simpson, and had them screaming “10/10!” and the only way anyone could ever disagree is if they were a bootlicking fascist.
But I really fail to recognize if we’re in a moment when disco truly is in a resurgence. Is this really the case, or is it wishful thinking by Miranda? I think she’s trying to spark a resurgence in it. But I just don’t know if this album has the gusto to do so. Sure, Sturgill’s almost had a lot of buzz out of the chute. I don’t see a lot of people talking about it now though. They’ve moved onto Ian Noe, or John R. Miller, who are Appalachian artists who are leaning into their songwriting roots instead of forgoing them to put out a “dance” record. I just don’t think any of this stuff has staying power.
October 5, 2026 @ 9:29 am
“But I really fail to recognize if we’re in a moment when disco truly is in a resurgence. Is this really the case, or is it wishful thinking by Miranda? ”
I mean, I loathe to compare Miranda to Keith Urban, but it seems to me like both of them are at a point in there career where they are trying hard to start a resurgence of something. Urban’s Yacht Rock, Lambert’s Disco. Are these things music fans ever wanted or asked for? I don’t think so, and like you, I don’t see any of this having any lasting impact.
October 6, 2026 @ 9:03 am
Urban did a covers/tribute to Yacht Rock, and pretty much did not veer from the original arrangements. Lambert is trying to innovate by mashing up country and disco. Apples and oranges.
October 5, 2026 @ 10:15 am
Yeah, but those albums are only getting attention in the independent country circles. We’ve discussed ad-nauseum how “Choosin’ Texas” is still atop the charts despite most people here being lukewarm to it at best. Trust me, I believe “The Great Unknowing” is an excellent record that nails the mix between nostalgia and innovation you mentioned in regard to “Crisco”, but like most good things, the general listening public isn’t really interested in it yet.
For what it’s worth, my gut is telling me that the sound that Billy String’s latest record captures will be the next sonic trend, as it managed to be traditionally inclined, accessible, and contemporarily enjoyable all at once, but you never know. The big thing is that there’s almost surely going to be a hit, radio or otherwise, in this album that up-and-coming female artists will be inspired by ten or so years down the line, so that’s really my only takeaway about this pseudo-disco revival and its longevity.
October 5, 2026 @ 6:28 pm
This disco country fusion thing might not have longevity but it’s been having a moment in 2025, 2026 and possibly 2027. I first recognized it in one (and now a few more) of Morgan Wallen’s radio releases and it shocked me. Then Miranda and Chris with their disco duet, Sturgill and his latest album and who knows who else. I don’t think I love it but I’m curious to see where it’s going and if someone can make a song I really enjoy.
October 10, 2026 @ 6:54 pm
Lainey Wilson’s new song “Kinda Love It” (released Friday) has that disco feel to it as well. Won’t be long till this beat dominates country radio, I can practically taste it.
October 5, 2026 @ 9:07 am
I enjoyed the album and thought it was deserving of a better score and review. Aside from the Stapleton song
October 5, 2026 @ 9:15 am
Interesting, Lambert just posted on social media that the downloaded version of the album contains a remake of Roseanne Cash”s “Seven Year Ache.” That has me intrigued.
October 7, 2026 @ 12:55 am
Unfortunately, it’s not that good. Not horrible, but adds nothing to the original.
October 5, 2026 @ 9:17 am
I’m SO thrilled she made something light & fun. She’s earned the creative freedom, and I dig it.
Top 5 easily :
– two things can be true
– right where we left it
– to everything
– COWGIRL CURTSY.
October 5, 2026 @ 10:50 am
She said on a podcast she hopes she earned the creative freedom to do this by now even if just for a second. Did you see Tin Man and Vice with strings at her Nashville show?! 20/10 Sad Miranda is still in there.
October 5, 2026 @ 9:37 am
This record seems completely unnecessary; if I want to listen to ’70s music, I’ll listen to the real thing. Still, Lambert has earned the right to do whatever she wants. Personally, I would like to see her lean more into the Marfa style of things.
Fair review, Trigger.
October 5, 2026 @ 10:00 am
Ella Langley’s next album will be straight disco.
October 5, 2026 @ 10:04 am
I think part of the problem is this nostalgia music is made by folks who didn’t live through they eras they are throwing back to.
So it like kids today dressing “90s”. They are dressing like what they think the 90s was. And this music thinks it’s being AOR but AOR had some too musicians producing that stuff even if a lot of it was lyrically vapid.
October 5, 2026 @ 10:06 am
this album was made with AI
October 5, 2026 @ 10:11 am
I like this record, but the timing feels off. everything is cyclical. right now it’s 90’s country resurgence. Disco has come back around a few times, but also has left just as quickly. this album feels 5 years too early, or maybe 30 years too late. it’s fun, but this isn’t going to usher in some kind of new hybrid between disco music and the smooth sounds of Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton duets.
October 5, 2026 @ 10:59 am
That’s my sense as well. Disco is not even currently in that retro cycle. But who knows, maybe Miranda is trying to beat everyone to the punch and be first, and stimulate a resurgence. We’ll see what happens.
October 5, 2026 @ 11:36 am
It’s fun. So glad to have this, Ella, & Megan… vs the days of Maren Morris & Kelsea Ballerini.
October 5, 2026 @ 12:19 pm
Heard Miranda on a podcast the other day saying she and Carrie Underwood deserved a ribbon for surviving the 2010s in country music, and man is she right. It’s so great to see women being a real force in the genre again. Miranda truly was the keeper of the flame and the little fireflies have finally ignited.
October 5, 2026 @ 5:50 pm
Yeah, she really suffered. Major awards, #1s, and critical acclaim.
October 5, 2026 @ 7:02 pm
Like it or not, the 2010’s were a bad time for women in country music. The discourse about bro-county lyrism in this regard is a little overblown, but it’s a well-established fact that many women were pushed out of the industry at the time.
This being said, I will die on the hill that there’s an inherent bias among listeners against female vocalists. In a lot of ways, it is a lesser descendent of 80’s rock machoism, and the result is that the main audience for (admittedly, quite talented) female vocalist is women. Obviously, Ella Langly still exists, but I’ve yet to meet a self-respecting man who can listen to Carrie Underwood without groaning in anguish, no matter how many times she shows up on stage with Guns N’ Roses.
October 5, 2026 @ 11:45 am
Imitation isn’t the ultimate form of flattery only when what you’re imitating is absolute garbage.
October 5, 2026 @ 11:46 am
*Isn’t
October 5, 2026 @ 3:58 pm
And she’s getting bit of pushback for that remark. Ribbon? She and Carrie were at the top of the genre those years. And won awards out the kazoo. Carrie was queen of the radio. Both sold out concerts. Any album Miranda released was awarded. What about the other female artists who not only had to compete against the boys, but against the chosen two female artists. And Miranda had no problem accepting all the accolades during that time.
October 5, 2026 @ 5:51 pm
Miranda even supported Bro-Country in that era. But now she is pretending she fought the good fight.
October 6, 2026 @ 12:55 pm
True but you have no idea what they endured to get there.
October 6, 2026 @ 1:09 pm
Endured what? Both Carrie and Miranda started on singing competitions.
October 9, 2026 @ 4:16 pm
Lambert’s career started well before Nashville Star, otherwise I agree with your take.
October 12, 2026 @ 11:31 am
Yes, Lambert and Underwood won all the CMAs, ACMs, Grammys for years, while women with genuine talent like Brandy Clark and Margo Price were ignored.
October 5, 2026 @ 11:54 am
Never understood her popularity or critical acclaim. Well, the latter is explained by how unbearable her contemporaries were. In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.
October 5, 2026 @ 3:09 pm
…accidental monty python moment?
October 5, 2026 @ 3:05 pm
…for what it’s worth, in switzerland some think about “crisco”: “Miranda Lambert’s “Crisco” is a little gem. Country and disco tossed into the same pot. What might sound like blasphemy to die-hard country traditionalists – not to mention dicso aficionados – turns out to be nothing less than a musical definition of swagger. An effortless lightness that swings along so buoyantly even Bob Wills would likely have cracked a smile. Then again, she’s from Texas.
And when that lightness, as on “Till The Goin’s Gone”, occasionally leaves a few blisters behind, she dispenses them with the same deft touch and delicious cunning of a Black Forest farmer’s wife putting cherry-brandy soaked morellos into an overwhelmingly tasty and sweet confection, like on “Cuttin’ Onions”.
Ms. Lambert is cool with or without the gang, and every bit as uniquely enjoyable as the world-famous treat itself.”
October 5, 2026 @ 4:50 pm
No one endorsed Crisco more than the late Country legend Loretta Lynn. She made tons of commercials in the 80s for it. Saw her original kitchen in the Hurricane Ranch house where she filmed those commercials. Personally im not a Crisco fan, I prefer lard. Makes the best pie crusts ever!
Assume that’s what Lambert was really gettin’ at.
October 6, 2026 @ 7:02 am
Kevin Smith –
Have been looking for a Good pie crust recipe, made with LARD.
Would you mind sharing your recipe?.
Last week, made homemade cinnamon rolls.
Yesterday, made a pumpkin cake with Philadelphia cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, & pecan, frosting.
Am looking for an Excellent pie crust recipe.
October 6, 2026 @ 12:00 pm
Di,
My mum used the pie crust recipe from the Betty Crocker Cookbook. I thought it was excellent.
Tom
October 6, 2026 @ 4:46 pm
Thank you!
October 5, 2026 @ 5:34 pm
Isn’t this the frontman from Turnpike’s ex? Glad he made her famous, but she sure could use some some graph paper and lead !
YOU AINT NOTHIN BUT AN INTERSTATE DAYDREAM
October 5, 2026 @ 5:51 pm
Wouldn’t Country plus Disco be “Cisco”?
I like the sound. I may give it a spin from time to time.
October 5, 2026 @ 7:25 pm
I actually really liked this one. It was far more country in spots than I thought it would be. A positive, not-so-deep record with an uncommon sound. Great palate cleanser. I’ve given it a few spins and plan on a few more.
October 5, 2026 @ 8:50 pm
First off, no one, NO ONE was lampooning music decades ago that is now referred to as “yacht rock” . It was just good melodic MIDDLE OF THE ROAD music, referred to as MOR! Buddy you went off on a tangit trying to make a point somewhere but got lost in your rabbit hole. Not a big fan of Lambert but what we have here is an homage to days gone by. Whether she has succeeded in that has yet to be seen in sales and streams. Sport, you need to work on your analogies and references and most of all work on being honest instead of a false narrative to suit your biased opinion of music you clearly had intended to not like beforehand.
October 5, 2026 @ 9:08 pm
“First off, no one, NO ONE was lampooning music decades ago that is now referred to as ‘yacht rock’.”
That is empirically false. The term “yacht rock” is itself a pejorative term. They definition of the term is an insult to soft rock, which was ridiculed for decades for being “too soft.”
This is similar to how “Bro Country” was coined.
I would cite some sources here or something, but really, this is all self-evident, and inarguable.
October 6, 2026 @ 7:57 am
Yacht rock was made fun of very light-heatedly compared to other genres like disco, bro-country, nickleback… I’ve never seen a “Fuck Yacht Rock” t-shirt. It was soft and a little corny but the musicianship was absolute top-notch in most cases. I didn’t buy any of those records, but never had to dive for the dial when it came on the radio.
I grew up in the 70s and was not a disco fan, but it never occurred to me to hate it since I wasn’t forced to listen to it. Most of it that got airplay leaned more pop and while not great – wasn’t all that offensive. Never knew anyone who bought (or would admit they bought) a disco record, so the exposure was really pretty minimal. People whining about it brought it way more exposure than the actual music did.
Bro-country on the other hand was, and still is forced on us on every country station and steak house in the country. I just ate at Texas Roadhouse the a few nights ago and it was the absolute worst hits of that crap all night.
October 6, 2026 @ 8:06 am
I agree that yacht rock was not as vilified as disco or Bro-Country. And really, the artists that got the worst of it were were folks like Christopher Cross, while the stuff sometimes called yacht rock like Bread or America are still pretty unscathed. But “yacht rock” is a pejorative term, and I don’t think it’s fair to act like “NO ONE” (in all caps) was criticizing it at the time. Of course people were. We can go back and forth about how significant that criticism was.
October 6, 2026 @ 4:04 pm
I also questioned lumping in yacht rock hate to disco hate. But I’m biased, I like yacht rock. Watched the documentary and was shocked to find out the term ‘yacht rock’ started from a comedy series in 2005 well after the heyday.
On to Crisco.. sounds like a suped up kacey musgraves record with some midland sprinkled in. That’s not meant to be an insult. Just subjectively observational.
October 7, 2026 @ 1:00 am
Yeah, everyone made fun of Pina Colada. I was there
October 5, 2026 @ 11:22 pm
The whole album is absolutely dreadful! The unimaginative songs. The expressionless voice. The overly polished production. It’s enough to gum up your ears. Miranda Lambert makes the most boring, soulless music imaginable. And not just on this album.
October 6, 2026 @ 3:20 am
You deliberately take a positive stance in the review, and you justify it well. Otherwise you risk getting stuck in overly serious criticism of an album that isn’t meant to be taken too seriously. That’s a perfectly legitimate way in, and the album is going to work really well at girls’ night.
That said, this is not a good album. It’s the sound of an artist who has achieved everything, done everything, and decided a country/disco album would be a bit of fun. Why not, right? But I don’t think Miranda or anyone else involved broke a sweat here. To me it sounds like extremely competent people working at 80% capacity. What surprises me most is how lazy the songwriting is. It’s partly rescued by the star herself . She can still lift a song, spin straw into gold, so to speak. I’ve been a fan since the “Revolution” era, and I think this is her weakest album. Even other weak albums, like “Wildcard”, have individual songs good enough to rank them above “Crisco” on the list.
October 6, 2026 @ 7:15 am
If you’re going to do the country/disco fusion, the DO IT! Make the music feel innovative as opposed to imitative. Make the songs mean something. Be bold. The concept is fine. It’s the execution that leaves you wanting more.
October 6, 2026 @ 4:40 am
As a little kid back in the early 80’s I spun the Saturday Night Fever / Urban Cowboy soundtracks frequently and I think this album is great.
October 6, 2026 @ 6:09 am
When I saw this album announced, I was hoping there would be some sort of collaboration with Sturgill.
October 6, 2026 @ 7:58 am
This morning this popped up in my TikTok feed:
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTyCVuuw6/
It’s a behind the scene footage of Miranda and Parker McCollum covering Rosanne Cash’s “Seven Year Ache.”
It says it’s only available with download of the album on iTunes. I fired up the old iTunes (after resetting my PW) and I don’t see it anywhere.
Crazy in the TikTok Miranda states “ To me this song fits right in the sweet spot of the country-disco sound and I love any excuse to sing with @parkermccollum,” but I can’t find it.
I LOVE that song. It’s the perfect pop country song. I would love to have that version sing it is by far more interesting than anything on the album.
October 6, 2026 @ 11:52 am
To me, both of Miranda’s last two albums have been just Meh.
Nothing particularly good, nothing overtly bad. Just…meh.
Once the album was over, I didn’t have anything in my brain as remotely memorable that I will find myself revisiting regularly.
October 7, 2026 @ 4:55 am
Bless you trigger for having to listen to these songs ,only once I hope ,for reviews ……and the comments of people dissecting crisco how u listen to this garbage ..put some Benjamin tod and kick this shit to the curb immediately
October 7, 2026 @ 6:33 am
Fine review, as usual. Now you have my mouth watering for a Krusty The Clown Kountry album.
October 7, 2026 @ 8:13 am
I fully expected to hate this album. The title track is a travesty both lyrically and sonically, and “A Song to Sing” just seems so lazy, empty, and uninspired, a missed opportunity for two great voices and songwriters to make something special.
So, I was pleasantly surprised by this album, especially how country some of it is. There are some throwaway tracks, and the title track is still an abomination, but overall, a fun, pleasant album with a few standout songs. Not Miranda’s best, but not nrealy the attrocity I was expecting. That said, not sure this one will ultimately have much staying power or move the needle very much with either the direction of the genre or Lambert’s career arc and legacy.
October 7, 2026 @ 3:09 pm
It’s always fun to read everyone’s takes! I actually love Two Things Can Be True, I like Till The Going’s Gone, and…*checks track list*…yeah, the rest is a pretty hard pass for me.
I don’t know what the heck is going in Snakeskin Boots, but Ella sounds truly terrible on it. And because I don’t want to get yelled at by Ella stans, I’ll add that I do enjoy a few of her songs and actually like her vocals on Last Call for Us and We Know Us. So maybe it’s just something about how Ella and Miranda’s voices blend (or…don’t blend) together here, but yikes, the overall sound does not work for me at all.
I’m also baffled as to why Miranda (who I do love overall!) felt compelled to give us such a bland version of the already fairly bland I Have to say I Love You in a Song. I tend to like remakes more than most do, but this is just such a weird fit for her particular vocals.
Anyway, I’d give it a C+, but maybe that’s a bit too generous?! At least I found one song I love and another that I like – which made the album well worth listening to the first time around even though I’ll never play the other songs again!
October 7, 2026 @ 8:50 pm
I think your review is fair. I actually really enjoy this record. And am a bit surprised there is hardly any mention in the comments of “Cowgirl Curtsy”.
Some of y’all need to lighten up. When an artist has been around for a long enough time, and past their “prime” so to speak, let them do what they want to do. She certainly isn’t chasing chart success at this point. I’m glad she had some fun. Our world f***ing sucks. I’ll take something that just makes me smile. Not everything has to be “deep”. Take the stick out’chur asses and just relax.
October 9, 2026 @ 4:12 pm
Yes, because anyone who doesn’t like this album or has a different opinion of it than you must have a stick up their ass and needs to lighten up. 🙄
October 8, 2026 @ 6:09 am
I completely understand the criticisms of this album, but somehow I ended up loving it. I’ve been in a really dark, depressed place, and for some reason this unapologetically lighthearted throwback fluff is exactly what I needed. It’s not objectively high quality music, but it’s enjoyable for me to listen to. Still skip past the Chris Stapleton duet, but the rest of the songs are nostalgic mood-lifting fun for me. Sometimes the music you need comes into your life at the right time.
October 9, 2026 @ 4:10 pm
Good to hear this album lifted your spirits, Hal. Hang in there, brother. It does get better. 🙏
October 8, 2026 @ 7:35 am
I’m with the minority who enjoys this album a lot more than I’d expected. It’s frothy, fun and evokes a very specific time and mood. A few songs are skips, but the majority of them have really grown on me.
Snakeskin Boots drives home the reality that Ella can’t really sing. Like a lot of today’s artists, she “speak sings,” emphasis on the speaking part. Her power and range are not just limited but nonexistent. She’s also a heavy smoker – which she brags about a lot in her lyrics because she thinks smoking makes her super cool and edgy – and that’s reflected in her hoarse vocals and total lack of breath control. Miranda’s high-pitched voice grates on some people, but Miranda knows how to sing. Ella doesn’t, which is why the only time the sound mixers let you hear her voice during this collab is when she speaks – again, speaks, not sings – the word “baby!” that she randomly inserts into most of her songs.
October 8, 2026 @ 1:24 pm
Well, I liked it!
Majority at least
Sometimes in music, we want deeply meaningful lyrics and themes. Sometimes I just need a smile and an album like this, does the trick. Catchy tunes, some very Country sounding, a couple of very strong songs. But mostly light and designed to sing along to and tap your toes
Nothing wrong with a bit of fluff sometimes.
October 10, 2026 @ 2:31 pm
I was expecting to be disappointed. But instead I am pleasantly surprised at how many good tracks there are. Theres been albums that are so clearly corporate from Miranda, and I’d say this is a real effort on her part to at least make this relatively good. It is more country than I thought it would be.
October 13, 2026 @ 9:39 pm
I am a fan of Miranda Lambert. I have always been. I am thoroughly enjoying every song she has chosen.
Since she is the artist I do not feel that i am qualified to pick and choose for her album. She puts it out there, voice your opinion.
She is having a great time. This lady works hard. She is no quitter. She can sing a duet with anyone. She is living her dream. All that I am required to do is listen. I am loving it!! Thanks Maranda!