Robert Christgau's Music Criticism Blog - Expert Witness - MSN Music

Pistol Annies/Miranda Lambert

Bad Girl Craves Heartsongs

By Xgau Nov 11, 2011 2:02AM

 

Pistol Annies: Hell on Heels (Columbia)

Slight, bright, and perfect‑-Ramones for bad girls, country edition. The ringleader is Miranda Lambert in "Gunpowder & Lead" mode, but they're definitely a trio‑-Ashley Monroe has a co-write on seven of Lambert's eight songs and Angaleena Presley's "Lemon Drop" is the catchiest of all even if she stole it from John Prine, as is her damn right. After the gold-digging title track, they're poorer than punks even on "Takin' Pills," a road song about three bad girls making their career move. Chirping their expertly executed tunes, scorning the guitar swagger good old boys think makes them so sexy, they're a pop cartoon worth more than gold. Dig? A

 

Miranda Lambert: Four the Record (RCA)

Lambert's not in it for another "Kerosene," not with the Pistol Annies ready whenever she feels like a joy ride. She's in it for another "The House That Built Me"‑-a heartsong that lets housewives-they-wish​ forget their day jobs for the length of a bathroom break. She's too brand-savvy to lead with the soft stuff: "All Kinds of Kinds" stars a cross-dressing congressman, "Fine Tune" links Auto-Tune to sexual excitation, and the Angaleena Presley-assisted "Fastest Girl in Town" ends with Miranda abandoning her man for the cop who caught them speeding. But this does wind down into your basic quality country album. Corn is fine with me‑-the two-sided "Safe," say. "Dear Diamond," "Oklahoma Sky," the oh-so-soulful Blake collab "Better in the Long Run"‑-they're cornball. A MINUS

 

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141Comments
Ryan Maffei
Nov 13, 2011 10:29PM
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Here are ten deeper-than-not cuts from 1990 that I don't expect to be represented by any song lists around these parts (including the theoretical personal one I am too daunted by to make the effort), but which nevertheless make me as happy as anything else from that year. The albums they come from probably won't get many votes, but I'm sure each of them has at least one EW advocate:

1.   “I’ve Been Looking For Somebody” & “Justice”, Robert Forster (marital bliss)

2.   “Get Outta London”, Aztec Camera (the artiste’s most passionate vocal, possibly)

3.   “Only the Wind”, Pet Shop Boys (devastating, on an album intent on soothing you out of it)

4.   “Let Love Speak Up Itself”, the Beautiful South (you know, I think I like Choke a little better)

5.   “Doo-Wop in Harlem”, Prefab Sprout (if there ain’t a heaven that holds you tonight…)

6.   “Happiness is a Warm Gun”, Breeders (marks their wisest use of Steve Albini)

7.   “Lay My Love”, Eno/Cale (hurls the end of a silly Northern Exposure ep into transcendence)

8.   “Small Town”, Lou Reed & John Cale (the most endearing Lou Reed vocal of all)

9.   “Look At All Those Idiots”, Mr. Burns & Smithers (ca. subversive-landmark stage)

 

I’m also fairly confident that everybody here adores the (vocal-free) Twin Peaks theme.

 

so the room must listen to me / filibuster vigilantly

David Schweitzer _ Foolish Contender
Nov 12, 2011 8:02AM
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anti-country music sentiment.  I've been somewhat surprised to encounter substantially less of it here in New York than I did back in the middle-class suburb of Cincinnati where I grew up.  


As a lifelong New Yorker who's spent all of one weekend in Cincinnati, I would make the sweeping generalization that hip New Yorkers have little fear that they'll be mistaken for unreconstructed country fans. Not so for Cincinnatians (sp?), who not only live across the river from Kentucky, but are likely to have parents who are country fans. 
Parent music -- it's why more rock & rollers young and old came out as Sinatra fans in the '90s. As Christgau put it more or less like this more than once, the war was over and rock won.  

Country never had hegemony in New York, therefore it's safe for hipsters. And of course country's never had hegemony among New York hipsters, either. There remain many instinctive, unreconstructed country (/-rock) haters here among hipsters and suburbanites alike. 
And of course I'm only talking about white people here. 

Incidentally, the Cincinnati country thing is also part of my theory as to why B.B. King's music was considerably glitzier, or at least less raw, than Chicago blues. Having migrated a far shorter distance north from the plantations, King had to do more to establish himself as an urbanite. Does this make sense? Is there something racist in what I'm saying? Am I ignoring personal style too much in creating sociological generalizations here?
Bradley Sroka
Nov 11, 2011 7:24AM
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A blog at the San Francisco Weekly just published "The Annotated Robert Christgau: A Public Service": http://goo.gl/T0TjW He dissects Bob's recent Kimya Dawson and Eric Church reviews. I worry that the blogger's unpacking of these two reviews generalizes Bob's content rather than simplifies his language and sentence structure. And at least one note is flat-out wrong ("He determines that Dawson is a lump, not a crank"; see the original review). But hey, it's a funny idea that is, perhaps, poorly executed.
Allen B.
Nov 14, 2011 7:48PM
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I've posted a few cheers here for my library system (which is Kimya's, too, at least in between the times she isn't on the road, the home she might love the best) and will also say that it was invaluable following a time when I lost a large percentage of my music.


Current listening: Linda Thompson - Dreams Fly Away: A History

Kate Bush - 50 Words For Snow
If you're a fan, dive in - it's lurvely.  If not, or if you had any problems with Aerial, proceed more cautiously or not at all.
Bradley Sroka
Nov 13, 2011 10:57AM
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The Sroka household is having a lovely morning with The Very Best of Joe Tex. It might replace side two of Time Peace: The Rascals' Greatest Hits as our Sunday morning music of choice. Oh hell, why choose? I'll just listen to both. What a world!
David Schweitzer _ Foolish Contender
Nov 12, 2011 7:46AM
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 it was pretty much assumed all around that country music was the unlistenable antithesis of cool.  
That's one of country's main attractions if you ask me. Cool isn't all it's cracked up to be, as Kimya Dawson fans know ("Being Cool," from My Cute Sweet Fiend Princess.) Also Devo fans, I guess.  When it's any good  country is generally personable, revealing, openhearted, pained, sometimes even excited. All of these, except maybe "revealing" are antonyms of cool.
jreamteam
Nov 11, 2011 4:17PM
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i love the Pistol Annies CD.  been listening to it for some time now, and think Lemon Drop is my most favorite.  i particularly favor the line "I'm payin' for a house that the landlord owns" both metaphorically and literally, as i'm still a renter but hopefully becoming a respectable home-owner in the foreseeable future!
Cyclops703
Nov 15, 2011 12:40AM
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while I definitely deserved the sack, I haven't frequented the library very much since
 That'll show 'em! Smile
jreamteam
Nov 14, 2011 3:32PM
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Dude probably had sex two minutes ago, but he looks like his dog just got run over by a garbage truck.

-- Jon Dolan on the new Drake album cover

 

so funny!

Anderson PM
Nov 14, 2011 11:15AM
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Patrick, if you know the year to be under scrutiny for December you could lay it on us right after 1990 results
I like this idea, myself.  I love the relistening/reevalua​ting/reshuffling that goes with these polls, and it would be nice to be able spread it out over a 3-or-4-week interval.  Sometimes it takes more than 10 days just to track down a copy of something I want to listen to.
John Smallwood (jcsmall63)
Nov 13, 2011 11:03PM
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The problem I see with a blues poll is that most of the best blues records are compilations. Still I guess that could be the basic for the poll, best comp. Off the top of my head the only case where album is better than comp is the case of Robert Cray's Strong Persuader vs Heavy Picks.
Richard Cobeen
Nov 13, 2011 10:55PM
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A few weeks ago Good Wife also used the lead track from The Teddybears album.  Maybe they have an Xgau fan working on the music.
rocambole2
Nov 12, 2011 2:33PM
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but the point to emphasize is that it's not just the music, but the people who listen to the music, that make my day. Like here, duh.

I second that emotion. Here, then, one Real-life Witness's Top Ten for summer 2011, dedicated to the many contributors who make this space great. (A bit long, I see now -- let me just opine that item 1 is worth your reading time, if you haven't time for more.)


10) Introducing the EW scrapbook. My way of saving the useful album recommendations turning up here and on related sites that aren’t in CG, can’t be chased down on the spur of the moment, and/or shouldn’t get lost in the back-threads. Simply copy chunk of text, switch to Word, paste, and repeat. I now have 40 pages to look through… someday, hopefully before I retire. Will share with interested parties.


9) Discovering I don’t know much music from 1983. The records may be in my collection – that’s collectoritis – but only 15 were on any level of mental recall. I decided to run the experiment on all years from 1971 to the present, grading every album in P&J and/or Dean’s List 1 or 0 depending on whether I could remember at least one song. Result: 1983 came in dead last, with 1990 also lagging the field. Canny choices, Patrick et al.


8) Digging the Brazil series. Terrific job, Cam, sorting out a batch of tough-to-find records I’ll now put on my wish list.


Christopher Monsen (Chris Monsen)
Nov 12, 2011 6:33AM
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Last time I checked, Norway was still in Europe, so yer not alone, Ioannis. Alex pops up now and then on Facebook. That's all I know.

A thumb up to Cam's project was given hours ago, but consider this a written confirmation of said thumb. Thumbs up
MarkE6
Nov 11, 2011 7:50PM
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In honor of National Heavy Metal Day, I will be cranking the volume up to number 11 tonight.  I also recently received a newsletter from my healthcare provider saying that people who listen to music are happier, healthier, less depressed, etc.  So when my wife tells me to "turn that down", I now have two good comebacks for her.   

Not. Milo. Miles.
Nov 11, 2011 6:57PM
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Wellllll ... there is the 2-disc Motorhead ... The Best of on Sanctuary, which I would say makes a fine intro to the band and maybe all the casual will ever need.

Or you could go nuts and grab Stone Deaf Forever, the 5-CD OD I've never talked myself into getting.

Anyway, fascinating list, Cam -- though mostly not metal (ahem) -- by somebody with obvious taste and lively ears.


Ah, comp, comp, comp, comp, comp, oh man
Comp, comp, comp, comp, comp, oh man

Comp, comp, oh man, take my grand
You got me hockin' all the stolen
Hockin' what I stolen
Comp, comp, oh man, comp comp
Comp, comp, comp, oh man

(Well, the above was more fun before Joe deleted what I thought were very charming comments.)
Tom Walker
Nov 11, 2011 12:09PM
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Pistol Annies is one song too short - album's barely half an hour. Ramones is right.

Four the Record is at least 3 songs too long. Now, that is a problem that can be digitally fixed.
Cyclops703
Nov 14, 2011 10:46AM
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Her myspace gives her name as Angaleena.
 I always get a good laugh from parents who don't even know how to spell the name they pick out for their kid.
Joey Daniewicz
Nov 11, 2011 6:45PM
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After reading this in 1993, I interpreted it to mean that if the 1993 Best of Motorhead is superior to No Remorse, then No Remorse was no longer an Aminus (downgraded to * possibly).  
I feel like you missed the joke.
Semi Mike (ShadyShack)
Nov 14, 2011 10:03PM
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Who out there can tell me why this has never been reissued by Capitol? The cynic in me says they are going to milk it with a comprehensive live reissue series after Paul and Ringo have passed away to benefit the next of kin. Ok that's pretty cynical. Anyone have any inside knowledge why this is still out of print after 34 years?!?

The Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl [Capitol, 1977]
A tribute not only to the Beatles (which figured) but to George Martin and Capitol (which didn't necessarily figure at all). The sound rings clearly and powerfully through the shrieking: the segues are brisk and the punch-ins imperceptible; and the songs capture our heroes at their highest. Furthermore, though the musicianship is raw, the arrangements are tighter (faster, actually) than on record; Ramones-haters should note that the thirteen tunes take less than twenty-nine minutes, including patter. A




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about the blogger

Robert Christgau

Starting in 1967, Robert Christgau has covered popular music for The Village Voice, Esquire, Blender, Playboy, Rolling Stone, and many other publications. He teaches in New York University's Clive Davis Department of Recorded Music, maintains a comprehensive website at robertchristgau.com, and has published five books based on his journalism. He has written for MSN Music since 2006.

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