Platinum

If Miranda Lambert’s latest album, Platinum, were a rollercoaster, it’d jostle and slam listeners around—beating them senseless with some great highs and lows—before leaving riders dazed and confused. Though the album does bounce around too much, taken individually, the 16 tracks deliver nuanced commentary along with infectious choruses. “Babies Makin’ Babies” and “Smokin’ and Drinkin’” (the latter featuring Little Big Town) show dual sides to reckless youth—the freedom to make mistakes and the empowerment to grow from them. Unabashed self-empowerment plays a part in many of the songs, including “Little Red Wagon”—the album’s contender for drunken karaoke—and “Platinum.” The title track is Lambert’s drawling answer to J.Lo’s “Jenny From the Block,” expertly embracing her contrasting small-town/platinum-selling persona. However, the egotistical comparisons to Elvis and Priscilla Presley in “Priscilla” bury the raw emotions found outside the chorus, making it all a bit too dramatic. On the other hand, “Somethin’ Bad”—a duet with Carrie Underwood—is an epic and dramatic team-up worthy of Nashville’s Rayna Jaymes and Juliette Barnes. On this sixth studio album, its clear Lambert still has a lot to say and even though, at times, the album is unfocused, it’s worth listening to every word.