Four the Record

Four the Record
Studio album by Miranda Lambert
Released November 1, 2011
Recorded 2011
Genre Country
Length Standard: 53:47
Deluxe: 56:37
Label RCA Records Nashville
Producer Frank Liddell, Chuck Ainlay, Glenn Worf
Miranda Lambert chronology

Revolution
(2009)		 Four the Record
(2011)		 Platinum
(2014)
Singles from Four the Record
  1. "Baggage Claim"
    Released: August 22, 2011
  2. "Over You"
    Released: January 9, 2012
  3. "Fastest Girl in Town"
    Released: June 25, 2012
  4. "Mama's Broken Heart"
    Released: January 14, 2013
  5. "All Kinds of Kinds"
    Released: June 24, 2013

Four the Record is the fourth studio album by American country music artist Miranda Lambert, released on November 1, 2011, through RCA Records Nashville.[1][2] The album's first single, "Baggage Claim," became Lambert's highest debuting single at number 33 on Billboard‍‍ '​‍s Hot Country Songs chart.[3] A deluxe edition of the album was also released, which included a bonus song and a DVD.[4]

Background

Lambert announced in July 2011 that her fourth studio album, Four the Record, would be released on November 1, 2011.[5] A month later, Sony Music Nashville announced that Lambert and labelmate Josh Thompson would transfer to RCA Nashville as part of a corporate restructuring.[6] Lambert wrote or co-wrote six of the album's tracks.[7] Included on the album is a duet with Blake Shelton titled "Better in the Long Run.",[7] and a cover of "Look At Miss Ohio," which was originally recorded by its writer, Gillian Welch, on her 2003 album Soul Journey.

Commercial performance

The album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 with 133,000 copies sold in its first week, making it Lambert's highest charting album of her career.[8] It debuted at number one on the US Billboard Top Country Albums.[9] The album was certified Platinum by the RIAA on January 10, 2014.[10] As of September 2014, the album has sold 1,014,000 copies in the United States.[11]

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source Rating
Metacritic (83/100)[12]
Review scores
Source Rating
About.com [13]
AllMusic [14]
American Songwriter [15]
Country Weekly [16]
Los Angeles Times [17]
PopMatters [18]
Roughstock [19]
Slant Magazine [20]
Taste of Country [21]
USA Today [22]

Four the Record received general acclaim from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 83, based on 12 reviews, indicating "Universal acclaim".[12] Furthermore, Rolling Stone ranked the album as being the 31st best in 2011 out of the 50 albums ranked.[23]

The positive reviews came in from About.com, AllMusic, American Songwriter, The A.V. Club, The Boston Globe, Robert Christgau, Country Weekly, Entertainment Weekly, Los Angeles Times, Roughstock, Slant Magazine, Spin, Taste of Country and USA Today. Robert Silva of About.com gave the record a four out of five stars, and called "Four the Record is a polished effort from a country singer who shows she's deserving of all the honors she's gotten, and is sure to receive."[13] AllMusic writer Stephen Thomas Erlewine, praised the bravery of album and awarded it with four-and-a-half out of five stars and wrote: "with Four the Record, she’s digging deeper than ever before and finding considerable riches."[14] Stephen Deusner of American Songwriter rated the album a four and a half out of five stars, and noted how "Four the Record is sequenced to play up the various aspects of Lambert’s persona".[15] The A.V. Club writer Genevieve Koski was also positive on the album, rated it as B+ and wrote:" The bevy of writers and co-writers guiding Lambert results in a ranging, not especially cohesive album that makes up for the occasional dud (the schmaltzy power ballad "Better In The Long Run," a duet with Lambert's husband Blake Shelton) with plenty of solid earworms (the catchy mid-tempo "Safe") and a couple of welcome left turns (the loping, back-porch sing-along "Easy Living")."[24] The Boston Globe gave a positive review to the album and said: "On a rock solid and expansive set of songs, Lambert mixes backbeats, production styles, fuzzed-out vocals, slinky slide guitars, and other offbeat elements into a cohesive whole."[25] Robert Christgau graded the album an A- effort, and wrote that "this does wind down into your basic quality country album."[26] Ken Tucker of Country Weekly gave the album five stars out of five, which was taken from Metacritic's assigned score, and wrote: "With due respect to her previous fine efforts, Four the Record is easily Miranda's best album yet."[16] Mikael Wood of Entertainment Weekly gave a very positive review to the album, rated it as A- and said: "Four is her most vivid effort yet, with brilliantly observed songs about lust (Fine Tune) and disappointment (Same Old You), as well as a stirring celebration of diversity (All Kinds of Kinds)."[27] Randy Lewis of Los Angeles Times was also positive on the album and wrote: "This successor represents a further evolution of her talent as both creator and interpreter."[17] Roughtstock's Stormy Lewis gave the album four and a half out of five stars, and called "it a fine addition to her body of work."[19] Slant Magazine writer Jonathan Keefe gave the album three-and-half-stars out of 5 and said: "Without a thematic through line or recurring lyrical motifs or meaningful efforts at myth-building or any of the other sophisticated flourishes that have made her albums so rich, Four the Record is left as a solid collection of better-than-average songs cast in arrangements that offer a progressive take on modern country."[20] Theon Weber of Spin magazine scored it as 7 out of 10 and commented: "The real strength here is the feline sharpness of Lambert's voice."[28] Taste of Country's Billy Dukes rated the album a perfect five stars, and stated that "The 27-year-old now has two of the century’s top country albums."[21] Lastly, Elysa Gardner of USA Today rated the album a three out of four stars, and touched on that "It's Lambert's ability to convey such sentiments without sentimentality that truly makes her a force to be reckoned with."[22]

However, the album had two mixed reviews come in from The New York Times and PopMatters. One of them came from The New York Times writer Stephen Holden, who said: "Normally, she's emphatic in the right places, but this album also includes some of Ms. Lambert's least committed singing."[29] The other one was from PopMatters' Josh Langhoff, which scored it as 6 out of 10 stars, and criticized: "This is the weakest of Lambert's four big solo records, and overall it lacks the lively charm of Hell on Heels, her excellent August album with the supergroup Pistol Annies."[18]

Track listing

No. TitleWriter(s) Length
1. "All Kinds of Kinds"  Phillip Coleman, Don Henry 4:26
2. "Fine Tune"  Natalie Hemby, Luke Laird 4:39
3. "Fastest Girl in Town"  Miranda Lambert, Angaleena Presley 3:20
4. "Safe"  Lambert 4:46
5. "Mama's Broken Heart"  Brandy Clark, Shane McAnally, Kacey Musgraves 2:59
6. "Dear Diamond"  Lambert 3:49
7. "Same Old You"  Brandi Carlile 3:05
8. "Baggage Claim"  Lambert, Hemby, Laird 3:18
9. "Easy Living"  Lambert, Scotty Wray 2:45
10. "Over You"  Lambert, Blake Shelton 4:15
11. "Look at Miss Ohio"  David Rawlings, Gillian Welch 4:18
12. "Better in the Long Run" (with Blake Shelton)Charles Kelley, Ashley Monroe, Gordie Sampson 3:34
13. "Nobody's Fool"  Chris Stapleton 3:43
14. "Oklahoma Sky"  Allison Moorer 4:46

Charts and Certifications

Weekly charts

Chart (2011) Peak
position
Australian Country Albums Chart[30] 11
Canadian Albums Chart[9] 12
UK Country Albums Chart[31] 5
US Billboard 200[9] 3
US Billboard Top Country Albums[9] 1

Year-end charts

Chart (2011) Position
US Billboard 200[32] 172
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[33] 40
Chart (2012) Position
US Billboard 200 47[34]
US Billboard Country Albums 14[34]
Chart (2013) Position
US Billboard 200 97[35]
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[36] 24

Certifications

Region Certification
United States (RIAA)[37] Platinum

Singles

Year Single Peak chart positions
US Country US Country Airplay US CAN Country
[38]		 CAN
2011 "Baggage Claim" 3 — 44 — 74
2012 "Over You" 1 — 35 — 52
"Fastest Girl in Town" 7 3 47 — 72
2013 "Mama's Broken Heart" 2 2 20 1 30
"All Kinds of Kinds" 24 15 89 12 94
"—" denotes releases that did not chart
Preceded by
Clancy's Tavern by Toby Keith		 Top Country Albums number-one album
November 19–26, 2011 		Succeeded by
Clear as Day by Scotty McCreery

Credits

Credits adapted from Allmusic[39] and deluxe edition liner notes.

Technical and production
  • Stephen Marcussen – mastering
  • James Towler – engineering
  • Chuck Ainlay – engineering, mixing, producer
  • Ryan Krieg – assistant engineer, mixing assistant
  • Brandon Schexnayder – assistant engineer, mixing assistant
  • Stewart Whitmore – digital editing
  • Brittany Hamlin – production cordination
  • Frank Liddell – producer
  • Glenn Worf – producer
Visuals and imagery
  • Randee St. Nicholas – photography
  • Tammie Harris Cleek – imaging, photo production
  • Mylah Morales – make-up
  • Enzo Angileri – hair stylist
  • Tiffany Gifford – stylist
  • Tracy Baskette-Fleaner – creative director, design
  • Judy Forde-Blair – creative producer, liner notes

Sounding
On Instruments

Managerial
DVD

References

  1. ↑ Smith, Grady (August 9, 2011). "Miranda Lambert releases 'Baggage Claim', the first single off 'Four the Record': Listen to it here!". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved September 21, 2011.
  2. ↑ Lipshutz, Jason (July 11, 2011). "Miranda Lambert Sets November Release for 'Four the Record'". Billboard. Retrieved September 21, 2011.
  3. ↑ "Lambert claims person record". Country Standard Time. August 9, 2011. Retrieved September 21, 2011.
  4. ↑ "Miranda Lambert To Release Limited Deluxe Edition Of Upcoming Album". All Access. September 12, 2011. Retrieved September 21, 2011.
  5. ↑ "Miranda Lambert's New Album". Whatis11111.com. 2011-06-06. Retrieved 2011-07-29.
  6. ↑ "Miranda Lambert Moves to RCA Nashville". CMT. August 29, 2011. Retrieved August 29, 2011.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton Record Duet". Country Music Television. September 15, 2011. Retrieved September 21, 2011.
  8. ↑ http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/465208/miranda-lambert-makes-record-start-on-country-albums
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 "Chart listing for Four the Record". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved November 10, 2011.
  10. ↑ "RIAA Certifications". January 10, 2014. Retrieved February 12, 2014.
  11. ↑ http://www.roughstock.com/blog/country-music-s-top-10-albums-the-week-of-may-28-2014
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 "Four The Record Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic". Metacritic.com. Retrieved 2011-11-03.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Silva, Robert. "Miranda Lambert – 'Four the Record' Album Review". About.com. Retrieved 28 January 2013.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Four the Record – Miranda Lambert". AllMusicRovi Corporation. Retrieved 1 November 2011.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Deusner, Stephen. "Miranda Lambert: Four the Record". American Songwriter. Retrieved 28 January 2013.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Tucker, Ken. "Four the Record by Miranda Lambert – Country Weekly". Country Weekly. Retrieved 3 November 2011.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Lewis, Randy (31 October 2011). "Album review: Miranda Lambert's 'Four the Record' - latimes.com". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 3 November 2011.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Langhoff, Josh. "Miranda Lambert: Four the Record < PopMatters". Retrieved 3 November 2011.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Lewis, Stormy. "Album Review: Miranda Lambert – Four The Record". Retrieved 28 January 2012.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Keefe, Jonathan. "Miranda Lambert: Four the Record – Music Review – Slant Magazine". Retrieved 3 November 2011.
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Dukes, Billy. "Miranda Lambert, ‘Four the Record’ – Album Review". Retrieved 28 January 2013.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 Gardner, Elysa (31 October 2011). "Miranda Lambert in fine form 'Four the Record'". USA Today. Retrieved 28 January 2013.
  23. ↑ "50 Best Albums of 2011: Miranda Lambert, 'Four the Record'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 28 January 2013.
  24. ↑ Koski, Genevieve. "Miranda Lambert: Four The Record – Music – Music Review – The A.V. Club". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 3 November 2011.
  25. ↑ "Miranda Lambert’s ‘Four the Record’ – Arts – The Boston Globe". Boston Globe. Retrieved 3 November 2011.
  26. ↑ Christgau, Robert (November 11, 2011). "Pistol Annies/Miranda Lambert". MSN Music. Microsoft. Retrieved 2011-11-12.
  27. ↑ Wood, Mikael (October 26, 2011). "Four the Record review — Miranda Lambert — Music Reviews and News — EW.com". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 3 November 2011.
  28. ↑ Weber, Theon. "Miranda Lambert, 'Four the Record' (RCA Nashville) - SPIN.com". Retrieved 3 November 2011.
  29. ↑ Holden, Stephen (October 31, 2011). "New Music From Miranda Lambert and Susan Boyle — Reviews — NYTimes.com". The New York Times. Retrieved 3 November 2011.
  30. ↑ http://www.ariacharts.com.au/pages/charts_display_country.asp?chart=1F20
  31. ↑ "Archive Chart". UK Albums Chart. The Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 10, 2011.
  32. ↑ "Billboard 200 Albums: Year-End top-selling albums across all genres". Billboard.
  33. ↑ "Top Country Albums: 2011 Year-End Charts". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved January 16, 2015.
  34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 http://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2012/top-billboard-200-albums
  35. ↑ "2013 Year-End Charts – Billboard 200 Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved December 13, 2013.
  36. ↑ "Top Country Albums: 2013 Year-End Charts". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved January 16, 2015.
  37. ↑ "American album certifications – Miranda Lambert – Four the Record". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
  38. ↑ "Miranda Lambert Album & Song Chart History - Canada Country". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved November 20, 2013.
  39. ↑ "Four the Record – Miranda Lambert Credits". Allmusic. Retrieved November 3, 2011.