Platinum (Miranda Lambert album)

Platinum
Studio album by Miranda Lambert
Released June 3, 2014
Recorded 2013–14
Genre Country
Length 58:15
Label RCA Nashville
Producer Frank Liddell, Chuck Ainlay, Glenn Worf
Miranda Lambert chronology

Four the Record
(2011)		 Platinum
(2014)
Singles from Platinum
  1. "Automatic"
    Released: February 17, 2014
  2. "Somethin' Bad"
    Released: May 19, 2014
  3. "Little Red Wagon"
    Released: January 12, 2015

Platinum is the fifth studio album by American country music artist Miranda Lambert, released on June 3, 2014, through RCA Records Nashville.[1] Its lead single, "Automatic", has reached the top 10 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts.[2][3] The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, selling 180,000 copies in its first week and is Lambert's first album to reach the top of the Billboard 200.[4] It also marked her fifth consecutive No. 1 debut on the Top Country Albums Chart, making her the first artist in history to start her career with five No. 1 albums.[4] Platinum won the Album of the Year at the Country Music Association Awards in 2014.[5] It won Grammy Award for Best Country Album on February 8, 2015. Music critic Robert Christgau named it the second best album of 2014.[6]

Background

Lambert wrote or co-wrote eight of the album's sixteen tracks. The album features collaborations with Little Big Town ("Smokin' and Drinkin'") and The Time Jumpers ("All That's Left"), as well as a duet with Carrie Underwood on "Somethin' Bad.".[7]

Promotion

Lambert and Carrie Underwood debuted "Somethin' Bad" on the 2014 Billboard Music Awards on May 18, 2014,[8] and performed it again on June 4, 2014, during the CMT Music Awards.[9]

In support of the album, Lambert has a North American tour scheduled for summer 2014. Select dates will feature openers Justin Moore and Thomas Rhett.[10]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source Rating
Metacritic 86/100[11]
Review scores
Source Rating
AllMusic [12]
American Songwriter [13]
Robert Christgau A[14]
Entertainment Weekly A[15]
The Guardian [16]
Los Angeles Times [17]
PopMatters [18]
Rolling Stone [19]
Spin 7/10[20]
USA Today [21]

Platinum garnered unanimous praise from the ratings and reviews of music critics.[22] The review aggregator website Metacritic assigns a "weighted average" rating out of 100 to the selected independent reviews it utilizes from mainstream critics, and based on eleven reviews the album received a Metascore of an 86, indicating "Universal acclaim".[11] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic rated the album four-and-a-half stars out of five, summing it up by writing that the release "would've benefitted from a tighter construction, but its mess and lopsided sequencing wind up appealing: at its heart, this is a classic double-album where the misses enhance the home runs and, eventually, are endearing on their own terms."[12] At Rolling Stone, Will Hermes rated the album four stars out of five, remarking how the album gives evidence to Lambert's climb to the top ranks of country music's echelon "by singing top-shelf songs in the voice of a woman getting real."[19] In addition, Hermes compared listening to Lambert's music as "eavesdropping in a hair salon."[19] Alex Macpherson of The Guardian rated the album four stars out of five, stating how the release shows an artist "swaggering righteously like the Partonesque country superstar [that] she is", and according to him Lambert "isn't done rebelling."[16]

Melissa Maerz of Entertainment Weekly graded the album an A, illustrating how the music sounds like a songstress "bent on making her own decisions" on a "a girl's-girl" type of release, and it proves Lambert is "an old-school country wisecracker that's one of her all-time bests, she's funny as hell."[15] At American Songwriter, Jonathan Bernstein rated the album four stars out of five, calling her a remarkable "shapeshifter" because of the numerous genres touched on, and Lambert's "statement manages to weave together nuanced humor and sarcastic wit with huge pop hooks only makes it that much more impressive."[13] At Country Weekly, Tammy Ragusa graded the album an A, stating that Lambert shows even more "colors and designs" on a release which "turns the wheel and sends the gems tumbling into all new, amazing patterns", referring to the album as a "kaleidoscope [...] made of platinum".[23] Also, Ragusa says Lambert stays genuinely tried-and-true to herself, and comparing the title to hair coloring, which she remarks how the music "goes further than Miranda's roots."[23]

At The New York Times Jon Caramanica gave a positive review of the album, commenting how the music contains "the most incisive songwriting in any genre", which encompasses musical aspects that "are complex, self-confident and self-lacerating all at once, and most crucially, completely knowing and in on the joke."[24] Furthermore, Caramanica illustrating how Lambert is "vivacious, clever and slickly rowdy new album, though, Ms. Lambert is finally becoming a sophisticated radical, a wry country feminist and an artist learning to experiment widely but also with less abrasion."[24] Dan Hyman of Spin rated the album a seven out of ten, stating how the release is Lambert's "most mature, well-rounded effort to date," on which "Miranda crosses the threshold" with a "refined, pristinely polished" musical work that he calls "a supremely balanced set, tailor-made to reflect the singer's fully evolved, dichotomous persona".[20] At Los Angeles Times, Mikael Wood rated the album three-and-a-half stars out of four, suggesting how Lambert is just "as good now with a spark as she once was with a flame."[17]

Joe Sweeney of PopMatters rated the album seven out of ten discs, calling the release "overstuffed" in terms of track count on a musical project where the "prevailing mood is effortless, authentic joy", he compares Lambert to Dolly Parton noticing how their songwriters "sport the same authentic, resilient grin."[18] At The Observer, Neil Spencer rated the album three stars out of five, stating how "At its centre is Lambert's ebullient personality and a classic Texan voice that can deliver ballads or arena rock with equal ease."[25] Sarah Rodman of The Boston Globe gave a positive review of the album, finding an artisan who "sounding distinctly like herself" on a truly "worthy follow-up" to her previous release noticing how the music "bounce[s] from humid honky tonk to glossy arena stage to rustic front porch with sass and ease."[26] At USA Today, Jerry Shriver rated the album three stars out of four, writing how Lambert is "embracing a more reflective phase" even though her "wit, humor and sass are intact."[21] Gary Graff of The Oakland Press rated the album three stars out of four, observing how the songwriters' craft the lyricism by knowing Lambert's persona that gives rise to a release encompassing "a wide array of musical styles while still staying rooted in country and seldom giving over to the modern pop trappings many of her peers trade in."[27]

Glenn Gamboa of Newsday graded the album an A, indicating how the release "isn't just the finest work of her already-strong career" it's now his top country music album of the year.[28] At Tampa Bay Times, Sean Daly graded the album an A, calling it Lambert's "most genre-bending work yet", however it "finds a successful woman unsure of her fame and doubly wary of the pedestal on which she and Shelton have been place", but she still "goes after all that with gusto."[29] Josh Bell of Las Vegas Weekly rated the album three-and-a-half stars out of five, highlighting how Lambert's personality is evident on all tracks that enables Lambert to perform her entire repertoire of music.[30] At Time, Jamieson Cox gave a positive review of the album, heralding it as a musical work that entrenches her qualities even more deeply and broadly into the continuance of her artistic endeavors, which contains the qualities of "feminine strength, force of personality, and command of the situation."[31] Melinda Newman of HitFix graded the album an A-, describing Lambert on the release as "both touching an hilarious", and indicating that Lambert has superb song selection abilities.[32] At Roughstock, Matt Bjorke rated the album four-and-a-half stars out of five, saying how the release is authentically Miranda Lambert with some new musical touches in store for listeners, which it is a plentiful amount "of music to digest."[33]

Commercial success

Platinum debuted at No. 1 on both the Billboard Top 200 and Top Country Albums chart, selling 180,000 copies and giving Lambert the best first sales week of her career.[4] As of March 2015, the album has sold 682,000 copies in the United States.[34]

In Canada, the album debuted at No. 1 on the Canadian Albums Chart, selling 9,300 copies.[35]

Track listing

Source: Sony Music Nashville[7]

No. TitleWriter(s) Length
1. "Girls"  Nicolle Galyon, Natalie Hemby, Jimmy Robbins 3:35
2. "Platinum"  Miranda Lambert, Galyon, Hemby 3:11
3. "Little Red Wagon"  Audra Mae, Joe Ginsberg 3:24
4. "Smokin' and Drinkin'" (featuring Little Big Town)Hemby, Luke Laird, Shane McAnally 5:30
5. "Priscilla"  Galyon, Hemby, Robbins 3:26
6. "Automatic"  Lambert, Galyon, Hemby 4:07
7. "Bathroom Sink"  Lambert 4:05
8. "Old Shit"  Brent Cobb, Neil Mason 2:45
9. "All That's Left" (featuring The Time Jumpers)Dixie Hall, Tom T. Hall 3:11
10. "Gravity Is a Bitch"  Lambert, Scotty Wray 3:08
11. "Babies Makin' Babies"  Galyon, Hemby, Robbins 2:56
12. "Somethin' Bad" (duet with Carrie Underwood)Chris DeStefano, Brett James, Priscilla Renea 2:49
13. "Holding on to You"  Lambert, Jessi Alexander, Ashley Monroe 4:32
14. "Two Rings Shy"  Lambert, Brandy Clark, Heather Little 3:18
15. "Hard Staying Sober"  Lambert, Hemby, Laird 4:28
16. "Another Sunday in the South"  Lambert, Alexander, Monroe 3:50
Total length:
 58:15

Release history

List of release dates, showing region, label, format, edition(s) and catalog number
Region Date Label Format(s) Edition(s) Catalog
United States June 3, 2014 RCA Nashville CD, digital download Standard

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Chart (2014) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[36] 8
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[37] 1
UK Country Albums Chart[38] 2
US Billboard 200[39] 1
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[40] 1

Year-end charts

Chart (2014) Position
US Billboard 200[41] 30
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[42] 8

Singles

Year Single Peak chart positions
US Country
[43]		 US Country Airplay
[44]		 US
[45]		 CAN Country
[46]		 CAN
[47]
2014 "Automatic" 4 3 35 1 34
"Somethin' Bad" 1 7 19 6 33
2015 "Little Red Wagon" 5 16 55 22 56

Certifications

Region Certification Sales/shipments
United States (RIAA)[48] Gold 657,000[34]

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone
xunspecified figures based on certification alone

Preceded by
Just as I Am by Brantley Gilbert
Band of Brothers by Willie Nelson
Moonshine in the Trunk by Brad Paisley		 Top Country Albums number-one album
June 21–28, 2014
July 12–26, 2014
September 20, 2014 		Succeeded by
Band of Brothers by Willie Nelson
Based on a True Story... by Blake Shelton
I Don't Dance by Lee Brice

References

  1. ↑ "Amazon.com - Platinum - Music".
  2. ↑ "Miranda Lambert - Chart history - Billboard". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
  3. ↑ "Miranda Lambert - Chart history - Billboard". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Caulfield, Keith (11 June 2014). "Miranda Lambert Earns First No. 1 Album On Billboard 200". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
  5. ↑ Stephen L. Betts (November 5, 2014). "Miranda Lambert's 'Platinum' Wins CMA Album of the Year". RollingStone.
  6. ↑ Christgau, Robert (March 10, 2015). "Excuses, Excuses: The 2014 Dean’s List". The Barnes & Noble Review. Retrieved April 13, 2015.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Miranda Lambert Sets ACM Record With 5 Consecutive Female Vocalist Of The Year Wins". April 7, 2014. Retrieved April 10, 2014.
  8. ↑ "Miranda to Perform with Carrie Underwood on 2014 Billboard Music Awards". mirandalambert.com. May 7, 2014. Retrieved May 23, 2014.
  9. ↑ "Miranda Lambert, Carrie Underwood Ace "Something Bad"". CMT. June 4, 2014. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
  10. ↑ "Miranda Announces Crystal Light Presents Platinum Tour". mirandalambert.com. May 13, 2014. Retrieved May 23, 2014.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Metacritic. "Critic Reviews for Platinum". CBS Interactive. Retrieved June 4, 2014.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (June 2, 2014). "Platinum - Miranda Lambert | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved June 3, 2014.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Bernstein, Jonathan (June 10, 2014). "Miranda Lambert: Platinum". American Songwriter. ForASong Media, LLC. ISSN 0896-8993. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
  14. ↑ Christgau, Robert (December 12, 2014). "Expert Witness". Medium. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Maerz, Melissa (June 4, 2014). "Platinum Review". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. ISSN 1049-0434. Retrieved June 5, 2014.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Macpherson, Alex (June 12, 2014). "Miranda Lambert: Platinum review – righteous swagger from country star". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Wood, Mikael (June 3, 2014). "Miranda Lambert catches a spark on exuberant 'Platinum'". Los Angeles Times. Eddy Hartenstein for the Tribune Company. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved June 4, 2014.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Sweeney, Joe (June 4, 2014). "Miranda Lambert: Platinum". PopMatters. Retrieved June 4, 2014.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 Hermes, Will (June 1, 2014). "Miranda Lambert 'Platinum' Album Review". Rolling Stone. Jann Wenner. ISSN 0035-791X. Retrieved June 2, 2014.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Hyman, Dan (June 1, 2014). "Miranda Lambert, 'Platinum' Review". Spin. Spin Media. ISSN 0886-3032. Retrieved June 2, 2014.
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Shriver, Jerry (June 1, 2014). "Miranda Lambert's 'Platinum' sounds golden". USA Today. Gannett Company. ISSN 0734-7456. Retrieved June 2, 2014.
  22. ↑ Trakin, Roy (June 3, 2014). "Miranda Lambert's 'Platinum': What the Critics Are Saying". The Hollywood Reporter. Lynne Segall. ISSN 0018-3660. Retrieved June 5, 2014.
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 Ragusa, Tammy (June 16, 2014). "Platinum by Miranda Lambert". Country Weekly 21 (24). American Media, Inc. p. 66. ISSN 1074-3235. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 Caramanica, Jon (June 2, 2014). "New Albums by Miranda Lambert, Meshell Ndegeocello and Taylor McFerrin". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 3, 2014.
  25. ↑ Spencer, Neil (May 31, 2014). "Platinum review – Miranda Lambert bridges country's musical divide". The Observer. Guardian Media Group. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved May 31, 2014.
  26. ↑ Rodman, Sarah. "Miranda Lambert, 'Platinum'". The Boston Globe. John W. Henry. ISSN 0743-1791. Retrieved June 5, 2014.
  27. ↑ Graff, Gary (May 29, 2014). "The Listening Room: Miranda Lambert, The Orwells and more...". The Oakland Press. 21st Century Media. Retrieved June 2, 2014.
  28. ↑ Gamboa, Glenn (May 30, 2014). "Miranda Lambert's 'Platinum' review: Best country album this year". Newsday. Gordon McLeod for Cablevision. ISSN 0278-5587. Retrieved June 2, 2014.
  29. ↑ Daly, Sean (June 4, 2014). "Review: Miranda Lambert's 'Platinum' is her best yet". Tampa Bay Times. Times Publishing Company. Retrieved June 5, 2014.
  30. ↑ Bell, Josh (June 4, 2014). "Album review: Miranda Lambert's 'Platinum'". Las Vegas Weekly. Travis Keys for The Greenspun Corporation. Retrieved June 5, 2014.
  31. ↑ Cox, Jamieson (June 3, 2014). "REVIEW: Miranda Lambert Strikes Gold on Platinum". Time. Time Inc. Retrieved June 3, 2014.
  32. ↑ Newman, Melinda (June 3, 2014). "Review: Miranda Lambert shines on diverse new album, 'Platinum'". HitFix. Retrieved June 5, 2014.
  33. ↑ Bjorke, Matt (May 30, 2014). "Album Review: Miranda Lambert - Platinum". Roughtstock. Cheri Media Group. Retrieved June 2, 2014.
  34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 Matt Bjorke (March 18, 2015). "Country Album Chart Report For March 18, 2015". Roughstock. Sales figure given here
  35. ↑ "Weekly Music Sales Report and Analysis for June 11, 2014". ajournalofmusicalthings.com. Retrieved June 19, 2014.
  36. ↑ "Miranda Lambert – Platinum". Australiancharts.com. Hung Medien.
  37. ↑ "Miranda Lambert Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Canadian Albums Chart for Miranda Lambert.
  38. ↑ "Archive Chart". UK Albums Chart. The Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
  39. ↑ "Miranda Lambert Album & Song Chart History" Billboard 200 for Miranda Lambert.
  40. ↑ "Miranda Lambert Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Top Country Albums for Miranda Lambert.
  41. ↑ "Billboard 200 Albums: Year-End top-selling albums across all genres". Billboard.
  42. ↑ "Top Country Albums: 2014 Year-End Charts". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved January 16, 2015.
  43. ↑ "Miranda Lambert Album & Song Chart History - Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved September 8, 2010.
  44. ↑ "Miranda Lambert Album & Song Chart History - Country Airplay". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved November 8, 2012.
  45. ↑ "Miranda Lambert Album & Song Chart History - Hot 100". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved September 8, 2010.
  46. ↑ "Miranda Lambert Album & Song Chart History - Canada Country". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved November 20, 2013.
  47. ↑ "Miranda Lambert Album & Song Chart History - Canadian Hot 100". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved September 8, 2010.
  48. ↑ "American album certifications – Platinum". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH