Miranda Lambert has released the presumably final single from her stellar album Four The Record. "All Kinds of Kinds" has been climbing the charts for a few weeks now with no signs of stopping. The album has produced some big songs and some serious award show hardware for Miranda. So, with the final release, does she send it out with a bang or whimper into her next album?
In typical Miranda Lambert fashion, she totally knocks this one out of the park. When Four The Record came out, "All Kinds of Kinds" was instantly my favorite song on the album. When I talk about country music crossing modern sounds with classic elements, this is a poster child. Miranda mixes folksy instrumentation, sweet and exquisite story telling, and down home harmony to create a masterpiece of a song. I had been hoping this would be a single. Now that it is, I applaud Miranda for picking such a cool, unique song for radio play.
"All Kinds of Kinds" plays out like a bluegrass or folk song, with twangy guitars laying a soft, but solid foundation for the song to grow. The music is the perfect blend of strong enough to catch your ear, but subtle enough to let the lyrics do the talking. The musical fade after the singing to close out the song is simply beautiful. I could listen to a loop of it playing all day. This folksy feel is something that totally stands out on radio. Miranda has a lot of guts to release this to the party-centric radio crowd. But, Miranda has always shown that she has the balls to release the stuff others wouldn't touch, and she has been rewarded with heaps of awards and hit songs.
Story-telling is a lost art in country music, but Miranda continues to keep it alive. With the exception of a song or two, all of Miranda's singles feature great storytelling and thoughtful lyrics, and this is no different. "All Kinds of Kinds" tells the story of a series of lovable outcasts and oddballs that make the world go round. From cross-dressing congressmen to tattooed circus ladies, Miranda covers all of the unconventional people that make life unpredictable. While the song is a message of tolerance, the subject matter of cross-dressing and prescription drug use is still risky for mainstream radio. Miranda shows no fear and goes at it headfirst, and the result is a story that everyone can appreciate. She doesn't get on a soapbox or preach at anybody. She doesn't even condone the activities in the song. She just lets us know that the world has all kinds of kinds. In a world of political uprising at every corner, Miranda makes a pitch all sides can agree with.
2013 continues to be the year of the woman in country music. Miranda Lambert has been women's traditional icon in the mainstream country world for a few years now, and she continues to make them very proud. Miranda is the perfect mix of mainstream and traditional. More artists need to look at the Miranda Lambert approach to music and follow suit. Way to keep it country, Miranda!
"All Kinds of Kinds" music video
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