I just bought the new Miranda Lambert CD, and I can't help but send out big raves for that girl. She's only 23 or so, and this little teeny thing, but a really smart songwriter and sassy as hell.

I have the lead track stuck in my head, a little ditty called "Gunpowder and Lead":

http://www.cmt.com/videos/miranda-lambert/177205/gunpowder-and-lead-from-cmt-cross-country.jhtml

(I wish I could find the ripping live version of her singing it on the recent CMAs, but this one'll do. Her singing partner there is Jack Ingram, a fine singer/songwriter himself.)


I'm goin' home - gonna load my shotgun
Stand by the door and light a cigarette
He wants a fight- well now he's got one
He ain't seen me crazy yet
Slapped me on the face and shook me like a ragdoll
Don't that sound like a real man?
I'm gonna show him what little girls are made of
Gunpowder and lead.


Powerful stuff.

As I'm posting this, I'm thinking:

I know it makes people uncomfortable to see that kind of aggression and anger in a woman's words, and believe me ( or click on the link and see for yourself) she makes it even more compelling by her empowering delivery. I don't think she or anyone would ever truly espouse that kind of violence ( I wouldn't), but I've got to say, it IS empowering to listen to. Because:

Any woman ( which is way too many, including way too many *I* know, including myself) who's ever been hurt in that kind of way, even with other kinds of damage, words or actions or cruelty that can't be seen on the skin...well, it takes you out of your own center. And understandably so. And it's not about playing the victim or switching places with the perpetrator, but perhaps sometimes regaining your center of power is finding parts of yourself that will go to such extremes to protect it, even if they're just fantasies or songs. The process of looking through that lens is powerful stuff, primal stuff, and whew. Just whew.

It blew me away- the song and my own reaction. It certainly makes me think and feel deeply, and maybe that's its job; it's succeeding at its job. (Not to mention it's a kick-ass song to boot; can't get that chorus out of my head. ). All I can say is: whoa. Wow. And: I defy you not to rock out to this song, whether or not you agree with its premise. Go on, try not to!

Really compelling (and super rocking, muscially speaking) stuff......