Country
Jack Ingram, Miranda Lambert and Jon Randall, "The Marfa Tapes"
(RCA Nashville)
Lambert and her buddies first headed to remote Marfa, Texas, in 2016, and wrote Lambert's heartache hit "Tin Man." During the pandemic, the three returned to Marfa. Documenting their endeavors around the campfire on an iPhone voice notes app, "The Marfa Tapes" is a marvelous off-the-cuff success. Logs crackle, wind howls, giggles and miscues are not edited out.
In addition to versions of the hits "Tin Man" and "Tequila Does," 13 new loosely performed songs are all traditional country tunes of a high order. Lambert is the focal point, and it's a big deal for an artist of her stature to take this kind of risk. Ingram and Randall are also showcased, and their camaraderie is unmistakable.
When Randall sings lead on "Homegrown Tomatoes," Lambert's concentration on her harmony vocal is evident. "Nailed it!" she compliments herself before the moment passes. Yep, you sure did.
Dan Deluca, Philadelphia Inquirer
Pop/rock
Bebe Rexha, "Better Mistakes" (Warner Bros.)
Can it be fair to say that a musician who's sold 10 million copies of a single is still struggling to break out? Rexha had a smash with "Meant to Be," her 2017 pop-country collaboration with Florida Georgia Line, and she's scored other hits with G-Eazy ("Me, Myself & I") and Martin Garrix ("In the Name of Love").
