Miranda Lambert on Blending Country and Disco on Her New Album: ‘Dolly’s All Over This’
Categoria: Musica
Miranda Lambert talks what surprised her about working with Chris Stapleton, and about inviting Ella Langley and Lainey Wilson to go horseback riding with her in the winter.
Por Billboard | 02/10/2026
Texan Miranda Lambert is known for her fiery songs and heartbreak ballads — but when she wrote and recorded the duet “A Song To Sing” with Chris Stapleton last year, she was just aiming to create a song with the sultry, fun vibe and glittery style of the Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton collaborations she loved. “It’s something I’ve never tried before, honestly,” Lambert tells Billboard . “I’ve never explored that part of country, even though I love it.” In the video for “A Song To Sing,” Lambert wore hoop earrings that belonged to Parton, while Stapleton wore a necklace that belonged to Rogers. “We went fully ‘70s and down to the Brentwood Skating Center [in Brentwood, Tenn.] to film the video — and who knew that Chris can skate really well, by the way?” she recalls. “I mean, that was not on my bingo card, believe me.” That collaboration sparked Lambert’s passion for songs that blend equal parts glitzy disco and classic country. Initially, Lambert thought she would create a shorter EP, but she and producer Jesse Frasure instead built a musical world inspired by the era of countrypolitan and Studio 54, with her album Crisco , which came out Friday (Oct. 2) through MCA. “Jesse made me a playlist called ‘Miranda-politan,’” she says of the playlist, which was filled with classics from the 1960s, ‘70s and ‘80s — including Glen Campbell’s “Southern Nights,” Ronnie Milsap’s “Smoky Mountain Rain,” the Bee Gees’ “Too Much Heaven,” and songs from Parton, Patsy Cline, Elvis Presley and Louise Mandrell. Tracks on the new album like “Crisco” and “Two Things Can Be True” are soaked in many key elements of that 1960s-1970s countrypolitan sound: lush harmonies, piano, and layers of strings. “I’ve never recorded with strings in my career, which is crazy,” she says. “When I think about that, I’m like, ‘What the heck was I waiting on?’ I think it was serendipitous, because I met Jesse, and this is absolutely his wheelhouse.” “Two Things Can Be True” and “Cowgirl Curtsy” both nod to Cline’s polished, refined vocal style, but the full album is brimming with nods to other late women country music legends Tammy Wynette, Loretta Lynn, and of course, Parton. “Dolly’s all over this, energy-wise,” Lambert says. “I feel like Dolly’s one of those people who will be here forever, even if it’s not on this Earth, but she’s always been an angel, anyway. I feel like she’s going to show up even more in our music and just keep influencing and blazing the trail even from up there.” Lambert recalled meeting Parton for the first time when the two country artists sang Parton’s song “Dumb Blonde” together for the soundtrack to the 2018 film Dumplin ’. “I got to the studio, I walked in and there’s cameras and lights everywhere. She grabs my shoulders and says, ‘Honey, find your good light. Always find your good light,’ and she turned my shoulders to the pretty light. I use that every single day when I’m doing camera stuff. I was like, ‘Thank you, Dolly.’ But i