Similarly, like most songs on Hell on Heels, "The Hunter's Wife" draws from a country upbringing. This woman has a problem and she "can't figure no way out." She then compares her "shotgun carrying, tobacco chewing" husband to a dog, which is absolutely obsessed with hunting and fishing. Take country music as a whole, which deals in real issues and problems of the common man, and this song is the embodiment of housewives who are relegated into making "squirrel gravy" and "coon stew." Perhaps this track is not first-grade radio single material, but it certainly marks itself as an enjoyable and easy listening recording. With a simple, sing-along chorus, "Wife" is a definite ear worm looking to be snagged up.
Speaking of being fed up, in "Trailer for Rent," written by Lambert, a woman decides it's time to do something about her dead-end life. She's "tired of his shit," and so she heads to the local newspaper to place an ad for her humble abode, holes and all. The arrangement fits snuggly in a traditional sound, and the simple lyrics inject enough bite to be memorable. Lambert has a way of taking a bare boned melodic line and spicing it up with her attitude to manufacture a gripping story. This track could have easily appeared on her own solo album.
Even on the closing track, "Family Feud," written with Blake Shelton, Lambert's husband, Pistol Annies work their way to the fine line of right and wrong. Interestingly enough, the song is about a family that suffers a death but all they can think about is who gets what. After a shotgun is ripped from the wall, a family feud breaks out as members of the dysfunctional family fight over dishes, rings, and a cedar chest. "Cause the good Lord giveth and the family taketh away," the trio sing on the last verse. As the old saying goes, money is the root of all evil, right?
Must Listens: "Hell on Heels," "Beige," "Boys from the South," "Trailer for Rent"
Rating: 3 out of 5
Article comments
1 - DreamKrazy
Great review. I like this album much better much better than "Four For The Record" Much more life in this album like in Miranda's previous albums. Not sure how how much country radio will their songs though.