The Marfa Tapes
The Marfa Tapes is a collaborative studio album by American country artists Miranda Lambert, Jack Ingram and Jon Randall, released on May 7, 2021 through RCA Nashville.[1][2] It is Randall's fourth, Lambert's eighth, and Ingram's eleventh studio album.
The Marfa Tapes
Lambert hinted at an upcoming project with longtime friends and collaborators Randall and Ingram via her social media accounts on March 2, 2021, before announcing The Marfa Tapes in the following days. The tracklist was announced, with Lambert's previously recorded songs "Tin Man" and "Tequila Does" both featured on the album, and the first new song "In His Arms" was premiered with a video on March 5.[3]
The album's style and recording process was a radical departure for Lambert in particular, whose voice on her own albums has been notably less raw. However, the change was praised by critics, who applauded her for both taking the musical risk, as well as all three artists for the album's content, which was noted for its high quality songwriting, substance, and lack of filler.
It was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Country Album at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards.
Background[edit]
The trio of songwriters first wrote together in July 2015, after Lambert's highly public divorce with fellow country singer Blake Shelton, and they claim the first song they wrote together was "The Wind's Just Gonna Blow", but according to Lambert in The Marfa Tapes film, they also wrote "Anchor", "Breaking a Heart" and Lambert's landmark acoustic track "Tin Man" (among others) on the same trip, and "Tin Man" was the only song written at this time which went on to be included on Lambert's critically acclaimed 2016 double album The Weight of These Wings. The song was released as the third single from the album, and went on to become one of Lambert's signature songs, going on to be named ACM Song of the Year in 2018.[4]
Lambert later recorded another track written by the trio, this time for her 2019 album Wildcard, and while not released as a single, "Tequila Does" went on to become a fan favourite and was immensely popular at Lambert's live shows[5] before the coronavirus pandemic halted her tour plans for 2020. She performed the song live on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.[6]
While she had previously commented on the special chemistry the trio had when writing together when receiving the award for 2018 Song of the Year for "Tin Man", it was not mentioned that they might ever record or release further music together. However, on March 2, 2021, Lambert hinted at an upcoming project with Randall and Ingram via her social media accounts, before announcing their upcoming collaborative acoustic record The Marfa Tapes in the following days.[7] The tracklist was then announced,[8] with Lambert's previously recorded songs "Tin Man" and "Tequila Does" both featured on the album, and the first new song "In His Arms" was premiered with a video on March 5.[3]
The album was recorded in Marfa, Texas, near the end of 2020 with just two microphones and two acoustic guitars, and was said to have an unpolished feel, with one-take recordings retaining mistakes and snapshots of conversations between the three, and the sound of the campfire and the desert in the background.[9]