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Miranda Lambert: Why the Country Music Superstar Chose Marfa to Record Her Newest Album

If you’ve heard Miranda Lambert’s latest release, The Marfa Tapes, then you know there’s something special about it. The stripped-down acoustic songs are completely different than anything that you’re likely to get from a megastar like Lambert. The ambient sounds of the desert add to the organic feel of the record. There is an energy in the songs that you just can’t get from a recording studio. In fact, you’re not going to get the feel of The Marfa Tapes anywhere else. From the first moments of the album, you know it’s going to be something different, raw, and in a way, magical.

Even live acoustic albums are cleaned up before they hit the market. Miranda Lambert’s latest release is more like a songwriter’s work tape or an old folk music field recording than anything else. It took some serious guts to release such a raw album. It was a risk that really paid off for Miranda, Jack Ingram, and Jon Randall.

In order to create something so different, Miranda Lambert knew she had to get away from it all. She knew that she wanted to break from the Nashville norm and just create music. She told Nashville Lifestyles all about the creative process behind the album. During that chat, she told them why she felt the need to go to Marfa.

Why Miranda Lambert Went to Marfa, Texas

As a native Texan, Miranda Lambert was already familiar with the Marfa area. In the interview, Lambert said, “I’ve always been in love with that part of the world.” The little spot in the middle of nowhere is miles from anything. It’s located near the Texas/Mexico border. In fact, at one point in The Marfa Tapes, you can hear Border Patrol flying overhead.

Miranda Lambert said, “If you’re a creative, you sometimes get caught in the weeds of life and everything else. But, in Marfa, there’s nothing else to do but listen to what comes in.  It’s like a place to rest your brain, but on the other hand, songs flood in as soon as you get out of your car. It’s like a vortex.”

From Miranda Lambert’s description, Marfa sounds like the perfect place to get away from it all. It’s the kind of place that begs you to get a couple of friends together, build a fire, and break out the guitar. That’s just what Lambert, Ingram, and Randall did.