The Marfa Tapes
(Vanner Records / RCA Nashville)
Miranda Lambert and her buddies Jack Ingram and Jon Randall first headed to remote Marfa, Texas, together in 2016. That initial retreat yielded a hit for Lambert in the devastating heartache song "Tin Man," and the trio penned "Tequila Does," a crowd-pleasing staple of Lambert's arena-size country concerts on a return trip.
So with a pandemic putting a stop to the music business, what were the three Lone Star State friends to do but head back to the high-desert home of sculptor Donald Judd's Chinati Foundation and the atmospheric phenomenon of the Marfa Lights? Last September, Ingram, Lambert and Randall gathered around the campfire, seeking to recapture the in-person intimacy that COVID-19 has robbed so many musicians of.
Documenting their endeavors on an iPhone voice notes app, "The Marfa Tapes" is a marvelous off-the-cuff success. It's intentionally unpolished: Logs crackle, the wind howls, border patrol helicopters fly overhead. Giggles and miscues are not edited out.
Of course, that lack of polish could come across as performative authenticity-flaunting. But "The Marfa Tapes" avoids such pitfalls, thanks to quality songwriting. "Tin Man" and "Tequila Does" are reprised, but the other 13 loosely performed songs are all new traditional country tunes of a high order.
Lambert is the focal point, and it's a big deal for an artist of her magnitude to take a legitimate musical risk. But while she handles most lead vocals, Ingram and Randall are also showcased, and their musical camaraderie is unmistakable.
When Randall sings lead on "Homegrown Tomatoes" (not the Guy Clark song), Lambert's concentration on her harmony vocal is evident. "Nailed it!," she compliments herself, before the moment passes. Yep, you sure did.