Miranda Lambert’s ‘Wildcard’ Album Is Released: On This Day
It’s hard to believe four years have passed since the release of Miranda Lambert‘s seventh studio album, Wildcard. The country superstar’s fourteen-track collection was a memorable one, to say the…
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – APRIL 07: Miranda Lambert performs onstage during the 54th Academy Of Country Music Awards at MGM Grand Garden Arena on April 07, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
It's hard to believe four years have passed since the release of Miranda Lambert's seventh studio album, Wildcard. The country superstar's fourteen-track collection was a memorable one, to say the least.
When Lambert introduced the album, she revealed to fans that "Wildcard has an overall theme of own the skin you're in." The album let us do exactly that, especially with her three singles, "It All Comes Out In The Wash," "Bluebird," and "Settling Down."
“When people listen to this record, I want them to know that I see them and hear them,” said Lambert. “I feel you, because I’m just a girl from East Texas, writing about all the things that go on in my world and in the worlds of people around me. I want people to get along, you know, just be who you are, own it and move on from the moments you couldn’t live in.”
The album was produced by Jay Joyce which Lambert had a hand in co-writing on for every track selected. Wildcard landed Lambert a Grammy Award for Best Country Album in 2021 as well as a CMA nomination for Album of the Year.
The 39-year-old went on to release several music videos for the project including "Settling Down" which she stars in alongside her husband, Brendan McLoughlin, and the fan-favorite "Tequila Does" remix.
"Country is what I do. It's who I am. It literally just seeps out of my pores," Lambert stated in the Wildcard teaser video.
Following the release of Wildcard, Lambert took her new music out on the road in 2020 for her "Wildcard Tour" with supporting acts Cody Johnson, LANCO, Randy Rogers Band, and Parker McCollum.
Since the 2019 release of Wildcard, Lambert dropped a collaborative album titled The Marfa Tapes, with Jack Ingram and Jon Randall, and her most recent, Palomino in 2022.
Country music has its fair share of drinking songs, songs about drinking, and songs about what drinking can do to you. Actually, there may be fewer songs in country music that don't mention the drink than songs that do.
Tim McGraw is the latest country star to have a song about drinking; Tim's new tune is called "Hey Whiskey." Its release closely follows Luke Bryan's new single, "But I Got A Beer In My Hand." It's not the first song McGraw has released about whiskey. In 2008, he released a single called "Whiskey And You."
McGraw's new song's lyrics include, "I let you stay, you made her leave / You made me say things I don't mean / To the only girl that ever made me choose / I gave you everything I had / Went to hell and can't get back / The only thing I couldn't stand to lose / Hey whiskey / Hey whiskey, what'd I ever do to you?"
RELATED: Tim McGraw Serenades Country Icon At CMA Fest
McGraw recently announced details on his brand new album Standing Room Only, which will be released on August 25. McGraw also announced a new song from the project today (6/23) called "Hey Whiskey."
Standing Room Only will feature 13 new tracks produced by Tim and his longtime producing partner Byron Gallimore. The new album marks McGraw's first new record since 2020's Here On Earth, which debuted at #1 on the Billboard Country Chart.
Tim said in a statement, "As an artist, I always want to dig deeper and get better every time I make a new record – it's a big part of what drives me, and I really believe this is one of the best projects we've made. I've been working on this album since 2020, and this collection of songs is some of the most emotional, thought-provoking, and life-affirming music I've ever recorded."
He added, "I'm excited to have 'Hey Whiskey' out so fans can start hearing more of what we're working on – and maybe even more before August…"
While this list was more challenging than most to whittle down, we share what we believe are country music's best songs about drinking.
11 - Willie Nelson - "Whiskey River" (1973)
WBThis is a true classic. Released in 1973 on Willie's "Shotgun Willie" album, it was one that Nelson did not write but has become one of his signature career songs.
10 - Blake Shelton - "The More I Drink" (2007)
WBThe video for this song begins with many heavily intoxicated bar patrons getting arrested (including Blake) and getting into a fight. Blake starts the song in a police booking room before the scene cuts to the bar patrons getting rowdy and drunk at a local bar.
9 - Brad Paisley - "Alcohol" (2005)
SonyBrad wrote this song, and it is one of his biggest hits—an interesting song coming from Paisley, who does not and has never drunk alcohol.
8 - Lady A - "Bartender" (2014)
UMGA catchy song written by all three members of Lady A. The trio debuted the song during the "American Idol" season thirteen finale on May 21, 2014.
7 - Eric Church - "Drink In My Hand" (2011)
UMGThis fun drinking song became Church's first number-one hit on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. Eric co-wrote the song that appeared on his breakthrough "Chief" album.
6 - Toby Keith's "Red Solo Cup" (2011)
ShowdogThis song came off Toby's album "Clancy's Tavern" album and is the only song on the album that Keith did not write or co-write. It was ranked by "Insider" as the second worst song of the 2010s decade, and Toby himself called it "the stupidest song I ever heard in my life." Regardless of its reviews, it was a big ol' hit and became a drinking anthem.
5 - Little Big Town - "Day Drinking" (2014)
UMGThis fun song was released as the lead single from LBT's sixth studio album, "Pain Killer." The group debuted the song at the CMT Music Awards on June 4, 2014.
4 - Chris Stapleton - "Tennessee Whiskey" (2015)
UMGThis is the song that made Chris a superstar. Stapleton performed it at the Country Music Association (CMA) Awards as a duet with Justin Timberlake. The performance was described as the best moment of the night. Yeah, it was! But Chris wasn't the first to record it: David Allen Coe and George Jones both didn't versions of the song decades before Chris.
3 - Dierks Bentley - "Drunk On A Plane" (2014)
UMGDierks co-wrote this instant classic about a man who is left behind at the altar and takes a trip to Cancún by himself after he is unable to obtain a refund for the airplane tickets he had purchased for a honeymoon. The video for the song won Music Video of the Year at the 2014 CMA Awards.
2 - Luke Combs - "Beer Never Broke My Heart" (2019)
SonyMaybe the perfect drinking song. It's the song Luke Combs' fans in stadiums wait all night to hear at the end of his shows. In the video, Combs performs in a small dive bar, similar to gigs he played early in his career.
1 - Miranda Lambert/Elle King - "Drunk (And I Don't Wanna Go Home)" (2021)
SonyThis song went all the way to number one on the country charts and even got a Grammy nomination. It brought Elle King into country music full-time and is just a great drinking song.
