Kerosene (album)

Background

Kerosene was recorded in Nashville, Tennessee, United States in 2004 and consists of twelve tracks. Eleven of the twelve tracks were either entirely written or co-written by Lambert herself. After appearing with Lambert as a contestant on Nashville Star, Travis Howard co-wrote the tracks, "I Can't Be Bothered," "Bring Me Down," and "Mama, I'm Alright." Lambert hand-picked her producers for the album, choosing Frank Liddell because she was pleased with his work on music by Jack Ingram and Chris Knight. In addition, she also chose Mike Wrucke. The music's tone is set to a "love gone wrong" theme, however Lambert said that she did not draw this inspiration from her personal life. Lambert stated that she just "...loved a lot" and is "...one of those people who love very deeply when I do." Lambert gave songwriting co-credit for the title track to Alternative country artist, Steve Earle, after others noted the similarity to his 1996 single, "I Feel Alright." Lambert said in an interview that she had unconsciously copied the melody and structure of the song.

Entertainment Weekly's Alanna Nash felt that the album's sound evoked the genres of honky-tonk and country rock. John Metzger of Music Box called the single, "Me and Charlie Talking" to have an "infectious folk-pop" sound, while he considered "Greyhound Bound for Nowhere" to be "a somber retrospective."

Critical reception

The album received generally positive reviews from music critics. Entertainment Weekly music critic, Alanna Nash gave Kerosene a B+ rating stating, "A Nashville Star finalist and only 20 when she recorded this spunky set of honky-tonk, country-rock, and Sheryl Crow-style ballads last year, Lambert's got Dixie Chicks-like potential; Her vocals evoke Natalie Maines, and she clearly knows how to write a killer tune. Nash also praised Lambert's choice of material, calling the songs "torch stuff." Jon Metzger of Music Box gave Kerosene three out of five stars. Metzger criticized the fact that Lambert came to fame because of her success on Nashville Star, but he found her to be more memorable than other talent contest winners. Metzger proved his point by saying, "Without a doubt, her fame was derived from a carefully orchestrated marketing campaign, but standing in sharp contrast to almost all of her counterparts, the 21-year-old Texan actually has talent. Not only does Lambert pen her own material, but she also has the wherewithal to deliver it with a strikingly potent level of down-to-earth sincerity."

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic gave Kerosene a more favorable review, giving the album four out of five stars. Erlewine drew the album's similarities to the production of the material by country artist, Gretchen Wilson, a style which he called, "stylized redneck raunch won." Erlewine also said that Kerosene lost the "gonzo humor" Big & Rich had produced on Wilson's Here for the Party. He did find however that Lambert was unique in her own musical style, concluding by stating, "Against all odds, this a rarity in modern mainstream country: a piece of product that's friendly, tuneful, sharper, and more genuine than it initially seems. Maybe Miranda needed a show like Nashville Star to jump-start her career, but the show gave her the opportunity to make this thoroughly winning debut."

Chart performance

Kerosene's lead single titled, "Me and Charlie Talking" was released in October 2004, becoming the highest-debuting single in the week of October 16, debuting at number 42 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, but only peaking at number 27. Kerosene was officially released March 15, 2005, selling 40,000 copies within its first week and debuting at number 1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart, as well as number 18 on the Billboard 200. In April, the album released the song, "Bring Me Down," however the song only reached number 32 on the Billboard Country Chart. In October 2005, the title track was spawned as the third single, becoming the highest-debuting single of the week on October 8, 2005. The song became the album's first significant hit, reaching number 15 on the Billboard Country Chart in early 2006. "New Strings" was released as the album's final single in April 2006, peaking within the Top 25.

In December 2005, Kerosene was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America, however after the success of the title track, the album eventually was certified platinum in March 2007 and has sold 1,121,528 copies as of January 28, 2012.

Chart positions