On the debut by their ad hoc trio, Miranda Lambert and friends Ashley Monroe and Angaleena Presley show off the kind of hard-living wit and hardscrabble class consciousness that have become tough to find in Nashville. Their feisty brand of country mixes Great Depression redneck blues, rockabilly and even a little '65 Dylan (check the rambling Bringing It All Back Home backbeat in "Takin' Pills") without sounding retro. Though they sometimes opt for woozy beauty, they're best rip-roaring about not making ends meet: deep debt, thrift-store curtains, mufflers tied on with guitar strings, no-good husbands kicked out of the trailer. It's heartbreaking and hilarious, in equal measure.
Listen to "Hell on Heels":
Related
• Photos: The Week's Hottest Live Shots
