Miranda Lambert Reveals ‘The Marfa Tapes’ Side Project Collaboration
She's teamed up with Jack Ingram and Jon Randall for a whole album arriving May 7!
Miranda Lambert has announced Texas-centric side project with songwriters Jack Ingram and Jon Randall, revealing a “raw” new album called The Marfa Tapes.
Unveiling the news on social media Thursday (March 4) after about 48 hours of hints, the country hit makers say their project will arrive on May 7, with the first song, “In His Arms,” dropping Friday. According to Lambert, it all stems from a fruitful songwriting partnership that has already resulted in the songs “Tin Man” and “Tequila Does,” and will feature a rootsy, down-to-earth sound rooted in the Texas landscape.
“They’re raw. You can hear the wind blowing, the cows mooing… We wanted you to feel like you were right there with us, sitting around the campfire, escaping the world, disappearing into the music,” she wrote on Instagram.
Posting a series of photos in recent days, Lambert explained that the trio often meets up in Marfa, Texas, to write songs and unwind. That’s where the project gets its name, and The Marfa Tapes will feature more than a dozen unheard songs.
“Every time I need an escape, I go to Marfa, TX,” she wrote. “@JackIngram, and @jonrandallmusic come. We recharge. We get inspired by its beauty. We write songs. Tin Man was the 1st one we shared with you. Tequila Does was the 2nd. In between, we’ve written 13 more. And it’s about time to start sharing them with y’all…”
All three singer-songwriters have ties to Texas, and fans may recall Ingram for tracks like the 2005 Number One “Wherever You Are,” or the 2009 Top 10 “Barefoot and Crazy.” Randall, meanwhile, has made his name mostly as a hit songwriter and producer, penning standouts like Brad Paisley and Alison Krauss’ “Whiskey Lullaby,” guiding studio recordings by Dierks Bentley (Up On the Ridge, The Mountain) and more.
The news now marks Lambert’s second side project trio, joining her Grammy nominated Pistol Annies with Ashley Monroe and Angaleena Presley. Lambert’s current single, “Settling Down,” is out now, and the singer-songwriter was just revealed as the first female country star with plans to open a honky tonk in Nashville’s Lower Broadway tourist district. Miranda Lambert’s Casa Rosa will join bars named after Luke Bryan, Blake Shelton, Jason Aldean and more, but there’s no word on when.
