Miranda Lambert is ▼ Music releasing her ninth studio album. The Road Never Ends BY PRESTON JONES L ife, as the saying goes, is about the journey, not the destination. Few would probably agree with that axiom more fervently than Miranda Lambert. The Longview native has traveled a circuitous route to superstardom, taking the road less traveled as often out of necessity as by choice. The 38-year-old singer-songwriter would likely even argue she’s not yet arrived — nine consecutive ACM Awards for Female Vocal- ist of the Year, three Grammy Awards and more than seven million albums sold in the United States would like a word — but rather, that she deliberately may never reach a final stopping place. Just consider how Lambert talks about her ninth studio album, the just-released Palomino: “I want [people] to feel like we have taken them on a journey; meeting some cool characters and having the most epic road trip,” she says via email. It’s tempting to read such a statement as some kind of meta commentary on her career to date, particularly in the afterglow of the wildly successful Marfa Tapes project, which found Lambert and fellow Texans Jon Randall and Jack Ingram decamping to West Texas to write, record and commune with nature. “I think the ideas and stories we wrote in Marfa definitely carried over to Palomino,” Lambert writes. “This whole record is all about travel and the characters you meet along the way, so the vibe carried over.” In other words, to borrow a line from a fellow titan of Texas music, in Lambert’s world, the road goes on forever, and the party never ends. Still, Palomino, which follows 2021’s Marfa Tapes and her own 2019 LP Wildcard, finds Lambert with her hand firmly on the wheel, again teaming with Randall and Luke Dick as producers. “Got my own kind of country/Kind of funky” she sings on the lead-off track “Actin’ Up,” which, intention- ally or not, ends up serving as a sort of mis- sion statement for the freewheeling and achingly empathetic album that follows. She’ll bring songs from Palomino, and the rest of her often-underrated catalog, to Dallas’ Dos Equis Pavilion on May 7, as part of The Bandwagon Tour. Little Big Town will open. Lambert’s hometown-adjacent shows — born in Longview, she came of age in Lindale, where she maintains a visible presence — are often profoundly emotionally charged events. Some of it is the proximity to where she came from and where she finds herself now, and some of it is a fierce Texan pride no amount of Nashvegas glam can obscure. The result, whether it’s the comparatively cozy confines of Billy Bob’s Texas or a sprawling sports arena like American Airlines Center, is always a performance carrying an extra frisson of adrenaline. “You are right,” Lambert says via email, as I point out how moving her hometown gigs tend to be. “Playing Dallas (or anywhere in Texas, but especially Dallas) is always such a huge deal to me. I think the support of my home state fills my heart so much and I am al- ways trying to think of something cool and different for the fans since I play there often.” This year marks another milestone (let’s call it a fond glance in the rearview mirror) as Lambert’s breakout sophomore album, 2007’s Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, marks its 15th anniversary. What was bracing at the time — Twitter would have a field day with the clips for “Gunpowder & Lead” and the title track — looks downright prescient now, as Lam- bert’s authorship (she wrote eight of the 11 tracks) allowed her to craft a presentation that all but gave fusty country music gate- keepers the bird. Without Lambert’s fearless embrace of her own voice, it’s hard to imagine fellow Robert Ascroft Longview native Miranda Lambert has traveled a circuitous route to superstardom while blazing a trail for other artists. Texans and iconoclasts Kacey Musgraves or Maren Morris finding the success they have with their own elastic definitions of what country music can be. Still, that strong sense of self allowed her to navigate an industry that often doesn’t know what to do with boundary-blind tal- ents like Lambert’s, who is fond of classic rock covers in concert, dabbling in spirited side projects (the Pistol Annies), doesn’t shy away from speaking her mind or follows her muse to release ambitious double albums (2016’s grossly overlooked The Weight of These Wings). Of late, Lambert, who says “writing for the movie world” piques her interest, has ven- tured onto new roads, undertaking a Las Ve- gas residency (“Velvet Rodeo,” which opens Sept. 23 at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino), nurturing Idyllwind, a clothing line, and continuing to oversee her MuttNation Foundation, which encourages pet adoption. “Music is what drives all the other parts of my career,” Lambert writes. “I always try to stay fresh with my sound while staying true to my stories. I don’t think there would be any of the other ventures if the music didn’t lead the charge, so I always put that first.” In other words, as it has been from the beginning, the songs and stories she wants to tell will be her North Star, guiding her along and carrying all of us with her, ever forward on a journey with no particular des- tination in sight. Long may it continue. “I’ve always lived a little left-of-center in my sound, which sometimes leads to a little longer road,” Lambert writes. “I’m so proud of all the work we have put in as a team over the last 20 years, and I hope I blazed some trails for artists to really trust themselves and be authentic.” Miranda Lambert will perform May 7 at Dos Equis Pavilion, 1818 S. 1st Ave., with Little Big Town opening. Showtime is 7 p.m. Tickets, $42-$250, are on sale now. 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