This is country music that refuses to comfort you — and that’s why it sticks.
The Weight of These Wings is Miranda Lambert’s sixth studio album, released November 18, 2016, via RCA Records Nashville. It consists of two discs titled The Nerve and The Heart. The album was written and recorded over a year, with contributions from songwriter Luke Dick and producers Frank Liddell, Eric Masse, and Glenn Worf. Its content reflects Lambert's divorce from Blake Shelton and subsequent relationship with Anderson East. The album received widespread critical acclaim and won Album of the Year at the 2017 ACM Awards. It debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Country Albums chart and No. 3 on the Billboard 200, and was certified Platinum by the RIAA in July 2017. Singles included 'Vice', 'We Should Be Friends', 'Tin Man', and 'Keeper of the Flame'. The Highway Vagabond Tour supported the album, marking Lambert's first solo European tour dates. Critical reception highlighted its non–country-pop production and demand for close listening, earning an 81/100 Metacritic score and five-star reviews from AllMusic. The album was later ranked
It is Miranda Lambert’s sixth studio album. It was released on November 18, 2016, via RCA Records Nashville. It was written and recorded over a year, following her first international performances in March 2016 and preceding the Highway Vagabond Tour launch in January 2017.
How it sounds, and how it was made
It sounds like country Siouxsie and the Banshees on ‘Highway Vagabond’. All tracks were produced by Frank Liddell, Eric Masse, and Glenn Worf. The album was written and recorded over a year. Luke Dick co-wrote ‘Highway Vagabond’ and contributed as a musician.
What lands
The weight of personal transformation lands. ‘Vice’, ‘Tin Man’, and ‘Keeper of the Flame’ land as singles. The ‘country Siouxsie and the Banshees’ production of ‘Highway Vagabond’ lands as a sonic signature.
What does not
It does not hide behind mainstream polish. It avoids country-pop production. It does not offer easy catharsis — its demand for close listening rules out passive consumption.
The ideas inside it
It maps emotional terrain from turmoil to renewal. Its title and dual-disc structure — The Nerve and The Heart — reflect vulnerability and resilience. Its themes stem from Lambert’s divorce from Blake Shelton and subsequent relationship with Anderson East.
Who should hear it, and who should not
People who want country music that resists genre shorthand should hear it. People who expect radio-ready hooks or linear breakup narratives should not.
Is it worth your time
Yes. It is certified Platinum by the RIAA and won Album of the Year at the 2017 ACM Awards. It debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Country Albums chart and No. 3 on the Billboard 200.