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Miranda Lambert returns with country-disco album 'Crisco,' a set of songs that have 'a lot of joy'

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Kennedy, M. (2026, October 2). Miranda Lambert returns with country-disco album 'Crisco,' a set of songs that have 'a lot of joy'. Toronto Star. https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/music/miranda-lambert-returns-with-country-disco-album-crisco-a-set-of-songs-that-have-a-lot-of-joy/article_4f2d568b-aef5-5b71-9ede-9250a577adda.html

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Toronto Star · collected 2026-10-02 · by Mark Kennedy

Quick Summary

Miranda Lambert releases her 11th studio album, "Crisco," described as a fusion of country and disco with upbeat tracks and sweeping strings. The album marks a shift towards more joyful music for Lambert, who expresses happiness after receiving six Country Music Association Award nominations and achieving chart success with the song "Choosin' Texas."
Written by AI on 2026-10-02, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Miranda Lambert released her 11th studio album, "Crisco," on Friday, blending country and disco in a joyous collection of songs. The album includes sweeping strings and playful nods to disco, marking a shift from her previous fiery and heartbreak-themed music. Lambert's new direction is celebrated as she earned six nominations for the Country Music Association Awards, delivered an energetic performance at the Academy of Country Music Awards featuring disco balls, and co-wrote "Choosin’ Texas," which reached six times platinum status and was named Billboard’s official 2026 Song of the Summer. This creative freedom also saw Lambert become the only woman to top the Billboard Hot 100, Hot Country Songs, and Country Airplay charts simultaneously with "Choosin’ Texas."

Written for “Miranda Lambert New Album” on 2026-10-31, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Miranda Lambert New Album
Entertainment · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

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How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
44
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
0%
0 of 44 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
64/100
Toronto Star's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Entertainment
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-02 · how these are computed

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Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Toronto Star · 10784 article(s) · 28 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 28 correction(s)
2026-10-26
Correction
2026-10-24
Correction
2026-10-07
Correction
2026-09-24
Correction

Who wrote this

Mark Kennedy
8 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 “I just felt like I, maybe at this point, earned the creative freedom to try something fun and try something different.”
🔮 “You’re going to watch a case unfold every week by very capable people who are in an area or areas of law enforcement that you may have seen before, but you’re also going to go home with them and see how they take that work home with them, how it impacts their family life, how it impacts their relationships
🔮 I would like to taste that,’” he says in an interview.
🔮 Public voting runs from Sept. 16-23 and a panel of judges will select the inductees for an official announcement in November.
🔮 The Hall announced its 12 finalists for the Class of 2026 on Wednesday and opened voting to the public and a panel of judges who will choose which will be honored in November.
🔮 "His genius and extraordinary designs will live on forever, continuing to bring beauty into this world.
Also by Mark Kennedy
Star Trek and X-Men star Patrick Stewart dies aged 86
2026-10-29 · The Sydney Morning Herald
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 8 articles by Mark Kennedy →

Topics

America Billboard NEW YORK U.S. the Academy of Country Music Awards

Subjects

Lambert PERSON · 8× Langley GPE · 4× Billboard ORG · 2× Miranda PERSON · 2× Crisco PERSON · 1× Ella Langley PERSON · 1× Merle Haggard PERSON · 1× Miranda Lambert PERSON · 1× NEW YORK GPE · 1× the Academy of Country Music Awards ORG · 1×

Narrative

Lambert has reasons to be smiling The album release caps a special few months that include getting six Country Music Association Awards nominations, a disco ball-filled performance at the Academy of Country Music Awards that got attendees up and boogying, and making history as co-writer of the crossover-smash “Choosin’ Texas.” That tune sung by Ella Langley has gone six times platinum, been crowned Billboard’s official 2026 Song of the Summer and helped her become the only woman to simultaneously hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-02
🔮 “I just felt like I, maybe at this point, earned the creative freedom to try something fun and try something different.”

Claims (44 extracted, 0 hedged)

Miranda Lambert has officially entered her disco chapter. asserted
Lambert → enter → chapter
“Crisco,” the country star’s 11th studio album, is a collection of boogie-forward tracks, buoyed by sweeping strings and what sounds like a wink from the dance floor. asserted
what → buoy → floor
It’s out Friday. asserted
It → ’ → ?
“I’ve spent a lot of my career with fiery songs and heartbreak songs and this record just has a lot of joy on it, and I think that’s just where I am right now in life, too,” Miranda says. asserted
Miranda → spend → life
The title track is almost a mission statement: “Baby, we’ve been cookin’ with Crisco/Ain’t we mixin’ country and disco/Stir it around, give it a spin/And it’s a rhinestone world we’re livin’ in. asserted
we → cookin → spin
“I’ve just never explored that before. asserted
I → explore → that
I really am a Merle Haggard girl, you know what I mean? asserted
I → know → what
I just love three chords and the truth,” says Lambert. asserted
Lambert → love → chords
“I just felt like I, maybe at this point, earned the creative freedom to try something fun and try something different.” asserted
I → feel → something
Lambert has reasons to be smiling The album release caps a special few months that include getting six Country Music Association Awards nominations, a disco ball-filled performance at the Academy of Country Music Awards that got attendees up and boogying, and making history as co-writer of the crossover-smash “Choosin’ Texas.” That tune sung by Ella Langley has gone six times platinum, been crowned Billboard’s official 2026 Song of the Summer and helped her become the only woman to simultaneously hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts. asserted
her → have → charts
It was just named the longest-running No. 1 hit in the U.S. “We never would have thought just sitting there, on a back porch with a couple of beers and guitars, writing a country song, that it would take over like it has,” Lambert says. asserted
Lambert → name → song
“I’m thrilled that ‘Choosin’ Texas’ is a country song and the world is loving it. asserted
world → ’m → it
Like that makes me happy. asserted
me → make → ?
I’ve dedicated my entire adult life to country music so that alone is like so much happiness for me.” asserted
that → dedicate → me
Lambert and Langley wrote “Choosin’ Texas” with Luke Dick and Joybeth Taylor. asserted
Lambert → write → Dick
It’s a song exploring what it feels like when someone is falling out of love with you and Lambert can only guess why America has fallen so in love with it. asserted
America → ’ → it
“It kind of feels like something fresh, but something you’ve also heard before. asserted
you → feel → something
When you hear it, you’re like, ‘I kind of want to sing along to this, even though it’s the first time you heard it.’ asserted
you → hear → it
You know what I mean?” asserted
I → know → what
Lambert co-produced Langley’s album “Dandelion,” the first time she’s produced another artist, something she says she enjoyed. asserted
she → co → something
Langley returns the favor by being featured on the swaggering opening “Crisco” song “Snakeskin Boots.” asserted
Langley → return → song
“I think the reason that we are drawn to each other is because I see a lot of my young self in her,” Lambert says of Langley. asserted
Lambert → think → Langley
“She’s definitely a pistol. asserted
She → ’ → ?
She’s fiery. asserted
She → ’ → ?
She knows exactly what she wants. asserted
she → know → what
She’s a true artist and songwriter and she’s an inspiring person to be around.” asserted
she → ’ → ?
Lambert also has good news about another fellow country artist, squashing any lingering beef she had with Kacey Musgraves. asserted
she → have → Musgraves
The two collaborated on “Horses and Divorces” — “Maybe we’re more alike than we think,” they sing — on Musgraves’ new “Middle of Nowhere” album. asserted
they → collaborate → album
Miranda points to the “crazy grind of this business” for prompting ebbs and flows in their relationship and the stress during “early stages of your career, trying to really plant your feet in the ground, plant your stake in the ground, and say, ‘This is my spot.’” asserted
This → point → ground
“Sometimes it gets tricky when you’re navigating that with other female artists and it was really cool to just come together and talk about it and it’s, as we say, whiskey under the bridge now.” asserted
we → get → bridge
‘Crisco’ and how disco and country fused this time “Crisco” came to life after she and Chris Stapleton wrote and recorded the lovely “A Song To Sing,” their version of “Islands in the Stream,” which earned two Grammy Award nominations. asserted
which → fuse → nominations
“We wrote this song a few years ago and it really opened up my mind to exploring different sounds. asserted
it → write → sounds
I think it set us on the path to explore more and got me really curious about parts of country music I hadn’t explored yet, which eventually inspired the entire record,” she says. asserted
she → think → record
The video features Lambert and Stapleton in matching red suits at a roller rink. asserted
video → feature → rink
If you look carefully, you’ll see she’s wearing a pair of Dolly Parton’s hoop earrings lent out by the late superstar and he’s got on a Kenny Rogers necklace. asserted
he → look → necklace
“I feel like I’ve got to thank her a little bit for this record because that song, that video, that whole day, having a little piece of her around me all day, definitely inspired me for this whole project.” asserted
song → feel → project
Grammy Award-winning songwriter Natalie Hemby, who has cut some 40 songs with Lambert over 20 years collaborating, co-wrote and played on five tracks this time, including “Snakeskin Boots.” asserted
who → win → Boots
“Every record has just been completely different from the next, but I would say this is the most fun era that I’ve had, as far as writing for a project of hers,” says Hemby. asserted
Hemby → say → hers
“Her star is just shining so bright, as big as Texas, if you will.” asserted
you → shin → Texas
Miranda says country music is in a great spot right now, reminding her of the 1990s when there was something for everyone and a lot of female artists. asserted
music → say → artists
…and 4 more, not listed.
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