For fans of: Stripped Down Texas Style Country Music

What they're saying: Stereogum recently named this their record of the week; here is Tom Breihan summarizing the sessions: “On The Marfa Tapes, Lambert and her friends sing country songs, songs that could potentially be hits if given the gloss-crunch treatment. But they record them outside, with all three of them singing into one microphone. The only instruments are acoustic guitars, and there’s usually only one of those.” A review from Variety mag says this of The Marfa Tapes bare bones production bringing out the best in a superstar: “it only took a couple of fellow Texans and an empty room down in Marfa to bring the best out of Lambert.” And maybe most succinctly Andrew Gulden at American Highways says: “The Marfa Tapes sounds like one of those cool fireside shows you’ve always wished you’d get an invite to.”

What we say: How am I supposed to not love a record that’s recorded so deeply involving Texas? I saw the video for “In His Arms” a couple months back and was totally blown away. I knew this record was going to be good, but I had no idea HOW good. Strongly recommended for new and old country fans alike. - K