2010 was certainly a banner year for Miranda Lambert, what with awards nominations pouring in left and right and a bona fide radio smash with “The House That Built Me”, but lost in the accolades was the fact that the follow-up, “Only Prettier” failed to even reach the Billboard top 10.  She may be an awards and critical darling, but radio still views her at least one notch below superstar status.  Her latest offering, “Heart Like Mine”, is a less ambitious effort, but still a delightfully catchy number that radio is already finding much easier to spin than “Only Prettier”.

The song is still very much in character for Lambert, as she explores her flaws and shortcomings; ultimately rationalizing that Jesus would understand a heart like hers’.  The song isn’t without Lambert’s sharp tongue (and a bit of self-deprecation), as she remarks, “My brother got the brains of the family, so I thought I’d learn to sing.”  Overall though, it may have the weakest lyrics of her 5 singles from Revolution (though by no means is it poorly written), but the exceptionally strong melody makes up for it, and the production works well with the song and melody, unlike “Only Prettier”.  Ultimately, the finished product is a catchy number that is made for radio (and already off to a great start, #21 after just 7 weeks) and should have no trouble returning Lambert to the Top 10 and quite possibly the top spot.  Is it style over substance? Maybe to some degree, but there’s still more than enough substance to justify this song becoming a big hit in 2011.

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