Miranda Lambert bringing Highway Vagabound tour to Wichita

Every Miranda Lambert album is a snapshot of where she is when creating the project. The country star suffered through a very public divorce from fellow Music City sensation Blake Shelton, and the fallout from her failed marriage is in the material.

There are no obvious nods to that broken relationship, but some songs deal with Lambert’s freedom in a subtle manner throughout the consistently solid “The Weight of These Wings.”

“Runnin’ Just in Case,” “Highway Vagabond” and “Getaway Driver” reflect Lambert’s desire to leave.

“I’m always honest and stay true to myself when making a record,” Lambert said from Nashville. “I do write about what’s happening in my life at the time. Writing and creating music has always been therapeutic for me. I put a lot of raw emotion into each (album). They’re all special in their own individual way; this (one) just reflects a tougher period in my life.”

Give Lambert, 33, credit for handling adversity in a graceful manner. Lambert takes listeners on a sonic trip with varied stops.

“This entire album from beginning to end is my journey of feeling gritty pain to vulnerability to happiness and how I worked my way through it. Plus, I love being on a journey, whether it’s a physical one or a musical one.”

There was little doubt Lambert would be able to handle her well-chronicled divorce, since she is “Texas tough.” Lambert, who has hit the country charts with such fiery tunes as “Gunpowder & Lead” and “Maintain the Pain,” is not only strong, but she defies convention. Lambert has no desire to make country-pop. Few of her peers are releasing epic albums.

“I wasn’t planning on creating a double album,” Lambert said. “It just became one. When I started the songwriting process, I had a lot of great writing sessions with friends and some new writers. It was such a good experience to have time to create, and my label didn’t rush me. I ended up writing over 70 songs for this project, and my producer and I started editing and building the story of what I wanted to say.”

Lambert kept 24 songs, which were split. Half are on “The Nerve” disc and the remainder on “The Heart” side.

“We had been listening (to the songs), and my producer Frank Liddell just blurted out ‘The Nerve and The Heart,’ ” she said. “We all looked at each other, and it made so much sense because even though this project is one story, each disc had its own unique feeling.”

Lambert’s balancing act works. There are the the heavier (“Things That Break,” “Six Degrees of Separation”) and then there are the sunny, laidback tunes (“Pink Sunglasses,” “Let’s Be Friends”).

“Both happened to be the last songs I added to the album,” Lambert said. “They kind of go along with that traveling/moving forward kind of subject. When I heard ‘Pink Sunglasses,’ I fell in love with it right away, as it’s so fun and relatable. It was written by Rodney Clawson, Luke Dick and Natalie Hemby. I wrote ‘We Should Be Friends’ late one night, just me and my guitar. It reflects my life in a simple way and all the people in my life. It’s my new single, and I’m really excited to be performing it for my fans on tour.”

Lambert will appear Friday at Intrust Bank Arena.

When Lambert isn’t on the road, she’s relaxing at her ranch in Tennessee. When she’s home, she is either working on music or altruistic endeavors.

“Helping dogs find a forever home has always been a passion of mine,” Lambert said. “After volunteering at a local shelter when I was a teen, it really hit me how much work it takes to run a shelter, let alone the amount of money. So that’s when my mom and I started our own charity events helping our local east Texas shelter. A few years later, we founded MuttNation Foundation to spread the mission of helping shelter pets on a national level and educate people about adoption. I have seven dogs, and they’re all rescues. I love animals and music. That’s my passion.”

This story was originally published March 6, 2017 at 3:48 PM with the headline "Miranda Lambert bringing Highway Vagabound tour to Wichita."