Who's steelin' on Maranda Lambert's new song?

Jay Ganz · Post by **Jay Ganz** » 26 Sep 2010 4:58 am

You know....it's called "Only Prettier". Great extended steel solo and best of all...it's different (in both style & tone)
from the usual steel tracks heard on country radio these days. So, does anyone know who's steelin' on that song?

Mark van Allen · Post by **Mark van Allen** » 26 Sep 2010 6:05 am

I have to admit, I don't care. That song is mixed purposely distorted, everything at the edge of overload, when it comes on in the car it sounds like the speakers are going to jump out of their mounts.
I assume that was done for market share, to make it stand out in this era of "everything louder".
I can't stand the mix.

Doug Palmer · Post by **Doug Palmer** » 26 Sep 2010 6:47 am

Yeah, it is distorted. I don't care for it either. I did like 'The House That Built Me'.

Richard Sinkler · Post by **Richard Sinkler** » 26 Sep 2010 6:55 am

Gotta agree with Mark.. It sounds like it could have been a good song had it not sounded like it was being played through an old handheld transistor radio.

I don't see any credits, but Russ Pahl played on her first 2 albums, so it may be him on this one too.

Steve Becker · Post by **Steve Becker** » 26 Sep 2010 8:10 am

The steel solo sounds like pedal but has a lap steel tone, and the video shows a guy playing lap. Maybe that's just for the 'vintage' look of the video. Whether it's pedal or non pedal, it's certainly a different sound and style for top 40 country!

Kevin Hatton · Post by **Kevin Hatton** » 26 Sep 2010 11:15 am

Someone shoot the drummer, pleeeeeeeeease!!!

Lee Baucum · Post by **Lee Baucum** » 26 Sep 2010 11:19 am

Click Here

Jack Strayhorn · Post by **Jack Strayhorn** » 26 Sep 2010 11:52 am

I didn't get her until I watched a televized concert on CMT. Her music has an edge but lyrics are straight ahead. I believe her to be a real recording artist. She has a young guy playing keyboard, acordian, and steel in her band. He played the solo on this song exactly like the recording.

She may not be everyone's cup of tea, but at least she is real in a sea of fakes!

Doug Palmer · Post by **Doug Palmer** » 26 Sep 2010 1:37 pm

Jack, she sure is easy on the eyes!

Doug

Bill Cunningham · Post by **Bill Cunningham** » 26 Sep 2010 4:15 pm

I heard the song today. Thanks for the confirmation. I though my ears were going.

She is a great example of the products that the major labels create (not that there's anything wron with that; it is the music business) Miranda is a totally different singer fron the young lady who won the Nashville Star tv talent show 3-4 years ago by doing fantastic covers of Haggrd, Johnny Rodriguez and several others. If you heard her then, you have NO DOUBT that the young lady knows and loves her trad country heritage.

James Reed · Post by **James Reed** » 26 Sep 2010 4:24 pm

Miranda got me BACK into listening to country music. She is definitely the best thing that has happened to Country music in the last decade. Her last two albums in my opinion are perfect. She and Jamey Johnson have managed to produce viable and marketable music.

Barry Blackwood · Post by **Barry Blackwood** » 27 Sep 2010 6:25 am

Very cool steel ride. It's obviously a psg, but the player in the video is given a lap so he can stand up and shake his a$$ like the rest of the front line. Marketable and viable. The rest of the sound is a whole lotta noise. I agree with Kevin, that lead drummer's gotta go.

Larry Bell · Post by **Larry Bell** » 27 Sep 2010 7:14 am

I play in a band with a female vocalist who loves to sing Miranda Lambert tunes -- quite well, I must add -- and let me tell ya -- the bar crowd LOVE her music. Often I'll notice a whole table of 20-something or 30-something women on a girls-night-out and all of them are singing along with 'White Liar' or 'Kerosene' or 'Gunpowder and Lead'. Same goes for Kellie Pickler.

If you DO call that country music I can assure you country music is not dead with the younger crowd.

The production on the song in question is just another quest for 'how loud can WE make your radio play'? -- but I do like Miranda Lambert.

Like Miranda Lambert, our singer will belt out one of those newer tunes the turn around and do 'Walkin' After Midnight' or 'Crazy'. IMHO, It's All Good.

John Billings · Post by **John Billings** » 27 Sep 2010 7:32 am

Notice the lapsteel has two benders on it. I like the song.

Les Anderson · Post by **Les Anderson** » 27 Sep 2010 8:11 am

That lap steel is without a doubt a prop for the video. Look where the bar is and the strings he is picking compared to the notes on the break. The steel in the video also sounds like a pedal steel sound being played on a non pedal (like one of Heb Remington's older D10s or a long scale Fender)

Mind you, I been told occasionally before that I have been wrong .

Barry Blackwood · Post by **Barry Blackwood** » 27 Sep 2010 9:27 am

Pardon me Les, but I am having trouble with the concept of "a pedal steel sound being played on a non pedal." Can you help me out here?

chris ivey · Post by **chris ivey** » 27 Sep 2010 9:27 am

ok i listened to it. i think the steel solo is cool. the only thing that is stupid is the way the band is dressed and acting in the video. it's got nothing to do with the sound of the song and of course it's dumb to pretend to play that on a lap steel.

what has little girl country pop got to do with collar up rockabilly doghouse posing?

Mark van Allen · Post by **Mark van Allen** » 27 Sep 2010 9:38 am

I like Miranda, her songs, and her singing. And appreciate the fan appreciation she generates. I like the song "Just Prettier", clever and apropos of the current state of social relationships.
I just can't stand the mix. I'm pretty sure it's designed to sound like it's louder than the other songs on the radio instead of just being louder- and they've done that by distorting the entire mix.

From an engineering standpoint, it's simply horrifying.

Barry Blackwood · Post by **Barry Blackwood** » 27 Sep 2010 9:50 am

Benders indeed!

I like the lighted mic as well.

Jerry Overstreet · Post by **Jerry Overstreet** » 27 Sep 2010 10:08 am

From earlier posts, Russ Pahl and Greg Leisz recorded with Miranda with youngster Chris Kline doing the road work.

I was hoping Brett would check in on this thread with the correct info and perhaps an update. Maybe later. Brett?

Barry Blackwood · Post by **Barry Blackwood** » 27 Sep 2010 10:41 am

Apparently it's a Duesenberg, and has been on the SGF before. Pricey.
http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopi ... duesenberg

Brett Day · Post by **Brett Day** » 27 Sep 2010 11:11 am

Jerry Overstreet wrote:From earlier posts, Russ Pahl and Greg Leisz recorded with Miranda with youngster Chris Kline doing the road work.

I was hoping Brett would check in on this thread with the correct info and perhaps an update. Maybe later. Brett?

Jerry,
Miranda's steel player in the video and live onstage is Chris Kline. Chris was Miranda's keyboard player at one time, but later on Miranda had told Chris she wanted more guitar work in her songs, so Chris decided to play pedal steel. So, when Miranda went on tour with Kenny Chesney, Jim Bob Gairrett, who is Kenny's steel player had been in a motorcycle accident and Chris told him he wanted to play pedal steel, so Jim told Chris that his Mullen S-10 would now be Chris's. I believe the steel player on the record is Greg Leisz.

Brett

Jerry Overstreet · Post by **Jerry Overstreet** » 27 Sep 2010 11:46 am

There 'ya go

I'm always amazed at your expansive knowledge about steel players, Brett.

Les Anderson · Post by **Les Anderson** » 27 Sep 2010 11:48 am

Barry Blackwood wrote:Pardon me Les, but I am having trouble with the concept of "a pedal steel sound being played on a non pedal." Can you help me out here?

Barry, many non-pedalers try, and can achieve, making their non-pedal steels sound like a pedal steel. I have a Remington long scale, no pedals, D10 that I can make sound like a pedal steel without much effort. Proper bar slants along with the proper gauge strings and tuning and it works.

Try this one Barry. It was posted by Bill Hatcher a while back. A no pedal with a pedal sound. I do the same thing with my Remington.

http://www.mediafire.com/?59jtbwwdmj4

Jay Ganz · Post by **Jay Ganz** » 27 Sep 2010 11:53 am

Brett Day wrote:I believe the steel player on the record is Greg Leisz.

I'd sure be surprised if Greg played on that track. Sounds absolutely nothing like him. Gotta be someone else. Maybe it is Russ(?)
Then again....what do I know?