Lambert a strong woman country singer

At 20, Miranda Lambert landed a spot on the "American Idol"-like "Nashville Star" show. That was 2003, and although she'd been performing for a few years around her hometown of Lindale, Texas, 80 miles from Dallas, she hadn't exactly spent a lifetime sweating it out in small clubs when she got her break.

Fortunately for Lambert, she brought a total package to the competition, including poignant songwriting chops, a silky smooth voice and a classic Texas blonde figure. Placing third on the show and landing a record deal, she released her first album, "Kerosene," the following year, featuring the singles "Me and Charlie Talking" and the title song.

It wasn't long before her star outshined even the judges on "Nashville Star."

Although Lambert made it to the top of the country charts the new-fashioned way via reality television, she's stayed there thanks to her down-to-earth nature and honest lyrics. Like Loretta Lynn before her, Lambert embodies the strong woman country singer, threatening matter-of-fact violent retaliation toward two-timing men in songs such as "Kerosene" and "Gunpowder and Lead."

"At the beginning of my career, I made it clear what kind of country songs I was going to sing," Lambert said in an interview with Charleston Scene. "I always try to find and write authentic, real-life stories."

Lambert knows how to connect with her audience. The daughter of a retired cop-turned-private investigator, her small-town childhood inspires songs that reference the pain of losing a family dog or the frustration of dealing with a difficult ex -- universal experiences across America.

In 2011, Lambert got the chance to live out a dream, recording a new release of "Coal Miner's Daughter" with Sheryl Crow and Lynn herself. Lynn called the young singer "feisty," even encouraging a co-writing song session between the pair.

"Loretta is such an incredible person, and it was a dream come true getting to know her and work with her," Lambert said. "Her songwriting has always inspired mine. I would love to have a career like hers where I am still making music I love, well into my later years."

At her current rate, that may work out for Lambert. She's toured with George Strait, Dierks Bentley and Toby Keith. Last year she married fellow country star Blake Shelton, with whom she recorded the hit duet "Draggin' the River."

In 2007, she released "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend," further cementing her reputation as the gun-toting buxom blonde of the moment. And 2009's "Revolution" followed, an album that garnered her a Grammy for Best Female Country Vocal Performance for the track "The House That Built Me."

Rising fame

Currently touring behind her fourth album, appropriately titled "Four the Record," Lambert arrives in Charleston with her fame reaching unprecedented levels.

Late last year, she released her first studio album with girl group the Pistol Annies; she and Shelton kicked off Super Bowl XLVI on Feb. 5 by singing a duet of "America the Beautiful"; on Feb. 8, she made her acting debut on "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," a seemingly requisite step in the career of any major singer; and on Feb. 12, she presented at the 54th annual Grammy Awards, where Shelton was a double nominee.

For her part, Lambert shrugs off the attention and tries to stay focused on writing music and building a home with Shelton.

"Where I live now in Oklahoma, I am just Miranda to the locals. When I go to the feed store to buy stuff for my animals, they don't care that I sing for a living," Lambert said. "Living in the boonies is the great equalizer. When I get home, I see my dogs and just hang out. It reminds me of what matters, and if the fame goes away, I'll still have people that I love and that love me back in my life."

For now, Lambert is very much in the limelight. Her disapproving Tweets from the Grammys about performances by Nikki Minaj and Chris Brown made headlines for days.

"Not cool that we act like that didn't happen," tweeted Lambert, referencing Brown's 2009 felony assault conviction. "He needs to listen to 'Gunpowder and Lead' and be put back in his place."

At the show, Lambert sat beside Lady Gaga, and cameras frequently panned in their direction.

Even amid the glitz and glamour, Lambert's ability to remain human is endearing. She jokes that she successfully turned Gaga on to her signature drink, the Randarita.

"Bacardi, Crystal Light, water and ice are the ingredients," Lambert explains. "It's my favorite drink and a necessity anywhere I go."

'My babies'

Not a girl whose afraid to bring a beer out on stage with her, Lambert retains a fan base for her big pop country hits and the lesser known B-cuts that give her respectability among Nashville's critics.

"Four the Record" includes a Gillian Welch tune, "Look at Miss Ohio," and a song by Allison Moorer, "Oklahoma Sky," written specifically for Lambert. The ethereal ballad could easily be a lost track from Emmylou Harris.

In her own lyrics, Lambert doesn't shy away from baring her soul. She cites "Heart Like Mine," from 2009's "Revolution," as the tune she'd choose for her grandkids to hear and understand her songwriting.

"All my songs are my babies, but that's the most autobiographical songs I've ever written, which made it one of the hardest," she explains.

Other times, Lambert calls on husband Shelton to flesh out a song's lyrics.

"My newest single from 'Four the Record,' 'Over You,' was written with Blake about his older brother Richie's tragic car accident," Lambert said. "We bounced the lyrics back and forth, and it was certainly the most emotional songwriting experience we've ever had. I hope that song can help folks through similar difficult times."

Lambert's been no stranger to hard times lately, canceling shows due to the passing of a close friend and her father-in-law in quick succession.

"I am so blessed to get to do what I love for a living, but like everyone, there are times when I would rather be at home, hanging out with my husband and dogs," Lambert said of going through hard times while out on the road in the public eye. "Living away from the activity and making my home in Oklahoma is a plus."

With a vocal inflection similar to the Dixie Chicks' Natalie Maines, Lambert may be following in that famous trio's wake with her latest project, the Pistol Annies, also featuring Angaleena Presley and Ashley Monroe.

Whether she's on stage with that group, with Shelton or solo, Lambert commands respect. She's the classic Southern mash-up of a doting wife who can hold her own with a rifle in a deer stand, and Rolling Stone magazine attributed her status as "country's most refreshing act" to her ability to make "firearms seem like a matter-of-fact female accessory."

"Four the Record's" cover features Lambert in a sultry dress, walking away from a car fire. Perhaps her strong-woman image should come with a "don't try this at home, or you might end up in jail" warning.

Still, it's Miranda Lambert's "don't mess with Texas" attitude, combined with songs that hold their own among classic country fans and critics alike, that keeps this woman's career growing stronger still.