I can’t call it a surprise when Miranda Lambert puts out an excellent album. This year’s Platinum is her seventh in a row, counting her work with Pistol Annies, and they just keep getting better.

What I love about Lambert is the confidence she has exuded right from the beginning.

It first manifested itself in tough-girl anthems written in defense of the battered women who shared her home when she was growing up. Now it shows up in the laid-back soulful groove of a song like ‘Smokin’ and Drinkin’,’ the sort of thing you’d never expect to hear on country radio.

Or the delightful, rockabilly ‘Priscilla,’ in which Lambert compares her own high-profile celebrity marriage to that of Elvis and Priscilla Presley, singing “You and me share a unique position, married to a man who’s married to attention / Couldn’t think of anybody better to ask how to be the first to make it last.”

I loved Entertainment Weekly‘s review of the album, which they ended by praising that song but writing this about Lambert: “She’s not Priscilla. She’s Elvis.”

Sure enough, she’s the future legend here, even if Blake Shelton has his own TV show.

Even as Platinum has topped the country charts for five straight weeks, and debuted at #1 on Billboard’s overall album chart, I’ve read dismissive comments by country fans. Today’s song, in particular, strikes many as too “out there” for a country artist.

Bless Lambert’s heart for not giving a damn, now or ever, about what she’s supposed to sound like. ‘Little Red Wagon’ is a sassy, sexy jolt of electricity and one of my favorite songs on this album. Is it good country music? Hell if I know, and I sure don’t care. It’s great music, period.

You will find great country music on Platinum, including a trio of old-school strummers toward the middle of its 16 tracks that will please even the purest of purists.

You’ll also find a track that sounds like it was produced by George Martin during the Sgt. Pepper sessions.

What else would you expect from a Miranda Lambert album?