In 2019, it's hard to imagine the CMA Awards broadcast without Miranda Lambert, considering she's a Female Artist of the Year nominee for a 13th straight year. Yet back in 2005, Lambert took the stage for the first time to perform the title track off her debut album, "Kerosene."
Lambert, no stranger to TV shows after her 2003 appearance on Nashville Star, proved her worth on what's billed as country music's biggest night with an explosive (in every sense of the term) live performance. As the up-and-coming Texas native tore through a song inspired by Steve Earle's 1996 composition "I Feel Alright," clips were interspersed from the song's now-iconic music video to create a powerful audio-visual statement.
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Although it stalled at 15 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, "Kerosene" established Lambert as a country singer and songwriter to watch through attention gained during awards show season. The song netted Lambert her first Grammy nomination for Best Female Country Vocal Performance, an award won that year by Carrie Underwood's "Jesus, Take the Wheel."
Despite serving as a great entry point to a catalog that includes the Pistol Annies output and a string of great country albums that continues with Wildcard, it's actually the third single of Lambert's career, following "Me and Charlie Talking" and "Bring Me Down."
Lambert's growing catalog never snuffed out "Kerosene," as its familiar declaration "I'm giving up on love, 'cause love's given up on me" sparks audience participation at every tour stop.
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