50 Top 10 Lists of 2007

Top 10 Albums

#4. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
by Miranda Lambert

By the end of the fourth track, Lambert's shot an ex-boyfriend, given up finding a six-pack in a dry town ("I turn right around, no hesitation/Cursed the law for ruinin' the nation") fixed a transmission and dismissed small-town life with a dose of lyrical irony ("Everybody dies famous in a small town") completely alien to mainstream country. Then she nails a Patti Griffin cover, just in case anyone doubted her influences. Pretty good for a 24-year-old who flunked out on Nashville Star.

Connect to this TIME Story