Kerosene (album) - Critical Reception

Critical Reception

The album received generally positive reviews from music critics. Entertainment Weekly music critic, Alanna Nash gave Kerosene a B+ rating stating, "A Nashville Star finalist and only 20 when she recorded this spunky set of honky-tonk, country-rock, and Sheryl Crow-style ballads last year, Lambert's got Dixie Chicks-like potential; Her vocals evoke Natalie Maines, and she clearly knows how to write a killer tune. Nash also praised Lambert's choice of material, calling the songs "torch stuff." Jon Metzger of Music Box gave Kerosene three out of five stars. Metzger criticized the fact that Lambert came to fame because of her success on Nashville Star, but he found her to be more unique than other talent contest winners. Metzger proved his point by saying, "Without a doubt, her fame was derived from a carefully orchestrated marketing campaign, but standing in sharp contrast to almost all of her counterparts, the 21-year-old Texan actually has talent. Not only does Lambert pen her own material, but she also has the wherewithal to deliver it with a strikingly potent level of down-to-earth sincerity."

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic gave Kerosene a more favorable review, giving the album four out of five stars. Erlewine drew the album's similarities to the production of the material by country artist, Gretchen Wilson, a style which he called, "stylized redneck raunch won." Erlewine also said that Kerosene lost the "gonzo humor" Big & Rich had produced on Wilson's Here for the Party. He did find however that Lambert was unique in her own musical style, concluding by stating, "Against all odds, this a rarity in modern mainstream country: a piece of product that's friendly, tuneful, sharper, and more genuine than it initially seems. Maybe Miranda needed a show like to Nashville Star to jump-start her career, but the show gave her the opportunity to make this thoroughly winning debut."