Miranda Lambert admits she’s angry less often than she was before, but she still gets that look in her eyes.

It can’t be fabricated — the people she’s closest to know exactly what it looks like. Husband Brendan McLoughlin surely does.

After hearing hits like “Gunpowder and Lead,” “White Liar” and “Kerosene,” fans can imagine, too. The internet says Lambert is 5 ft., 4 in. tall, but she holds a lot more space in the room than that.

She’s tough — and maybe a little scary — before you get to know her.

So, what scares Miranda Lambert? Ironically, it’s the thing she’s best at and what she’s known for.

Postcards From Texas is her new album, her first on a new record label after 20 years with Sony Music Nashville. Skip ahead to a self-written love song called “Run” for an example.

“Oh this freedom I found, babe, sure wasn’t free / I owe you a lifetime of apologies / I’m tellin’ the truth now / I loved you so much / I’m sorry for lyin’ about who I was / I was gonna run / I was gonna run / Ooh I always was gonna run,” she sings.

Talking to Taste of Country Nights host Evan Paul, Lambert doesn’t reveal who inspired the song, but that’s to be expected. She does share a secret about how she unlocks these vulnerable parts of her personal life, however.

Selections from our chat with Miranda Lambert are below. Find the full, unedited conversation at the Taste of Country Nights: On Demand podcast.

Taste of Country: Loving the record. It feels personal, but less autobiographical.

Miranda Lambert: Well, that’s a really good way to put it. Yeah. It’s like little snippets of each influence I’ve had. It was a record of going back to the roots of it all.

Which song peels back a layer of who you are since Palomino?

You know what, Palomino was, like, all about travel. We wrote a lot of it in 2020, so it makes sense. A lot about road trips, a lot about travel, a lot about characters you meet along the way.

And this record felt like I made it home after all that: And here’s some snippets of where I’ve been and where I’m headed.

There’s a few breakup songs on here, like “Looking Back on Luckenbach.” Have you ever avoided a song because you were worried about how media would spin it?

I haven’t avoided it. I’ve just picked my moments when I was ready to have whatever song that was out. Because I signed up to tell the truth. I got in country music, and that’s what we do. And I just feel like it’s important to — good, bad and ugly— tell your story, because it’s also somebody else’s story. You know, it makes you not feel alone.

It’s easier to write songs like that?

No, it’s harder, especially if they’re solo writes. I mean, it’s scary putting [out] all your feelings. You can’t hide behind a co-writer. It’s like, here it is. Here’s my diary entry.

This is the first record on a new label. Is there a part of you that has a chip on your shoulder?

Well, yeah, a little bit. I mean, who doesn’t? I’m just excited to have a team that’s so excited about music and leads with art. You know, Republic and Big Loud have already just shown me so much how they lead with art, and that is all we could want as an artist.

Did you get a studio tour and office tour?

Yeah, I got the whole pitch and they sold me, and I loved it. It was great, you know. And after being in one place for 20 years and — like, that’s another reason I wanted to go home to make Postcards From Texas. I wanted to go back to the root of everything, where it all started.

I’m starting a new journey with a new team after 20 years in the business, and that’s just crazy. Not everybody gets the opportunity to do that. So I don’t take it for granted. I’m ready to roll.

You’re 20 years in, Country Music Hall of Fame eligible — who belongs in there before you?

So many people, are you kidding me? I have a lot of work to do before I get in there (laughs). And I know it, and that’s OK.

You think?

Yeah. You gotta earn that spot, and I’m willing to do the work. But I’m gonna be in there, just at the right time.

There have been a lot of eras of Miranda Lambert. What’s the most fun era of Miranda Lambert?

I think right now. I’m having the most fun right now, honestly. I feel like there’s artistic freedom. I feel like I’ve done a bunch and learned a whole lot of what not to do. I give less of a s–t about what people that I don’t know think about me. But I care more about what people that are in my inner circle and really know my character do think.

How do you give less of a s–t about what other people think? That’s tough for anybody.

It just can bog you down, and it doesn’t mean anything. You can get really caught up about what strangers have to say about you. But it doesn’t speak to your character, because they don’t really know you.

So I’m just trying to be me and be the best person I can be and learn from my mistakes.