Lambert's big year, 'Four the Record'

It’s been just shy of a year since Miranda Lambert last visited the Amphitheater at The Wharf in Orange Beach, Ala. But the country superstar seems to have filled every minute of those 12 short months with work.

Just a month after her last Wharf appearance, the singer/songwriter behind such hits as “The House That Built Me” and “Gunpowder & Lead” unveiled her sideline group, Pistol Annies. Collaborating with Ashley Monroe and Angaleena Presley, the trio debuted atop the Billboard country chart with its debut album, “Hell on Heels.” The album also reached No. 5 on the overall Billboard 200 album chart, and the trio landed a Best New Artist nomination from the Academy of Country Music.

Many artists would coast on that success, but not Lambert. Three months after the Pistol Annies’ debut, she released her fourth solo album, “Four the Record,” again to stellar success. The disc topped the country chart and debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200; selling more than half a million copies and spawning hits “Baggage Claim,” “Over You” and “Fastest Girl in Town.”

Lambert took home the Country Music Association’s Female Vocalist of the Year award for the second consecutive year, and duplicated the feat in the Academy of Country Music’s ceremony, where “Four the Record” was named Album of the Year.

Lambert also made her acting debut in an episode of “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” and appeared alongside her husband, country superstar Blake Shelton, helping to mentor contestants on “The Voice.”

Fans will find plenty to love when Lambert returns to The Wharf on Thursday. They’ll be treated to her solo hits, of course, but Pistol Annies have been added to the bill.