Country star Miranda Lambert set to play Regina

Country star Miranda Lambert set to play Regina

For Miranda Lambert, it's all about balance.

The 28-year-old has jumped into the deep end of the country music pool with a hectic life that includes touring, recording and songwriting. Throw in a side project with The Pistol Annies and a high-profile marriage to Blake Shelton and it's amazing that Lambert doesn't find her life overwhelming at times.

"It's my life, it's my normal. It's not weird for me. It's what I do," Lambert said in a recent telephone interview from Fayetteville, Ark. "I have a good balance now of how many days I tour and how many days I'm home and how many days I do media. It's a good balance.

"There's a regular life and then there's a tour life."

That balance includes a home in Tishomingo, Okla., that goes a long way in keeping both Lambert and Shelton cool, calm and collected.

"You know, it's kind of weird but we deal with it pretty good," said Lambert, who will be bringing her On Fire Tour to the Brandt Centre on Friday night. "We live in the middle of nowhere so when I get home with Blake, we kind of stay out of the scene.

"We get enough time to be normal so that kind of balances it all out."

Lambert, who got her first break in the business by finishing third in the 2003 season of Nashville Star, hit the ground running in 2005 with the release of Kerosene, the first of four No. 1 albums. Next came Crazy ExGirlfriend (2007) and Revolution (2009) with her current album, Four The Record (2011), still selling well after 10 months.

The On Fire Tour, which opened Jan. 12 in Rockford, Ill., is nearing the end of the line

- Friday's show in Regina will be the 75th stop, with the tour scheduled to end on Oct. 6 in Pelham, Ala.

Ticket sales have been brisk and the three singles from Four The Record have been receiving major radio airplay across North America. Baggage Claim peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard charts and was followed by Over You, which became Lambert's third No. 1 single. Fastest Girl In Town, Lambert's current single, has already broken into the Top 20 and has the potential to become a serious hit.

The only bump in the road occurred in mid-July when Lambert was forced to reschedule a handful of dates to take some vocal rest.

After two weeks of rest, Lambert returned to the tour with no lingering problems. When asked if she needs to treat her voice like an instrument, Lambert agreed wholeheartedly.

"Absolutely. I hadn't had any breaks and I was touring really hard all year so finally my body said, 'All right, you need some home time,'" said Lambert, who appeared at the 2010 and 2008 Craven Country Jamboree.

"I'm good. I just needed a little down time. I was runnin' too hard."

In addition to the tour, Lambert's schedule in the past year has also included a role on the NBC drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and an album with The Pistol Annies.

For Law & Order: SVU, Lambert portrayed an actress who claimed to be sexually assaulted by a reality show producer. Although she earned rave reviews for her appearance, Lambert isn't about to pursue an acting career full-time.

"I really don't have any interest in acting, to be honest with you," Lambert said. "I just wanted to do that one thing because I'm a huge fan of the show. I defi-nitely had a blast doing it but I just want to keep working on my music. Music is the No. 1 priority for me."

As for the Pistol Annies, Lambert described the creation of the band as a stroke of good fortune. She was writing songs with Ashley Monroe and Angaleena Presley and everything was going so well they felt the need to form a band.

With the Pistol Annies performing on The On Fire Tour, it's safe to say that Lambert is having twice the fun on the road.

"I am. I just love it. With the girls being out with me, that just changes everything," Lambert said. "Having them out makes everything just so much more fun and it's like a big slumber party. When they're not here I realize how lonely I get.

"It's not like I planned on having a girl band, but we started writing these songs and it just had to happen. They're my best friends and it just had to happen. So we made it happen and now it's taken off. It's so much fun."