Miranda Lambert’s Still the ‘Girl Next Door’

Miranda Lambert just kicked off 2010 with a featured slot on the second leg of Brad Paisley's American Saturday Night tour, and no doubt is picking up a couple of pointers from the headliner. She recalls a few things she gleaned from touring with Kenny Chesney last year, mainly regarding the way he's connected with his fans. "I've learned so much just by watching him," Miranda tells the Sioux City Journal. "He is a master on stage. He is really able to grab the crowd and keep them entertained the entire set."

The energized blonde also discusses how she balances her relationship with boyfriend Blake Shelton, since they both are so busy traveling for work. "When not on the road, we're just normal people who like a lot of the same things -- fishing, hunting and sitting on the couch. It helps to live in a little town where people just know you as the girl next door."

Miranda grew up in Lindale, Texas, but has a farm about 200 miles away in Tishomingo, Okla., just a few miles down the road from Blake.

In spite of critical acclaim, Miranda's career has been somewhat slow to really catch fire, but she's hardly complaining. In fact, it's just the opposite. "I wouldn't trade my career for the world. I've been putting my nose to the grindstone and at first it might seem like nothing's been going on. But it was. It just wasn't something you could see right away ... Every record is better to me and I know I've grown as a performer and a songwriter. The fans are growing and that clearly tells me things are going great."

Miranda is currently climbing the charts with 'White Liar,' the latest single from her album, 'Revolution.'