Hell on Heels

Hell on Heels is the first studio album by American country girl group Pistol Annies. The group consists of Miranda Lambert, Ashley Monroe, and Angaleena Presley. They released their single, "Hell on Heels," in May 2011 and released their debut album on August 23, 2011.^[1] Pistol Annies debuted at Number 1 on Billboard’s Country Album Chart with their introductory album, Hell On Heels. With more than 44,000 albums sold in the first week, with little to no promotion, the group landed at Number 5 on the Billboard 200 Chart. As of June 5, 2013, the album has sold 488,000 copies in the United States.^[2]

Hell on Heels
Studio album by Pistol Annies
Released	August 23, 2011 (2011-08-23)
Recorded	2010
Genre	Country
Length	30:05
Label	Columbia Nashville
Producer	Frank Liddell
Pistol Annies chronology
Hell on Heels (2011) Annie Up (2013)
Singles from Hell on Heels
"Hell on Heels" Released: June 12, 2011

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	84/100[3]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[4]
American Songwriter	[5]
The A.V. Club	B+[6]
MSN Music (Expert Witness)	A[7]
Nash Country Weekly	[8]
Rolling Stone	[9]
Slant Magazine	[10]

Review aggregate site Metacritic gave the album a score of 84/100, based on 9 reviews, earning the summary "Universal acclaim".^[3] Karlie Justus of Engine 145 gave the single a "thumbs up", with her review saying, "But beyond its cleverly delivered lyrics and well-framed production, the best part about this initial showcase is the clear intent that seems to drive both the song and the group behind its singers."^[11] It received four stars from Matt Bjorke of Roughstock, who thought that it had "sassiness and a spark".^[12] Rating it four stars out of five, Jessica Phillips of Country Weekly praised the "sparse production, unabashedly country lyrics and strong rhythm sections".^[8] In addition, Rolling Stone listed the album at 29 of the "50 Best Albums of 2011". As of December 2012, the album has sold 430,000 copies without one big radio hit.^[13]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Lead vocals	Length
1.	"Hell on Heels"	Miranda Lambert Ashley Monroe Angaleena Presley	Presley Lambert Monroe	3:14
2.	"Lemon Drop"	Presley	Presley	2:42
3.	"Beige"	Lambert Monroe	Monroe	3:23
4.	"Bad Example"	Lambert Monroe Presley	Lambert Presley Monroe	2:52
5.	"Housewife's Prayer"	Lambert Monroe Presley	Lambert	2:48
6.	"Takin' Pills"	Lambert Monroe Presley	Lambert Monroe Presley	3:16
7.	"Boys From the South"	Lambert Monroe	Lambert	3:39
8.	"The Hunter's Wife"	Presley	Presley	2:34
9.	"Trailer for Rent"	Lambert	Lambert	3:01
10.	"Family Feud"	Lambert Monroe Presley Blake Shelton	Monroe Presley Lambert	2:36
Total length:				30:05

Personnel

Pistol Annies

• Miranda Lambert - lead vocals, background vocals
• Ashley Monroe - lead vocals, background vocals
• Angaleena Presley - lead vocals, background vocals

Additional Musicians

• Richard Bennett - guitar
• Matt Chamberlain - drums
• Fred Eltringham - drums
• Josh Grange - guitar
• Jay Joyce - guitar
• Stuart Mathis - guitar
• Russ Pahl - steel guitar
• Randy Scruggs - guitar
• Michael Webb - keyboards
• Glenn Worf - bass
• Mike Wrucke - guitar

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2011) Peak position US Billboard 200[14] 5 US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[15] 1

Year-end charts Chart (2011) Position US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[16] 44 Chart (2012) Position US Billboard 200[17] 109 US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[18] 24

Singles

Year	Single	Peak positions
		US [19]
2011	"Hell on Heels"	55

Certifications

Region	Certification
United States (RIAA)[20]	Gold

References

1. "Pistol Annies Release their Debut Album Hell on Heels". Lubbuck's Country Station. 23 August 2011. Retrieved August 31, 2011.
2. "Country Album Chart News - the Week of June 5 2013: Blake Shelton is #1, Florida Georgia Line, George Strait | New Country Music, Listen to Songs & Video | Roughstock.com". Archived from the original on 2013-06-10. Retrieved 2013-06-07.
3. "Reviews for Hell On Heels by Pistol Annies". Metacritic. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
4. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Hell on Heels – Pistol Annies". AllMusic. Retrieved November 16, 2019.
5. Horowitz, Hal (September 12, 2011). "Short Takes: Pistol Annies, Buddy Holly, Chris Isaak And More". American Songwriter. Retrieved September 10, 2018.
6. Koski, Genevieve (August 30, 2011). "Pistol Annies: Hell On Heels". The A.V. Club. Retrieved September 10, 2018.
7. Christgau, Robert (November 11, 2011). "Pistol Annies/Miranda Lambert". MSN Music. Archived from the original on November 14, 2011. Retrieved November 12, 2011.
8. Phillips, Jessica (September 5, 2011). "Reviews". Country Weekly. 18 (36): 56. ISSN 1074-3235.
9. Eddy, Chuck (September 12, 2011). "Hell on Heels". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 10, 2018.
10. Keefe, Jonathan (November 14, 2011). "Pistol Annies: Hell on Heels". Slant Magazine. Retrieved September 10, 2018.
11. Justus, Karlie (July 28, 2011). "Pistol Annies — "Hell on Heels"". Engine 145. Archived from the original on March 30, 2012. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
12. Bjorke, Matt (22 August 2011). "Pistol Annies review". Roughstock. Archived from the original on 14 December 2011. Retrieved 22 August 2011.
13. Matt Bjorke (December 27, 2012). "Country Album Chart News For December 27, 2012: Taylor Swift #1; Cassadee Pope Debuts; Christmas Album Sales". Roughstock. Archived from the original on December 31, 2012. Retrieved December 27, 2012.
14. "Pistol Annies Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
15. "Pistol Annies Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
16. "Top Country Albums – Year-End 2011". Billboard. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
17. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2012". Billboard. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
18. "Top Country Albums – Year-End 2012". Billboard. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
19. "Maroon 5, Christian Aguilera's 'Jagger' Moves to No. 1 on Hot 100". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved August 31, 2011.
20. "American album certifications – Pistol Annies – Hell on Heels". Recording Industry Association of America.