September has delivered strong albums from Miranda Lambert and Mika. Here are my reviews. What do you think?

(1) Revolution by Miranda Lambert

To paraphrase Jonathan Keefe’s review of Lambert’s third record, she stands above most of country music’s so-called rebels because she documents both her outlaw behavior and its consequences. In “Heart Like Mine,” she says she respects Jesus because they’re both known for drinking wine, and for most gimmicky outlaws (your Gretchen Wilsons and your Big & Riches) the story would stop there. Lambert, however, pairs that kind of boast with “Me and Your Cigarettes,” where she wistfully admits that being with her is bad for a man’s health

And of course, Lambert’s got the vocal chops to match her scrappy personality. She pulls out her power notes in the arena ballad “Love Song,” and her take on “The House That Built Me,” a spare ballad about a woman trying to overcome her loneliness by remembering happier times, subtly colors to the lyrics without overpowering them.

Really, though, it’s the simple genius of Lambert’s songwriting that gets me every time. I’ve already praised this album’s lead single, “Dead Flowers,” and she matches that achievement several times over on Revolution. Right now, I’m most smitten with “Airstream Song” (embedded above.)The lyrics are simple but crazily evocative—all about wishing you lived in mobile home, just so you could roll away when you screwed up your life—and the gentle tempo and bouncy melody stick right in my brain.

(2) The Boy Who Knew Too Much by Mika

Truth be told, I don’t like this album as much as I like Mika’s debut, Life in Cartoon Motion. It has too many Eurodance songs that sound like everything else in my gym, and I look to Mika for a melodic alternative to that mindless crap. I’m especially frustrated by “Rain,” which promises a sick-ass beat without delivering it. It’s like riding to the top of a roller coaster’s biggest hill, then abruptly getting out and walking back to your car.

Still, most of the songs are good. The slinky-sexy torch song “Pick Up Off the Floor” and the glam-with-handclaps booty shaker “Touches You” sound better every time I hear them, and “Good Gone Girl” proves that Mika can still make a fresh club record when he wants to.

Along with the delicious lead single “We Are Golden,” my current fave is “Toy Boy” (embedded above.) It’s playful, string-driven, and just a touch cynical, which makes it a great complement to Rufus Wainwright’s “Little Sister.” Together, they’re a savory two-pack of whimisical ditties.