It might have been laborious to think about Kacey Musgraves turning into a crossover nation star primarily based on the sharp, understated songs she got here on the scene with in 2012. Nevertheless it was that Music Row outsider’s sensibility – mixed with an simple ear for melody – that wound up serving to Musgraves make such a splash each inside and out of doors nation music.
Quite a few Grammys later, together with Album of the Yr for 2018’s Golden Hour, the Texan singer and songwriter has amassed a wealthy catalog of songs that vary from membership fodder to envelope-pushing inclusivity anthems to incisive, conventional nation tunes.
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The Small City Sass Songs
Blowin’ Smoke; Excessive Time; The Trailer Tune; Step Off; My Home
Certainly one of Kacey Musgraves’ biggest strengths as a songwriter – what made her stand out within the crowded area of usually interchangeable Nashville up-and-comers – is her eager eye for element. Particularly in her earliest singles, she targeted on the nuances of small-town life, mixing humor and seemingly hard-won cynicism in a slew of darkish however enjoyable songs that mirror part of American life that’s more and more laborious to search out in mainstream nation music.
“Blowin’ Smoke,” an early single off Musgraves’ 2013 debut Similar Trailer, Totally different Park, tells the story of a group of resigned diner waitresses (full with the sizzle of the grill within the background) through tightly-written metaphor that makes it relatable to anybody who’s ever labored a dead-end job. A distinct sort of smoke permeates the winking “High Time,” off her sophomore album, which finds her embracing her place within the storied lineage of nation stoners. The music’s shimmering, shiny Western really feel elevates it past novelty, although.
One other Kacey specialty is the “mind your own business” anthem, typically laced with specifics that tie them to the uniquely interconnected lives of small-town denizens. 2014’s “The Trailer Song” is perhaps the prototypical instance, digging into the cliche of nosy neighbors as set within the intimate setting of a trailer park. It begins, “You say that you’re watching/Birds out the window/Well, I’ve got a bird you can watch” and solely will get spicier from there. In distinction, when Musgraves sang, “Screwed everybody over in this town” on the similarly-oriented rebuke “Step Off,” it appears probably that the city in query was Music Metropolis. Prominently positioned banjo, although, retains the tone staunchly folksy.
Extra upbeat is the proto-”#VanLife” anthem “My House,” which tells a love story enabled by a cellular house. One wouldn’t think about “Water and electric, and a place to drain the septic” might ever sound so charming, but the simple, acoustic music is one among Musgraves’ finest.
The Dance Jams
Excessive Horse; Neon Moon; Velvet Elvis; Oh, What A World 2.0
Kacey Musgraves launched a neo-country disco fervor with “High Horse,” the Bee Gees-inspired single off her third album, 2018’s Album of the Yr Grammy-winning Golden Hour – and the response was comprehensible, given how unexpectedly groovy that music is. It additionally turned her first single to crossover to pop radio, reaching no. 39 on Billboard’s Grownup Pop Songs chart.
However she’d already experimented with placing 4 on the ground in a wise, dancefloor-ready remake of the Brooks and Dunn hit “Neon Moon” alongside Kix and Ronnie themselves, hinting on the nation disco to return with an understated, but undeniably nation beat. Golden Hour additionally included “Velvet Elvis,” a extra downtempo tackle retro romance. Solely the lyrics are actually nostalgic although – the music’s sound is recent and somewhat funky.
Musgraves gave one other one among Golden Hour’s tracks a newly danceable really feel in early 2020, when she launched “Oh, What A World 2.0” on Earth Day as a profit for the World Wildlife Fund. The revamped model has nearly a ‘90s membership vibe, ethereal and New Age whereas retaining a number of the country-style finger-picked guitar.
Melancholy Ballads
Butterflies; Blissful and Unhappy; I Miss You; Are You Certain; House Cowboy; It Is What It Is
Even Kacey Musgraves’ most effusive love songs are typically imbued with an air of melancholy. “Butterflies,” which Musgraves wrote about assembly her now ex-husband Ruston Kelly, describes new flirtation as a significant strategy of self-discovery – hardly the bubblegum fodder that is perhaps recommended by its whimsical title. Nevertheless it’s one among her finest songs, once more drawing out an prolonged metaphor, however this time evaluating “getting butterflies” to a type of private rebirth. “Happy and Sad,” one other love music off Golden Hour, attracts out the parallel thrill and nervousness of relationships; as an alternative of erasing that ambiguity and concern with a standard-issue up-tempo backing, Musgraves highlights it with a sound that’s somewhat slower and sadder to nice impact.
Equally, “I Miss You,” a loping, nearly 60s-style lament spotlights the juxtaposition between good and unhealthy slightly than selecting one: the narrator has all the pieces she might need – besides her ex. “Are You Sure,” Musgraves’ duet with the legendary Willie Nelson off Pageant Materials, is one other brooding, retro observe, the place each singers query the worth of persistently chasing the neon rainbow in opposition to stripped-down instrumentation.
The lead single off Golden Hour was “Space Cowboy,” on which Musgraves manages to make its titular pun downright moody – a break-up music set in the intervening time issues are over, with all its instrumentation shrouded in fittingly spacey reverb. Her finest moody love music, although, got here on her debut album: “It Is What It Is” describes the prototypical situationship, no strings connected besides the guitar and banjo accompanying Musgraves’ plaintive, resigned singing.
The YOLO Anthems
Die Enjoyable; Gradual Burn
Two of the very best songs in Kacey Musgraves’ catalog sort out almost the identical theme: life, and methods to take advantage of it. Although it isn’t sometimes the simplest matter to tackle, Musgraves’ maxims carry greater than the standard quantity of weight. “Die Fun” is the pragmatist’s argument for hedonism: “We can’t do it over/They say it’s now or never/and all we’re ever getting is older” packs a punch, particularly delivered in Musgraves’ traditional understated tone.
“Slow Burn” is rather less morose however no much less deeply felt tribute to transferring at your personal tempo. Fittingly, the music strikes at a simple, even tempo, permitting for listeners who may wish to take a drag and have time to exhale.
The Crossover Hits
Rainbow; Observe Your Arrow; Merry Go ‘Spherical
Considerably paradoxically, Kacey Musgraves’ greatest songs have centered on difficult the established order – or providing reassurance to those that do. “Rainbow,” off Golden Hour, is a soothing lullaby addressed to anybody going through adversity, particularly these within the LGBTQ neighborhood. “Follow Your Arrow,” the 2013 single that wound up turning into the most important hit of Musgraves’ profession, was additionally embraced by the LGBTQ neighborhood due to its refrain: “Kiss lots of boys/or kiss lots of girls if that’s something you’re into.” The acceptance anthem made Musgraves stand out within the usually conservative and homogenous world of nation music, and triggered loads of individuals exterior of Nashville to begin listening to the budding star.
Musgraves’ breakout single, “Merry Go ‘Round,” though, had already set her apart, and not just because it won the Grammy for Best Country Song. Devoid of country cliches, it offered startling perspective on the challenges of small-town life in clear, plainspoken language, making it obvious that Musgraves was a songwriter to be reckoned with. Ever since, she’s lived as much as its promise time and again – with hopefully many extra outside-the-box nation anthems to return.
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