(A personal favorite of mine!)
This album starts off with a smooth, Folky intro with “Slow Burn”. Now, I’ve always sort of hoped Kacey would go down a Folk route, and I’m glad to hear this here. This is a really REALLY sweet, biographical intro. She’s always been pretty open about her life. But it’s the little details she gives us here that make it all seem so wonderful and new. Not to mention I honest to God feel like she’s gotten better and better with years of singing, and she sounded pretty great to begin with. Now, I’ve always thought a lot of Kacey’s music in the past has been adorable, and has won me over time and time again with cute charms. Not to say Kacey wasn’t an incredible performer, but to me, that’s what made a lot of her tracks so likable. But “Slow Burn” is incredibly mature, and Kacey sounds like a bonafide star here. It’s breezy, it’s sweet, and it actually has an incredibly cinematic feel. “Lonely Weekend” is just as breezy, and I feel like as far as instrumentals go we’re going to be getting a lot of this. It’s so funny, even in her lyrics Kacey sounds like an incredibly new person, a much more Womanly figure than the last time we saw her. This one does get a little upbeat as it goes on, but at the same time, she brings up a lot of feelings and scenarios we can all relate with. It’s a charming tune, and as per the title, Kacey just sounds so damn lonely. Even as she says she “Doesn’t mind”, you get the feeling she may not mean it entirely. Either way, “Lonely Weekend” is charming and beautiful, and really makes you want to give Kacey a hug. “Butterflies” is up next, and I feel like Kacey knows just the right amount of crosser to put in her instrumentals. Meaning, she’s a Country artist, but she puts in enough Pop elements to make this appeal to a bigger audience. “Butterflies” is genuinely sweet and brings up a lot of the feelings of being in love, which is just what I needed to hear after a trick about how lonely Kacey is. Not only that, it just seems to be such a healthy relationship, which you just don’t hear too much in 2018. Then we have one of my favorite tunes here, “"Oh, What a World””, and for a second I feel like I accidentally turned on a Daft Punk album. Just kidding, but those effects are actually done very classily. Now, this is a straight-up Country ballad, but man is it incredible. Kacey’s vocals are so soothing as she goes into some pretty introspective stuff here. She ponders about everything from the Earth to past lives to mortality. But at the same time, she’s taking a good amount of time to just really appreciate the world and life and how beautiful it all is, and that’s something I can really appreciate. Now, of all of the tracks here, I’m into “Mother” the least. On the majority of this album, there’s so much material that seemingly brings Kacey’s career so far ahead of where it was. But “Mother” is just alright. It’s certainly sweet and all, but it doesn’t add nearly as much as other tracks here. Not to mention, at only a minute long there really isn’t too much to dive into.
Now, while this album is still very pristinely produced, I don't think it’s nearly as glossy as Kacey’s last albums. Plus, there continues to be a lot of Folk elements here which I do really think Kacey handles well. “Love Is A Wild Thing” is a massive step back in the right direction. It’s a sweet, quaint ballad that brings in a lot of the feelings she started bringing up in “Butterflies”. Those feelings of love and being so incredibly happy, it’s just not something you hear much of anymore. Not to mention, it also seems so new to Kacey, like she’s literally falling in love for the first time, and we just called her after her first date and she’s excited to tell us everything. The instrumentals continue to be just the perfect balance of Country and Pop and Folk. If you haven’t been into Kacey’s work in the past, you should really give this a shot. Now, this may come as a surprise, but I’m not nearly as into “Space Cowboy” as everyone else, and hearing this as an early single had me actually worrying about this album. I’m not into these super sluggish tunes, and I just feel like this certainly goes against a lot of what Kacey has been giving us here. Sure, Kacey still comes off very charming, but she comes off so much more vulnerable and I’m not as into that. I get that every album is going to have some up moments as well as down, but this just isn’t my favorite performance here. But on the other hand, for a more somber moment here, “Happy & Sad” may be the best one here. Kacey once again does sound more bruised and human. Some of her one-liners are unbelievable here, about her “Smiling with tears in her eyes” and “Being nervous when she’s having the time of her life”. This track is ridiculously powerful, as KAvey just wants everything she has at this moment to not leave her. It’s something we’ve all felt, and it’s actually seriously incredible. That feeling of everything is going right and you don’t want things to ever come back down, it’s all painfully real. I can go on and on, but I won't, “Happy & Sad” is brilliant. Then we have “Velvet Elvis”, and I have to say that Kacey opening up her instrumental palette and really bring ins one different sound really makes this album work. In a way, this one comes off a bit like one of her early tunes but reworked into a slightly more mature sounding track. It’s certainly bubbly and cute, and once again Kacey seems to be on top of the world. Not only is Kacey just so wonderful at telling us how she’s feeling about certain topics, she comes off so genuine. So hell yes, this track is brilliant Kacey. “Wonder Woman” on the other hand is a glitzy Folk ballad. I really can’t get enough of how wonderful she sounds with this new sound. So many of these tracks, with the exception of like 2 are just filled with so much joy and happiness. “Wonder Woman” once again really hones in on a new relationship and love. And while yea, this track is a little straightforward, it works with Kacey’s style remarkably. I love the sweet chorus, and there’s just enough of a pop edge to make this one stick with you. Even some of the superhero references, while small, work really nicely for Kacey.
Now, “High Horse” is going to be a little hard for some to swallow. But for a Pop tune, and I mean a true blue Pop tune, this really isn’t bad at all. Outside of a handful of Country references in lyrics, this doesn’t have any Country feel. There’s almost a Dance or Disco vibe to this, but Kacey really comes off with some serious swagger here and has a little some for all the haters. It’s a really brilliant crossover tune and just makes this album even seem more complete. But clearly, Kacey isn’t done with us just yet as she bursts out into the almost Funky “Golden Hour”. No, this isn’t going to get you on the dance floor. But that bass is seriously funky as hell. Kacey once again really does seem like she’s experiencing Love and happiness for the first time, and we’re here to see it all. “Golden Hour” is so darn sweet, and while I do sort of wish Kacey’s singing was a little more lively, or maybe she mixed it up a little bit with lyrics, this track is once again incredibly charming. But for me, I don’t really know how I feel about a Piano ballad ending this album off. On “Rainbow”, I feel like Kacey’s performance is incredible, and her imagery about the storm being over and a rainbow appearing is great. Not only that, but it goes with a lot of the themes of the album. So it’s an average ending, but I do wish this was a little more of a lively performance.
Rating: 8.8/10
Give A Listen To: “Slow Burn”, “Lonely Weekend”, “Oh, What a World”, “Happy & Sad”
Genre: Country / Folk / Pop
Overall Thoughts: Up until this point, it was sort of obvious that Kacey Musgraves was one of the best things about modern Country, and her first few albums all around are very good. But this is Kacey's most mature, introspective, and impeccably wrote album to date. Kacey's not a young woman anymore, and for the first time sounds like a grown woman experiencing life's beauties for the first time. She talks about new relationships and falling in love, as well as life and the world around her, and it's all entertaining. Not to mention, Kacey also takes plenty of time to expand her instrumentals as well, bringing in elements of Folk, Pop and more. Needless to say, this is Kacey's greatest achievement, and her first "Must Listen" album.
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