Throughout her career, Kacey Musgraves has truly followed her arrow. Her third album, ‘Golden Hour’ released this week, is the culmination of the work of an artist who has truly found herself, her sound, her style and her music, with the maturity of an artist far beyond her years. Though marking a marked transition from her first two albums ‘Same Trailer Different Park’ and ‘Pageant Material,’ ‘Golden Hour’ retains all the sparkly elements that made her fans fall in love with her in the first place, with a sarcasm and honesty that are both humorous and incredibly relatable.
This album is one that will stand the test of time, standing apart from the masses, like Lambert’s ‘The Weight of These Wings,’ as an incredibly brave and unique example of a genre that has come a long way since the days of bro country. The album proves that women who know what they want, can create magic, defining themselves in their own terms, rather than through definitions created by the genre or the industry.
For this her third album, Musgraves worked alongside Ian Fitchuk and Daniel Tashian, in a move away from country to pop, following the route traversed by the likes of Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift before her. For an artist who had earned a reputation based on songs of dysfunctional families and towns and tacky beauty pageants – breaking the trope of romanticising small towns so often found in country music – this was an endeavour that was bound to depress some ardent fans of her music and country itself. The publicity surrounding the album and it’s pre-release brought other facets, both surprising and destabilising for the honky-tonk genre, venturing into territory almost uncharted in Nashville, Musgraves herself describing being influenced by ‘futurism…space country, galactic cosmic country.’ However, seeing the album in its entirety, it is evident to any fan of Musgraves, that she has preserved the elements that made her such a respected artist in the first place. She has progressed and retained both her sense of lyricism, taking elements of the country genre and translating them into a musical language that is utterly her own and devoid of any obvious intent toward commercial pursuit.
Across the 13 tracks of the album, Musgraves seeks to unlock the rainbow of her emotions, rather than unpacking – as in her previous albums – the ongoings of the small town. From the rosy glow of ‘Butterflies’ and its rush of new love, to the wistful, LSD-evoked stream of consciousness yearning for her mother in ‘Mother,’ to the analysis of her introvert nature in ‘Lonely Weekend,’ to the brave and frank examination of her own emotions in ‘Happy & Sad,’ Musgraves lays her own soul bare. Such an open nature causes the album to be her most personal one yet. Following the narrative of an artist who has undergone much change in her personal life, including her marriage to Ruston Kelly last year, for the first time, Kacey really examines love and her relationships throughout, yet without falling into the cliches to which many are so prone. Thus ‘Love is a Wild Thing,’ equates her husband to a sunset, ‘You’ve set my world on fire,’
It takes an admirable sensitivity and touch to be able to combine just such sweet and poignant elements, such as those found in ‘Mother’ with the psychedelic threads rife in both the album and its live staging that reach their greatest intensity in the already wildly popular ‘High Horse,’ and ‘Oh What a World.’
Yet, perhaps most poignant and emotional of all the tracks, is the final track on the LP, ‘Rainbow,’ a track popular on her tour for some years. In a world, historically synonymous with heterosexuality, Musgraves wrote the track alongside the ever popular and successful Shane McAnally as a letter to the LGBTQ youth, and is an anthem that will have many tear ducts overworking.
Despite the distinct nature of each song, the album appears as a fully fledged work, where no single appears tacked on, but in its correct place. It is testament to her choice of creative comrades, Ian Fitchuk and Daniel Tashian, whose work on the album should not go unnoticed, that her vocal has been so tenderly and softly handled throughout the work, shining through each song yet seamlessly transitioning through each track, through the slow and sweet ‘Space Cowboy,’ through to ‘Velvet Elvis.’
Regardless of any genre restrictions, this is an album full to bursting with songs bound to stand the test of time, proving Musgraves to be a stellar creative and artistic genius, marking a transition in her career from country superstar to a creative legend in her own right. Her move, arguably away from country, thus marks both a beautiful tribute and a support to the longevity of the genre itself.
