Kacey Musgraves Delivers for Country at the 56th Grammy Awards
I say it all the time. There are so many of these little organizations, so many labels, and festivals, websites, and Facebook groups, and individuals all working to somehow change the direction of country music, when none of these things are going to be the ultimate solution. Though anyone that takes up the charge for country music should be commended, and these things can help in their own way, the solution is not going to be delivered by an organization. It is going to be delivered by a song.
One song, one artist, can completely change the country music paradigm all on its own. And then another song can help take it even further, exposing the frailty and failings of bad art without the need of rhetoric, leading country music in a more substantive, sustainable direction, and one that shows deference to the roots of the music and leads by example. Then the organization and infrastructure will follow.
Kacey Musgraves’ song “Merry Go ‘Round” was one of those songs. Sure, the argument can be made that her Grammy win Sunday night for Best Album was a bigger accolade than the Best Country Song award “Merry Go ‘Round” received, if for no other reason than the Best Album presentation made it onto the televised portion of the event. But Same Trailer, Different Park would have never won without “Merry Go ‘Round”. It was the door opener, the game changer. And at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards, it changed Kacey Musgraves’ life forever.
As Kacey Musgraves’ success has grown, so has her criticism, and it is stronger now than it has ever been with her Grammy wins. There are many people who will tell you she’s just simply an alternative version of Taylor Swift—pure pop and no type of positive gain for country music whatsoever. Ignore the steel guitar and banjo in her music, or the fact that Same Trailer, Different Park has sold 300,000 copies, while Taylor Swift’s last album has sold over 4 million. At some point, it’s unfair to both artists to compare their contributions, accomplishments, and impact.
But I’ve been critical of Kacey Musgraves myself. Despite the overwhelming success of “Merry Go ‘Round”, in my original review of the song I said it had its moments of immaturity and judgmentalism, just like some of her others songs. Some of the Kacey Musgraves hatred is rooted in political displeasure at some of her lyrics, and artists who go in a political direction run that risk and can’t be surprised when they’re rued for it.
When it came to selecting the songs for Same Trailer, Different Park, some songs that were better than the ones that made it on the album were left off. After “Merry Go ‘Round,” the single selection from the album has been questionable to poor, both in presenting Kacey Musgraves’ style fairly, and for creating commercial success. Her singles are also behind much of the criticisms that Kacey is nothing more than a pop star.
Beyond song selection, there was something else under the surface troubling me about Kacey Musgraves. There was an unsureness, and unsteadiness that had allowed self-doubt to creep in and mistakes to be made: “The look” that Kacey was caught making at the CMA’s when Miranda Lambert won, the conflict with Clear Channel DJ Bobby Bones. Kacey Musgraves came across as almost aloof, beaten down by how things were going, hating the hoops she had to jump through, like the weight of the world was on her shoulders to deliver, and maybe trying to determine if her music was in the right forum.
Yet my sense of Kacey Musgraves the person was that we had yet to see what she was completely capable of. She had yet to come into full bloom. We forget she’s still a young woman, 25-years-old. Looking through her music, I saw even more potential. I saw a compass; a person defined by her pursuit.
Compared to many artists, Kacey was enjoying overwhelming success. But Kacey didn’t want to just be another name in the country music gaggle, she wanted to lead. She believed in her music, and that it could have a wide impact if it only found the right audience.
Listen to some of the things Kacey Musgraves had to say backstage at The Grammys after her wins:
I literally can’t put into words how excited I am to represent the country music genre with the music I’ve gotten to make. I made a record that was inspired by real life and everything I was going through at the time, but also all of the traditional country music elements that I’m in love with. If there’s a way that I can be a part of preserving that, but also making it my own, I feel like I’ve done my job.
Everyone, all the writers on the record, like I’m just super huge fans of. Brandy Clark, Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne, Luke Laird, they’re amazing in their own right, and I’m just so glad their work is getting to shine and I’m just a small part of what they’re going to do to change music.
I would love to be an ambassador for country music. Sometimes when someone gives me a compliment it makes me feel very awkward but one of my favorite compliments ever is when someone says, ‘You know, I don’t really like country music, but I really like yours.’ In that way, I’d love to bring country music to people who don’t know much about it.
Don’t write what you think SHOULD be on the radio, write what you like and hopefully it will end up there. Just live life and to be inspired by it.
These aren’t quotes from a artist that wants to make a big splash in the industry, they’re quotes from an artist that wants to change country music, that wants to broaden its reach, and not by instilling it with sensibilities, but by expanding the appeal for its inherent and classic beauty. Her music is still the same at it was before the Grammy Awards. But now it has been validated. Now she can move forward with confidence that her goals and her efforts are in lock step, and heading in the right direction. Kacey Musgraves and her music are leading, but most importantly, the industry is following.
Kacey Musgraves was the big winner of the 56th Annual Grammy Awards, but her success does not exist in a bubble. You put this next to George Strait’s win for Entertainer of the Year at the CMA Awards in November, and so many of the other positive signs for country music that have been transpiring recently, and you begin to understand that things are changing. Saving country music is no longer theoretical, and the downtrodden and depressed traditional country music fan has to stop identifying themselves with being the losers, and quit buying into the idea the anything successful must mean it is pop, or otherwise compromised artistically.
There were better artists, better albums, and better songs in country music in the last year than Kacey Musgraves, Same Trailer, Different Park, and “Merry Go ‘Round”. But guess what, they never had a chance. But Kacey did, and she delivered.
January 27, 2014 @ 1:37 pm
“the single selection from the album has been questionable to poor”
This is the key area of common ground between Kacey Musgraves and Taylor Swift.
January 27, 2014 @ 1:50 pm
Except when it comes to Taylor, at least her singles afforded her the commercial success and attention ideally a single delivers for an artist.
I think the second big narrative coming out of the Grammy Awards was Taylor Swift. I think all these awards that she’s been up for have been hers to loose as the commercial powerhouse in “country” music, and she’s lost them from a critical rebuke of her Max Martin / Shellback single material. Singing “All Too Well” in some ways was almost an acknowledgement of this, but it was too little, too late. These awards matter to Taylor, and they also tend to deliver a bump of sales that must matter to the people behind-the-scenes. The Max Martin / Shellback songs created an imbalance between critical and commercial focus, and no award wins is the result. And yes, similar to Musgraves, they did not represent Swift well in the long run. The difference is Musgraves released “Merry Go ‘Round” first.
January 27, 2014 @ 4:27 pm
As someone who has no strong feelings either way about Taylor Swift I think a likely scenario for her in the future is she is going to find herself betwixt and between. As she ages the younger pop fans will lose interest in her as they can’t relate to an artist closer to their mothers age while at the same time she will have ventured so far from her original more country roots that she will have lost all credibility with that audience.
I think in many ways this is the real gamble that she and her label are playing. This is the goldmine route right now but in the long run it may really hurt her relevancy.
January 27, 2014 @ 7:22 pm
My prediction is that Taylor will age out of her fan demographic in the next 2-3 years, and largely lose mainstream relevance. I think the process has already started and her momentum has already slowed.
I think her “original country roots” were shallow, and didn’t go very far beyond the teen fan base. I don’t see her having long term appeal for adult country music fans, based on the material she has released to country radio so far, and based on her vocal limitations.
Her strength is in playing identity politics. To have long term success outside of the teen demographic, she will need to find another identity group whose feelings she can express in song. (Back in 2011 before her image became more socially liberal, I was thinking that identity group could be conservative women. That was a wide open opportunity since there is no young female conservative icon in the entertainment world, and many on the right were singing her praises back then).
January 27, 2014 @ 7:57 pm
You ascribe motives to people that are thoroughly lacking in evidence and seem to think that everyone is acting from some sort of political motivation. In fact the opposite is true.
January 27, 2014 @ 10:06 pm
Scotty, I do not think most people are motivated mainly by politics. But identity politics involves a person’s cultural perspective, not just political parties.
The main point in my post is that the key factor in Taylor’s success is the teen fan base, not whether she is in the country genre or the pop genre. She is likely to lose relevance as she gets older, because a big part of her appeal was her youth. I don’t really see a “country” path forward for her at this point.
January 27, 2014 @ 10:30 pm
I am aware of what identity politics is I just don’t think that it can be applied to every action as you seem to think. Getting lost in theoretical thought might be par for the course at some ‘Studies’ Department at the local college but in the real world it just doesn’t transfer.
Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.
January 29, 2014 @ 12:22 pm
As someone who likes both country and pop (as well as many other genres, from prog rock to psytrance to jazz), I think Taylor does a fine job for what she does. Pop stars do seem to have to reinvent themselves more than in other genres, and Taylor is approaching that point where she’s going to need to do that, but I think she’ll do just fine with her songwriting skills. Her fan base is aging along with her and will still want her take on the different issues they face as their lives change.
Also, I thought “Never Getting Back Together” was the catchiest song on the album. I thought the weakest track on the record was her stab at dubstep with “I Knew You Were Trouble,” but while at a club (an isolated occurrence these days), that song came on, and the crowd on the floor absolutely ate it up.
I’m really glad Kacey won, as she was a big part of what got me into country, but I agree it’s on the strength of “Merry Go Round.” Beyond that track and “Follow Your Arrow,” the rest of the album sounds like filler to me (albeit still a step up from her previous album, so I think there’s something to be said for at least some degree of polishing).
Also, as an aspiring drummer, I wish more country acts employed drummers as good as those on Taylor’s records. Hank 3 seems to be the best I’ve found so far, and he clearly pushes the envelope of what is country.
January 27, 2014 @ 1:52 pm
But Kacey had better songs overall. The “poor” single choices from Kacey, like “Follow Your Arrow”, are far better songs than the “poor” single choices from Taylor, like “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together”.
January 27, 2014 @ 1:59 pm
That is EXACTLY what I thought when our esteemed host mentioned the poor single choices from KM. I’d be interested to see how Taylor Swift’s “better” single choices stack up against those from Musgraves, but then I have yet to hear anything from TS after “Teardrops On My Guitar” that I even remotely liked, so…
January 27, 2014 @ 2:02 pm
Swift’s “Safe and Sound” is worth a listen IMO.
January 27, 2014 @ 5:27 pm
It depends on how one defines poor single choice. Taylor’s pop singles weren’t bad choices for her team because they knew radio would play whatever they sent them. They were bad for country fans who don’t want to hear pure pop on country radio any more than pop fans want to hear pure country on pop radio or rap fans want to hear it on rap radio. So even with her huge promotion it was her lowest charting single on country radio. Kacey’s Follow Your Arrow choice is very risky, which could be viewed as bad. Taylor’s team removed “gay” from Picture To Burn lyrics just for country radio. I’d much rather hear Follow Your Arrow than any pure pop song on country radio and agree that Kacey’s and just about every country song is better than We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together. Even Taylor said she wrote it to be bad and annoying to piss off some ex. Next time how about doing that over on pop radio instead of pissing off country fans too.
January 27, 2014 @ 10:48 pm
I disagree that “Follow Your Arrow” is a poor single. Quality-wise, I would rank it as one of the 4 best songs on her album, along with “Merry Go Round”, “Silver Lining”, and “It Is What It Is”.
At least Kacey had the good judgment to release 2 of her 4 best songs in her first 3 releases. With Taylor, it was just the opposite: 2 of her 3 first singles were the 2 worst songs on her album: “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” and “I Knew You Were Trouble”.
January 27, 2014 @ 1:56 pm
I agree that Musgraves was the most “country” sounding artist up for best album. With that being said, there are just a few issues I totally disagree about.
“Some of the Kacey Musgraves hatred is rooted in political displeasure at some of her lyrics, and artists who go in a political direction run that risk and can”™t be surprised when they”™re rued for it.”
I personally, do not have a problem with political songs. The song just has to be well written. I noticed a lot on her album that she uses a third person narration on a lot of her songs. When you combine that with political lyrics it comes off as preachy. “Merry Go Round” won best song, there is no way in hell that song should have won, especially being up against “I drive your Truck” a vastly superior written song.
“Kacey Musgraves was the big winner of the 56th Annual Grammy Awards, but her success does not exist in a bubble. You put this next to George Strait”™s win for Entertainer of the Year at the CMA Awards in November, and so many of the other positive signs for country music that have been transpiring recently, and you begin to understand that things are changing.”
I wish I could agree, but I see a backlash coming on Musgraves. She won two Grammys on her first major label album; in major categories. A lot of established acts in Nashville have never been nominated and a lot have been nominated and had to wait to win after putting out multiple albums. She may not get the love from Nashville, and her early success critically, may hurt her and traditional country fans. They may see this as undeserved.
January 27, 2014 @ 2:04 pm
Interesting opinion. I would have voted for “Merry Go Round” over “I Drive Your Truck”, because it is more original compared to other stuff that gets played on country radio. I think they are both good songs, and “I Drive Your Truck” is more in line with my cultural tastes, but Kacey’s song broke more new ground here.
January 27, 2014 @ 2:29 pm
You may personally not have a problem with political songs, but you don’t have to go any farther than a Saving Country Music comments section to see this is an issue. And I see it in other places as well: Twitter and such. And I tend to agree it’s not just what she’s saying, but how she’s saying it that is rubbing people wrong.
I think the Kacey Musgraves backlash has already started in full force, and in many ways this article, while rehashing some things I’ve already said about Kacey, was an answer to this backlash.
When George Strait won Entertainer of the Year, there were a bunch of people complaining he was pop. Now Kacey wins, and the narrative from many is that she’s pop. If we cannot get behind artists that represent the traditional and substantive aspects of the mainstream, how do we expect artists of traditional and substantive leanings to ever reach that level?
Was Kacey Musgraves the best option from the nominees given? Yes. So then why turn around and complain about it as if it doesn’t mean anything? That’s what I’m trying to say. It does mean something. It is a sign of improvement.
January 27, 2014 @ 2:54 pm
I tend to think most people do not have a problem with politics in music. 99.9% of the people here love Johnny Cash, and he was the most outspoken musician on social issues. Loretta was another outspoken performer. I suppose it may be the way she phrases things, and she may improve on her next album.
I don’t think Musgraves is pop, but I also don’t think a serious roots musician would take the stage with light up cowboy boots? She needs to watch the classic movie “Pure Country”.
I totally understand a backlash, Musgraves has one less Grammy than Loretta and it took Dolly 13 nominations before she received her first win. To the conspiracy minded music fans, this just doesn’t sit right.
January 27, 2014 @ 4:38 pm
Why is everyone giving kacey shit about her wardrobe especially traditional country fans on this site. Her wardrobe was very traditional in the Manuel nudie suit style as porter wagoner, dolly, Dwight yoakum, Marty Stuart, etc. I thought her style was a great way to bring back a country tradition like that and add the lights to make it modern similar to what the any other modern artist of another genre would wear.
January 27, 2014 @ 6:21 pm
Thats a very good point. I miss the Nudie suits.
January 27, 2014 @ 8:59 pm
I liked her dress. Normally I don’t feel like I’m versed enough in fashion to know what a good dress or a bad dress is. I guess there’s a whole other world that concerns themselves with that, so I’ll leave it up to them. But I noticed Kacey’s dress, and thought it was cool. Kitsch is her thing, and she wears it well. But I’m sure it made fashionistas freak out.
January 28, 2014 @ 7:47 am
Good point, I was just going to mention the Nudie suits. It seems like there’s always been a kitschy element to country fashion. As Dolly Parton says about her wigs and ensemble, “It’s just a country girl’s idea of glamour.”
January 28, 2014 @ 1:47 pm
Wow, that’s all you guys got out of my comment, was a remark about her light up disco boots? Not the fact that she has a carefully crafted marketed image? Or that she is being shoved down the consumer’s throat by her record label? Or that her musical collaborators are heavyweight top 40 songwriters? As for the Nudie suites, the old timers wore them so their fans could see them more easily on stage, unlike today, there weren’t big screen monitors for the fans far back in the venue to look at during the show, it was strictly utilitarian.
January 28, 2014 @ 7:57 pm
Casey looked HOT – I loved her kitschy little outfit. She’s a very pretty girl with a lovely set of pins. Man that skirt was SHORT though, did you notice she had to sort of cover her bottom up when she walked up the stage stairs to collect her Grammy? Bet she regretted it’s length at that particular moment in time 😉 Haha, yes, I am going to watch Fashion Police tonight on E! for the Grammy’s commentary. I’m sure she won’t escape comment …
January 28, 2014 @ 2:59 am
I’m sorry but on what planet would anybody consider George Strait a pop singer? He has one of the smoothest sounds in country music, his songs usually are heavy on steel guitar, I can’t think of any songs that even have a digital drum beat. I listened to “All My Exes Live In Texas” on the way home and thought of what a great sound he has.
Oh look he won an award now he’s a pop singer…I’m not saying its your opinion Trig I’m just saying that’s a little bit excessive for someone to consider George Strait a pop singer
January 28, 2014 @ 6:52 am
J, I would agree. I do believe George has softened a bit as he has gotten closer to retirement, but that same underlying sound is still there, and I like it because I have gotten older too. His songs are more family oriented and not bar oriented although he can still put out a good one. I see nothing wrong with that and it’s probably pretty natural for a guy who has been married as long as he has. You gotta sing about what you know about.
January 27, 2014 @ 1:57 pm
I’m sure ‘Follow Your Arrow’ will get a sales boost this week but I don’t think this song is going to break big and definitely not in the country format that she so eloquently professed love for.
So, what is next I wonder? Are there plans for another single from ‘Same Trailer’? If so I would strongly urge them to pick something more middle ground in content.
I’m all for an artist being their self and pushing boundaries but if that is all they are going to be then that is just as boring (see Lady GaGa) as playing it safe.
January 27, 2014 @ 3:06 pm
“Follow Your Arrow” has a relatively large following with the younger generation like me. We may not download it but the youtube views for it are huge. It may never get played on radio besides on the one Canadian station near me that plays it but I think that is a success in that it broke the taboo of what you can and cannot sing about in country. Kacy to me represents where her lyrics are concerned to be my generations Merle Haggard to an extent. She sings what she what she believes in and isn’t afraid to take on the elephant in the room. In the end singing what you believe to be the honest truth is what Country music is all about.
January 27, 2014 @ 3:37 pm
The part about it appealing to the younger generation is true. I’m only in my teens, and I find this song very catching yet the lyrics are very witty. And, it sounds like real country music.
My mum, on the other hand, finds this song terrible. To be fair, we live in England, and she considers the only the country – notice the exaggerated quotation marks – she likes is Taylor Swift (something about her lyrics being easier to understand when listening). LOL.
January 27, 2014 @ 4:07 pm
Merle Haggard is my favorite country artist of all time so I can appreciate your comparison but I think you are getting WAY ahead of things in making that comparison. Yes Merle had plenty of social commentary in many of his songs but he also had plenty (if not most) of songs which were about your more standard country themes.
Furthermore, I don’t think it’s fair to compare an artist with one moderately successful CD to an all time Hall Of Fame great like Merle. Another major difference for me is that Merle wouldn’t have felt it necessary to thank a cadre of co-writers when he won awards because for most of his career he was the sole writer. That’s not to say that Kacey Musgraves isn’t a talented writer but how do we really know how much of these songs were her and how much were Shane McAnally or Brandy Clark? Maybe a lot, maybe a little who knows.
I guess I just have a hard time buying this whole voice of the younger generation thing based on such little tangible success.
January 27, 2014 @ 4:26 pm
I wasn’t comparing the entirety of Merle’s career to Kacey’s that would be insane. I was comparing the lyrics and the social commentary side of it. Kacy has three independent albums out there and from what I’ve heard of them along with songs on this album like “silver lining” and ”my house” and the stuff she has written that ended up on Nashville and in the hands of other artists along with songs she has performed live and has not put on an album next. Along with a song she co-wrote with a local band in Texas she can sing other things as well. She is the one that basically demanded “Follow Your Arrow” to be released against the wishes of Mercury. From what I have heard of her talking about her co-writers she basically has the lead on most if not all of her songs. I would never compare entire careers like that at this point, I was just pointing out the similarities. There ARE similarities.
January 27, 2014 @ 4:36 pm
Yeah, I’m not saying she’s not talented.
Maybe it’s just our hype filled internet age that has made so cynical about buying into new unproven artists as being so influential. I mean if we are being honest if you go by popularity with younger people, no matter how you judge it whether sales or streams or ticket sales , then the real voice of the younger generation is Florida Georgia Line.
They have had far more impact then Kacey Musgraves and that sucks. Big time.
January 27, 2014 @ 2:12 pm
Like her or not….it was a smack in the Nashville cookie cutter song face !
January 27, 2014 @ 2:28 pm
So what political turmoil has Kacey stirred up with her songs? Aside from the pot references I don’t recall much of anything notable.
January 27, 2014 @ 2:43 pm
She mentions homosexuality in less than thoroughly damning terms. That’s pretty much the long and short of it.
January 27, 2014 @ 3:19 pm
She also implied that people who aren’t religious shouldn’t be forced to go to church.
January 28, 2014 @ 8:01 pm
Oh my god, there are people who still get their knickers in a twist over that stuff? Wow, just wow. Slow clap, America.
January 29, 2014 @ 12:34 pm
That’s not my interpretation of that line:
“If you don’t go to church, you’ll go to hell.
If you’re the first one on the front row,
You’re self-righteous son of a…”
Like the entire rest of the song, it’s merely saying, “Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.” I would think the frustration you face when trying to please everybody is something most anyone could broadly relate to, regardless of religion.
January 29, 2014 @ 12:45 pm
This might be the lyric from Merry Go ‘Round that best fits with Applejack’s comment:
And it don’t matter if you don’t believe,
Come Sunday morning, you best be there in the front row like you’re supposed to.
January 29, 2014 @ 1:00 pm
Given its success on the country charts, I think most people perceived “Merry Go Round” as being observational in a story-telling sense rather than making any specific recommendations. As the chorus in the next two lines show, it’s just saying that being put under a high degree of social pressure sucks. I think Rob put it best describing it as a “jaded white trash” angle.
“Merry Go Round” doesn’t urge the listener to do anything, unlike “Follow Your Arrow” which seems to be regarded here as more politically problematic.
January 27, 2014 @ 3:02 pm
So some new pop-country Nashville chick won a couple Grammy Awards.., who the hell cares. She’s basically just Taylor Swift 2.0, except for maybe better songs, a better singing voice, and songs that actually “country,” or whatever.
When are the SHAMMYS going to support REAL country music. They should have ditched all the rules about sales quotas and radio play and shit and had Sturgill Simpson and Eric Strickland burst from underneath the floor boards, steal the trophy, then sing “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” and moon the audience.
January 27, 2014 @ 3:30 pm
*songs that are actually country
January 27, 2014 @ 4:08 pm
Are you aware that Guy Clark won his first Grammy ever yesterday? Or that Del McCoury won a Grammy as well? Are these guys not real country? Or how about Rodney Crowell and Emmylou Harris who also won? How about Steve Martin with Edie Brickell?
I totally understand all of the Grammy hate for the televised event that transpires in prime time, but there’s a lot of people showing their ignorance today about exactly what the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences does for the preservation of music in American society, including country music. I know it’s really really really cool to go on Facebook and say, “I don’t give a shit about the Grammys!” and I completely understand where that sentiment comes from. But all the people saying there was no country on the Grammy Awards failed to see that Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, and Merle Haggard performed, that George Jones, Ray Price, Jody Payne, Steve Fromholz, Jack Clement, Tompall Glaser and Slim Whitman were paid tribute to. And it’s not surprising to see those same people would think there’s no contrast between Taylor Swift and Kacey Musgraves.
If you don’t like Kacey Musgraves, that’s completely your prerogative and I’m not going to try and convince you to love her music or to even see her as a country artist. But if you cannot create any contrast between her and Taylor Swift, you’re going to prove yourself uninformed more than you are going to prove whatever point you’re trying to make.
January 27, 2014 @ 4:53 pm
As happy as I am about Kacey’s wins, the Guy Clark win was the one that really rang my chimes. I don’t watch the Grammys, but I scan the lists after the fact to see if anyone I listen to (or have even heard of) won anything. I was most curious about this year’s folk category, and it was a wellspring of great news.
No one deserves that trophy more than Guy. He put out an amazing album last year and his body of work is (in my humble opinion) one of the greatest examples of near perfection in any artform in the American canon.
January 27, 2014 @ 6:19 pm
Dang … my comment was an attempt at dry humor.
Maybe next time maybe I’ll use one of those silly emoticon things.
😉
I was trying to satarize some of the comments I’ve heard about the Grammys Awards.
I’ve heard people dismiss Kacey Musgraves out of hand or say she’s the same as Taylor Swift, which to me is nuts. I doubt that people who say that have listened to her music in depth.
Personally, I like Musgraves as much as much as any of the current wave of female singer-songwriters and I think she at least deserves to be in the conversation about the best country music of 2013. In an ideal world, she would be duking it out on the Grammy Awards and on the the charts with Monroe, Clark, Simpson etc, but realistically these awards are set up to reward things like radio play and sales, and fair or not, KM is the only one who has hit those marks. What do people expect?
I do think the Grammy awards are dumb and irrelevant. But for some reason they still have influence, and if a promising and legitimately country artist is getting national attention it sure seems like a positive thing.
If KM’s audience grows as a result of this, it would be cool to see her take some of these other deserving artists on tour with her or something. That could open up some doors. But I reckon she will be on tour with Katy Perry for the time being.
January 27, 2014 @ 6:28 pm
Speaking of sales /radio quotas, I realize that several of Kacey Musgraves’ later singles haven ‘t charted well, but apparently she at least meets the Grammy’s requirements. She had a hit single and sold a fair amount of records by mainstream standards.
January 27, 2014 @ 9:05 pm
Sorry Applejack, I thought that sentiment was a little strange coming from you. If it wasn’t obvious, I was waiting in the weeds for someone to say something like that so I could pounce and get some points across I left out in the article above. I do think that’s a dangerous sentiment, and that mindset is as big of an obstacle to artists as anything.
But like I’ve been saying, I can’t argue with anyone who doesn’t like any of these award shows. Generally speaking, they’re positively awful displays of grotesque abundance and vapidness. But as bad as they are, they serve a purpose, especially the Grammys.
January 27, 2014 @ 7:50 pm
I still can’t believe I saw Tompall Glaser’s name on the Grammys last night — just for a few seconds, but goddamn. Ditto Steve Fromholz and even for that matter Cowboy Jack Clement. And seeing Merle, Willie and Kris together? The show does have its moments, you have to admit.
January 27, 2014 @ 9:06 pm
The one that blew me away was Steve Fromholz. He just passed away, and was barely known outside of Texas. Do you think anyone at the CMA knows who Steve Fromholz is? Or Jody Payne? The CMA has got to do a better job of honoring the fallen country greats.
January 28, 2014 @ 7:33 am
It’s all good Triggerman. I can understand why people would be skeptical of Kacey Musgraves: she’s young, pretty, and on telivision – she must be pure pop! All I can say is: listen to the actual music.
As for the Grammys, as vacuous and mediocre as they are, I think they have done right by country music a couple of times such as giving major awards to albums like Van Lear Rose, American Recordings, and that one by the Dixie Chicks I suppose. But those were already established artists. I can’t help but think the Grammy voters would love Brandy Clark or Ashley Monroe, but those people are not even played by country radio, so how can they make it to that level?
The In Memoriam segment was cool. I’m sure half the audience took that segment as an opportunity to text, tweet, or take a whiz but I enjoyed it mostly because of its depth, as others have noted. And on that note: Rest in peace to folksinger Pete Seeger, who passed away last night.
January 28, 2014 @ 10:42 am
Agree Grammys going to Guy, Rodney, Emmy a good thing, BUT, they were carefully segregated from the country category to keep it “clean” of the real thang (put in “Americana,” arguably not a legitimate genre, and Folk). I have to admit that I had not heard Kasey Musgraves before Sunday night; was very impressed with her and her band, and see her wins over CMA Royals Taylor and Blake as a MAJOR defeat for NashVegas. I grew up in the 60s so the “political” thing kills me (in other words, don’t see it, unless perhaps in line with Tom T. Hall’s “Harper Valley P.T.A.” (Jeannie C. Riley). Love everything from her that I’ve heard since the show.
Cheers, Will James
Gram Parsons InterNational
January 28, 2014 @ 10:47 am
Sorry, my link was incorrect, should be: http://gramparsonsinternational.us
January 27, 2014 @ 4:17 pm
Just because someone doesn’t play in front of 30 people doesn’t mean it’s not good.
Why would you want to see a guy’s ass?
January 27, 2014 @ 5:02 pm
possible songs on her next album (all acoustic except for 1)
Five Finger Discount
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMSmcHMNAZU
Get Outta My Yard
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEU_Oo34NF4
There’s a Person There
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwTgY_JTZrE
Things to Fix
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULMDI1uRP88
Everybody’s Got a Story
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3TpNTARbDI
Rainbow
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kWHBJ7TsMg
Biscuits
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8G4bggiDU4A
January 27, 2014 @ 7:52 pm
At 5’4″ she really makes that guitar look really big (nice looking guitar BTW). Funny she’s just a pair of heels away from looking down on Hunter Hayes 🙂
January 27, 2014 @ 5:45 pm
I see one of two things happening:
1. Kacey takes the jaded white trash angle (“My House,” “Merry Go Round,” “Blowin’ Smoke”) and smooths over the overtly political stuff to become something like the newer version of Miranda Lambert. Gets played on country radio and is still generally favored among critics.
2. She continues to do songs like “Follow Your Arrow” and becomes an Americana favorite, but gets stuck in the same box as Emmylou, Gillian Welch, Lucinda, Steve Earle, Todd Snider, John Prine etc. Not that it’s bad, but I can see her just saying ‘Screw the Mainstream’ at some point because even though Same Trailer Different Park was a critical favorite, its sales were paltry for a big-time Nashville artist.
January 27, 2014 @ 5:54 pm
She has said in the past that she is not going to stretch to get her stuff on radio. She will only write about real experiences what she believes in. The good thing for Kacey is that she is committed to real country and has a good young fanbase to back her. Not all younger generation fans are about Taylor Swift and Jason Aldean. A good friend of mine likes George Strait and Willie Nelson.
January 27, 2014 @ 6:04 pm
I’m not saying “all” young people are like that, but Florida Georgia Line, Aldean, Shelton, Swift, Underwood etc. still sell more records and get played more on the radio than the traditional stuff right now. I see #2 as a more likely option for Musgraves because I don’t think she’ll ever buy into that bullshit. I’ve never seen her tweet any sort of praise to the bro-country singers of the world, but she’s said how much she loves Jason Isbell, Brandy Clark and Prine. I think that’s an indicator of which way she’s headed.
January 27, 2014 @ 6:13 pm
Yea I see it that way as well.
January 27, 2014 @ 9:11 pm
Reading Kacey’s quotes after the awards, I don’t think Kacey wants to settle for anything. I don’t think she wants to be part of Americana, I think she wants to be part of the mainstream and a team of songwriters and performers like Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally that are trying to “change music.” I think they see the direction of country and want to do something about it, and now with this win they just might be poised to do it.
January 27, 2014 @ 7:44 pm
Great to see Kacey win last night — and good article on her impact on the genre, this past year and likely (fingers crossed) for years to come. I agree that “Merry Go Round” is a game changer of a song — and that we wouldn’t be talking about her at all if not for that song, and for it happening to hit at just the right time. I’m amazed the song got as far as it did on country radio, but somehow it struck a chord, and she is an appealing personality to boot. Also, I don’t find the song judgmental — in fact, that’s part of the appeal, that it offers clear details and a strong point of view but refrains from being in any way mean-spirited. As for the followup singles — well, not as strong, but not terrible either. She’s a clever writer, even when she veers too deep into the kitsch, and she’s playing around with subject matter far from typical, which is at the very least refreshing.
January 27, 2014 @ 7:46 pm
I wonder what we’d be talking about if Ashley Monroe would have won? I’d argue all day she deserved to win more (authentic sounding country with a modern twist and a far better voice). I also think she’s better looking, and more “classy”. But one could make a case that her lyrics are more controversial
Love her throw-back video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdfqzuQ8j5I
I’m curious Mr. Trigger, would you have given Ashley the award over Kacey (if those were you’re only two choices of course)?
January 27, 2014 @ 9:18 pm
I don’t like hypotheticals, but I will say I would have given Best Album to Ashley over Taylor Swift, who was the next-closest contender to Kacey.
I think the industry sees Ashley Monroe very different than Kacey. Mercury is betting their future on Kacey. They’ve gone all in on her. I think Ashley is seen as a little long in the tooth, like if she was going to get big it would have already happened. That doesn’t mean she couldn’t get big, but clearly she doesn’t have the type of support Kacey does. But if Ashley had a “Merry Go ‘Round”, she could have very well been the one walking away with a statue. Like I said, it all comes down to a song.
January 28, 2014 @ 6:20 am
The funny thing is Ashley is only 2 years older than Kacey. I get what you’re saying though, Ashley has been around a lot of years now.
January 28, 2014 @ 1:58 pm
I actually think Ashley took her label somewhat by surprise last year. That album probably wasn’t planned to do much, but it grabbed the attention of so many critics and fans that it wound up having a decent life of its own. Of course radio didn’t latch on (“Like a Rose” is a killer song, one of my favorites of the year, but it’s probably too ‘traditional’ sounding for most), which means album sales could never match Kacey’s. But at the same time, now Ashley has actual name recognition (outside the Pistol Annies) and a solid musical reputation, where a year ago few would have even known who she was.
January 27, 2014 @ 10:43 pm
I still respectfully disagree with the assertion that George Strait’s victory at the Country Music Awards can be construed as an official first sign of sea change.
Strait’s win coincided with his earlier announcement that he would embark on his final tour, “The Cowboy Rides Away”. Much like Clay Walker said, Strait’s win is emblematic of a “closing of the door” for traditional country music (at least as we regard it) on corporate radio, and also as a means of extending an olive branch to him in offering one fond farewell……….before relegating his music to the fringes of the playlists and disregarding his subsequent single releases.
*
Color me pessimistic about Musgraves’ win as well resulting in a broader wave of systematic change. Like I’ve said, the critics have been DEIFYING her incessantly for this entire past year. Who WAS the committee going to pick otherwise? Jason Aldean? The tabloid-magnet Taylor Swift? Tim McGraw? There was simply minimal contest for a fresh face like Musgraves who has effectively been able to charm critics across demographic divides.
I’ll admit the Country Song category was less of a sure deal, but even there, Miranda Lambert’s “Mama’s Broken Heart” was her only legitimate competition and, even there, Musgraves was a co-writer.
*
Obviously, Musgraves was EASILY my favorite of all the nominees in BOTH categories, as much as I’ve found her arguably the single most overrated story of 2013 in country music. But let’s not mistake ourselves here. “Follow Your Arrow” is dead, no matter if it wins accolades from fifty awards shows. Indeed, “Follow Your Arrow” already received a bounce on iTunes following her performance of it in her yellow dress at the 47th Annual Country Music Association awards: bouncing to just beneath the Top Thirty before free-falling back below the Top 100.
Both her album and its respective singles will enjoy a one-week bounce (as almost all featured nominees receive naturally)……….but “Same Trailer, Different Park” will still be limping towards a Gold certification throughout the year. At any rate, I would have my sights set upon its follow-up, and I am rooting for her to get material out there much like that which was cut from the “Same Trailer, Different Park” track listing in favor of safer material. Because I definitely would like to root for her. I just haven’t exactly been charmed by much of the hype as of yet.
January 27, 2014 @ 11:03 pm
I think of George Strait’s win as the proverbial ‘gold watch’. It was as you say a way for the mainstream country industry to have it both ways. As you mentioned Strait’s last two singles have struggled mightily at radio with ‘I Believe’ not even making the top 40 and the current ‘I Got A Car’ just now cracking the top 40 after a couple of months. I don’t really have that big a problem with this because the quality of his singles has slipped the last couple of albums, and hey he’s been around for 30 plus years so I’d say he’s had a decent run. But now when people say why aren’t you respecting Strait they can say hey he won EOTY.
I don’t know if Musgraves has started recording a new album yet but if so they need to release a more accessible single soon and then we will see what happens.
January 27, 2014 @ 11:53 pm
“the quality of his singles has slipped the last couple of albums”
Counterpoint:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRQ4QRZqLMo
As expected, unfortunately, this song went nowhere on country radio.
January 28, 2014 @ 12:05 am
Yes I liked that one a lot and it went nowhere.
Guess I was referring to the singles from his newest album mostly.
Of course his worst is far, far better than 98% of the junk on the radio.
January 28, 2014 @ 12:14 am
“Love Is Everything” is easily Strait’s worst record to date in my view. Too many songs sound way too polished and the songwriting is just fluffy and hackneyed in the most part. I’m still disgusted as to how “Give It All We’ve Got Tonight” was artificially pushed to #1 on Mediabase despite it being obviously clear it was struggling to even make the Top Ten for weeks. And it didn’t deserve to peak nearly as high as it did: it’s easily among his five worst singles of his lengthy recording career.
I will say, however, that I found more to like than dislike from “Here For A Good Time”. Of course that, too, doesn’t stand up to most of his earlier output. But I quite enjoyed the lead single title track, LOVED “Drinkin’ Man”, and also gave “Poison”, “Lone Star Blues” and “Blue Marlin Blues” high marks. In comparison, there just weren’t any compelling standouts to me on “Love Is Everything”.
January 28, 2014 @ 12:29 am
I’ll also add that, even during the 80s……………..yes. Even the much-revered King of Country and Consistency, George Strait, released an occasional misfire of an album.
#7 is undoubtedly a fun and energetic album, but nonetheless a somewhat mediocre one all things considered in spite of “Nobody In His Right Mind Would’ve Left Her”. And “If You Ain’t Lovin’ You Ain’t Livin'” sounded like the musical equivalent of Strait settling into his comfort zone and recording on auto-pilot before pumping back strong with “Beyond the Blue Neon”.
I can also understand how many can make the case that his most successful album, “Pure Country”, is also his worst. But while I understand where those sentiments stem from, you can’t deny how memorable and accessible numerous cuts from the album were, in a way “Love Is Everything” fails to achieve. “Pure Country” flat-out succeeded in what it set out to do.
January 28, 2014 @ 12:34 am
It almost felt like MCA was packing it in on Strait as a current hitmaker with that whole push for a #1 single. If this was someone they were in it for the long run with I don’t think they would have made that push.
Kind of reminded me of a legal version of the incidents a few years ago with the Reba McEntire and Montgomery Gentry singles that made #1 by being played continuously all night long on a number of radio stations. That led to changes in rankings from spins to audience impressions of course.
January 28, 2014 @ 12:48 am
The beef I have with how that single was catapulted as it was is that, unlike the many years preceding that release, George Strait’s singles stormed up the charts effortlessly.
In contrast, “Give It All We’ve Got Tonight” was a LEAD release that struggled sharply in comparison with not just all his lead single predecessors, but the majority of his secondary single releases. Though I’m no expert at chart-watching, I do watch the charts frequently and I recall seeing the single stubbornly teetering between #14 and #18 for weeks and weeks and weeks on end, and losing its bullet multiple times mid-week before squeaking out a passage into the Top Ten. And then, just like that…………….voila: blink, and you would have missed it vault to #1. (eye roll)
*
I don’t care who the artist or entertainer is. I loathe chart manipulation. And it especially infuriates me that all this trouble was invested toward one of Strait’s worst singles of his lengthy recording career. A song with terribly lame and vanilla lyrics. A song with production painfully sterile and dull as dishwasher. A song that doesn’t even complement Strait’s vocal style well.
If MCA Nashville was going to insist on manufacturing a 60th chart-topping hit for Strait a la Garth Brooks’ “More Than A Memory”-style…………..is it too much to ask that it be something that actually speaks to Strait’s strengths as a whole? Or is at the very least autobiographical? I’m not crazy about “When The Credits Roll”, but at least that would have been a fitting track to cap Strait’s milestone moment in that it’s dripping with autobiographical sentiment. Why cap your already breathtaking monument of a legacy with something as anonymous and banal as “Give It Everything We’ve Got Tonight”? -__-
January 28, 2014 @ 10:33 am
I don’t know that I’d agree with Love Is Everything being Strait’s worst album, but I do agree that it was a HUGE step back from Here For A Good Time. But it did have a lot to live up to, because frankly, I thought HFAGT was easily Strait’s best album since 1996’s Blue Clear Sky. I wasn’t too keen on “Blue Marlin Blues,” but all those other songs you mentioned were favorites of mine as well. And “A Showman’s Life” was absolutely sublime.
I really liked the title track from Love Is Everything, along with “That’s What Breaking Hearts Do,” “The Night Is Young,” and “Blue Melodies.” The new version of “I Just Can’t Go On Dying Like This” was interesting, although I really wish it had been done in its original style.
I too was put off by the whole push to get “Give It All…” to the top of the charts. I would rather have seen it sink or swim on its own merits. And I would have thought as much even if it had been on the caliber of “Let’s Fall To Pieces Together” or “Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind.”
January 28, 2014 @ 12:52 am
If Taylor wants to stay relevant, she has to grow beyond bad boyfriends. People are weary of her last broken heart lyrics. I don’t know if it’s arrested development but at the age of 22….. most women have put their childish notions of “boys” away.
The head-banging-hair-flipping moves were desperate. Going home without any awards must have given her a big pinch. I don’t really know if that ‘boy’ still has her scarf but after that performance, I’m sure he stuffed down a gopher hole.
I don’t give a rat’s ass about some scarf laying around in a drawer.
January 28, 2014 @ 6:25 am
TMZ was recently making fun of her as the Cat lady. They had a dozen pictures of her in different t-shirts and some quote from her about always wanting to by more cats and spending her nights at home alone watching TV.
It’s not just breakup songs but in general it’s immature and romantic songs. She doesn’t have any real world living under her belt like Kacey does. Taylor’s been living in fantasy land since she was a teenager.
Who knows. It would be really stupid to write her off.
January 28, 2014 @ 6:34 am
I almost forgot about this. It’s a great read comparing Taylor Swift to Sansa Stark:
http://www.buzzfeed.com/ellievhall/sansa-stark-is-the-taylor-swift-of-westeros
January 28, 2014 @ 10:02 am
She’s 24.
I agree she will lose relevance with her breakup songs as she gets older. But it is not clear what she could do differently that would keep her from losing relevance. I don’t think she has ever had big appeal beyond the teen demographic.
February 3, 2014 @ 10:21 am
Ever heard about Chekov’s gun theory? The scarf is the Chekov’s gun in that song.
January 28, 2014 @ 2:49 am
Happy for Kacey. Good for her.
January 28, 2014 @ 11:12 am
The stats speak for themselves. Her songwriting career is successful.
She needs to move beyond formula, shed her baby teeth and grow into her wisdom teeth. The safe bets are no longer working for her.
As far as the scarf….I think the boy sprayed it with furniture polish and wiped the dust off of his dresser. That’s why it wasn’t mailed back with her other things.
He simply wiped down the window sills and oops, he had to toss it out.
He’s not sleeping with it under his pillow or wiping away any tears. He’s moved on.
January 28, 2014 @ 3:33 pm
Rachel, not all child and teen stars who had pretty baby teeth go on to have good wisdom teeth.
Yes, I know we want to hear more mature and substantial songs. But why Taylor Swift? There are many other artists who are better at writing songs for adults. If you are looking for deeper and more mature songs, wouldn’t it make more sense to look for artists who have a track record of writing great songs for adult audiences?
Likewise, if you were looking for an artist to play a singing and acting role on a new production of “Les Miserables”, do you think Miley Cyrus would be a good choice? She was a big hit with the kiddies on Hannah Montana, wasn’t she? She just take off the baby teeth and put on wisdom teeth, and then she’ll do a great job in the new role, wouldn’t she? Um, I don’t think it is that simple.
January 28, 2014 @ 4:47 pm
I dispute this idea that Taylor’s songs are geared only to teenagers. The songs in her last 2 albums have not been age-specific at all. It has an appeal to all single females.
January 28, 2014 @ 5:03 pm
Brands are hard to change. Her reputation as an artist who writes songs for kids, and her childlike voice, will hold her back as an adult artist. Much better to start afresh with another artist who doesn’t have that baggage.
January 28, 2014 @ 5:44 pm
Given that her last 2 albums, including one which was released over 3 years ago, do not primarily consist of “songs for kids”, I would argue that this reputation has become unwarranted.
January 28, 2014 @ 5:48 pm
Best laugh of the day Eric. I’ll bet when Taylor’s next album is released (supposedly at the end of this year) we’ll see a lot of stories about how her album sales have tanked.
She’s going to be on the edge of 25 having had her personality and depth frozen in time during her teenage years and completely unable to relate to normal women her own age. Most women her own age will have recently graduated college and probably have already gotten married and are having their first child (or close to it). They also have had to survive on their own to some extent.
January 28, 2014 @ 5:54 pm
Exactly what in Taylor’s songs in “Speak Now” or especially “Red” will women of that particular demographic dislike?
January 28, 2014 @ 7:16 pm
Sure, grown women do have romantic relationships and breakups, but there are other artists who can deal with those subjects in more mature terms that are more relevant to adults.
I don’t think the musical style of songs like “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” appeals to mature audiences.
Another issue for adult audiences is her voice. She still sounds like a 15 year old girl. It would be easier for her to appeal to adult audiences if she had the voice of Reba McEntire, Martina McBride, or Carrie Underwood.
I think she is more likely to have longer term success writing songs for other teen singers.
January 28, 2014 @ 11:22 pm
Of course “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” is not a mature song. If that were the type of song that typified her output, then you would have a point.
Also, Taylor’s vocal frequency varies by song. Her darker songs feature a lower pitch and greater texture, such as this one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUwxKWT6m7U
January 28, 2014 @ 11:19 pm
Yeah okay let’s judge her based entirely on the 3 singles that were produced by Max Martin, the guy responsible for saturating the radio with mindless pop garbage. It’s unbelievable how you and a few others support your self-assured, condescending analyses of Taylor Swift by so feverishly pushing that little bit of ammo you have (those few “immature” songs) while ignoring everything else she’s done. I’m guessing you’ve never even listened to one of her albums, but your conclusion is undoubtedly correct, because you’ve heard 3 out of 84 of her songs.
Not sure why you’d compare her to Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus aside from the fact that teenage girls is ONE of the groups that enjoy Taylor’s music. Other than that, they’re on completely different levels. First, compare their awards. Taylor has 7 Grammys and Miley has 0. Second, look at their sales. Red sold 1.2 million copies in its first week while Bangerz (Miley’s most recent album) sold 270000 (roughly 1/5 of Red). If Taylor’s only demographic is teenage girls then how come she has 5 times Miley’s sales? (If you’re going to use Miley’s recent meltdown as an argument then I recommend you make a similar comparison with One Direction whose sales are still much less than Taylor’s despite the fact that their demographic is primarily teenage girls). Lastly, compare their music. Has Miley ever recorded/written a song as exceptional as “All Too Well”, “Treacherous”, “Safe and Sound”, or “Dear John”?
As for her voice, I don’t know what you’re talking about, but she sounds nothing like a 15 year old on her most recent albums. What exactly is there about her voice that PROVES that she sounds like a 15 year old? Once again, you’re just throwing around what YOU think as fact without any sort of evidence.
I apologize for the lengthy post, but I am just a little bit tired of people bashing Taylor Swift without even supporting their claims well.
January 29, 2014 @ 11:43 am
Dany, you don’t think the marketing has a lot to do with her success?
Suppose she were a mature looking 30 year old and she had recorded exactly the same songs. Suppose she didn’t date a Jonas brother, wear sparkly dresses, fling her hair, make hand hearts, put secret messages in her albums, get interrupted by Kanye West, or make grandiose statements about being a role model. Suppose she was never marketed as America’s sweetheart. Do you think she would have sold as many albums or won as many awards?:
January 29, 2014 @ 11:42 pm
There are other young female artists out there that are/were equally relatable to by teenage girls. Miley Cyrus (when she was still Hannah Montana not the pole-dancing, twerking thing we see today) at one time was looked up to by pretty much every teen/pre-teen girl out there and had so much more exposure than Taylor Swift, because of her TV show which was watched religiously by the above-mentioned groups. However, Miley’s album sales at that time are still nowhere near Taylor’s and her awards collection virtually non-existent (aside from things like Kids/Teens Choice Awards). A similar example is Hillary Duff, who was looked up to by teens/pre-teens as a role model and had more exposure to these groups than Taylor, but still had a much lesser music career.
As for her dating a Jonas Brother, I don’t think that exactly won her more female teen/pre-teen fans for obvious reasons. (Refer to the death threats from crazed One Direction fans during and after she dated Harry Styles)
You’re right that the image associated with an artist plays a role in their career, but it’s not the only factor or even the biggest one, or else every young female artist looked up to by little girls would be breaking album sales records and winning Grammys and other prestigious awards.
January 30, 2014 @ 12:53 am
Dany, that is because Taylor has much better business sense than those other girls. Her career had the benefit of brilliant marketing, flawless executed until a couple of years ago. The other girls probably had somewhat similar marketing plans, probably put together by their corporate sponsors, and fell short in execution.
January 30, 2014 @ 8:40 am
The biggest marketing factor that heped Taylor was her signing with a marketing expert (Scott), she was his only artist to promote and they were backed by Toby Keith’s big money. If she signed with another label with other artists, no way she’d be this big. It was rare timing.
January 31, 2014 @ 3:14 am
Big Machine did not have nearly as much money as the then established giants of Nashville, such as RCA, UMG Nashville, or even Curb Records.
Much of the promotion of her first album was done by Taylor herself through the low-budget tool of Myspace. This type of grassroots organizing is the key to how she established such a loyal fan base.
January 31, 2014 @ 7:00 pm
Money and marketing undoubtedly helped Taylor, but her devotion to her fans early on and answering every message people sent her on MySpace is what helped create her loyal fan base. For a while it was called the “Taylor Swift Model” of how to launch an artist. Of course these days, you can’t launch an artist through social media except for maybe a YouTube viral video, because Facebook purposely caps friends and the influence of its “like” to where no artist or entity can dominate the format.
February 3, 2014 @ 9:39 pm
What about the marketing gimmicks, like the sparkly dresses and hair flinging and hand hearts and secret messages? Who do you think came up with that crap, Taylor or Scott?
January 30, 2014 @ 5:13 pm
After Kasey won the grammy, I decided to go back and listen to the album again. I bought it based on Trigger’s review earlier in the year and have only listened to it a few times since then. First, good but clearly not great (Southeastern was about 1000% better). Second, definitely the best of the nominated albums. Third, I think that the politics on the album actually contributed to her winning. The song “Follow Your Arrow” contains themes that are not normally associated with country music artists. Given the song and albums somewhat pro-pot and pro-gay message, liberal grammy voters had the perfect vehicle to promote their point of view.
Please don’t kill me for this opinion. I just think that Kasey falls outside the stereotype of a country music artist in her opinions but right in line with those of the main stream music industry.
January 31, 2014 @ 7:31 pm
I think the big question here is whether there is a large population of young people who are not country music fans who will buy Kacey’s music in its current form because of the message. And songs like “Follow Your Arrow” become pop radio hits, or would they have to be remixed to get airplay, or would pop stations refuse to play anything that sounds country? Can she build a following among non country fans without radio, e.g. via YouTube, iTunes, etc?
January 31, 2014 @ 6:22 pm
You people are so jealous of taylor swift it is a shame. She has already turned into an extremely successful woman. What are you all going to be saying in the year 2020 when shes still around and as successful as ever? I know what you’ll say, she’ll be gone be 2025. People have been writing this girl off since 2010 and she continues to makes fools out of you all. But people who matter know the truth, they don’t hand out pinnacle awards and grammy nominations for aoty (especially to someone whos already won the honor) to flops. Taylor’s only problem is that she started so young that her haters use that against her. While she had grown and matured the haters are stilling in 2008-2010. I can’t count how many times I still hear many of the referencing that old stevie nicks duet. And lol that she sounds 15, um no she doesn’t thats just a hater still living I 2008-2010 when she was very young. Her naysayers also double talk alot to, in one breath you call her immature and say she’s only successful because she sells to kids. The when someone points out to you that others who cater to children still don’t come anywhere near her success, then you claim its because taylor is a better business woman. Lol. Give it a rest, you sound stupid and desperate. Miley cyrus is extremely business savvy but her numbers can not now, never have and never will touch Taylors. That is both as hanna montanna and her new sex selling persona.
January 31, 2014 @ 6:29 pm
Jealous of Taylor Swift? Yeah nah, that’s definitely not it. Her music is just middle of the road, mainstream pedestrian pop. There’s alot of people out there doing a much better job of it than her. I will concede to being jealous of that dress she wore on the red carpet at The Grammys. That was rad, her not so much.
January 31, 2014 @ 11:41 pm
I agree, she’s much better at fashion than music. Taylor is the best dressed young singer in the last 20 years. Though I think she had better style in 2008-2011 than in the past couple of years. If there is one good thing she accomplished in her career, it was getting girls to dress better. Even I noticed the difference in fashion between 2005 and 2010.
But none of that is relevant to the question of whether she deserves to win any music awards. She writes typical teenage pop music and her vocals are weak.
February 2, 2014 @ 5:21 pm
I was browsing the Taste of Country Website (I dont even know why) and on one of the articles a commentor said that Kacey Musgraves winning over Jason Aldean and Blake Shelton was wrong, as quote “They have waaaaay more talent”. I immediately left the room to go punch a pillow. I respect people have diffrent opinions, but THAT was wrong.
I guess I had it coming, looking at “Taste of Country” in the first place.
February 2, 2014 @ 9:43 pm
The only “Taste of Country” I get from the vast majority of what corporate radio considers “country music” is an extremely nasty one. Enough to make me want to throw up in my mouth. Hats off to Kacey Musgraves for being one of the few artists in mainstream country music to deserve the title of artist !