Kacey Musgraves’ “Pageant Material” Already Presenting Similar Challenges to Previous Efforts
Kacey Musgraves has a new album coming out on June 23rd called Pageant Material, and with all the critical praise lumped on her premier major label effort Same Trailer, Different Park, the new record is fair to call one of the most highly-anticipated of the year, at least amongst country music critics and taste makers who are craving to see an artist like Musgraves make a deep mark for women, songwriters, and music of substance in the mainstream.
Already some plaudits are rolling in for Pageant Material, despite the release being a month away. HITS Daily Double obtained an early copy, and calls it an “album for the ages” while conveying how the subject material of smoking pot, and giving small pokes to conservative values and rural customs (while at the same time cherishing them in her own nostalgic and campy way) is what listeners can expect. Similarly to Same Trailer, Different Park, Musgraves’ Pageant Material was mostly written by Musgraves with Shane McAnally, Luke Laird, Josh Osborne, and Brandy Clark.
Folks hoping for a sea change either sonically or in the subject material should probably not hold their breath. And why not come to the new album with a similar approach to the previous one when it awarded Musgraves two Grammy Awards, as well as Song of the Year and Album of the Year praises? Pageant Material was done in Nashville’s historic Studio ‘A’, and was recorded mostly live. But the same challenges that were presented for Musgraves and Same Trailer, Different Park are already creeping up in the new effort.
Despite your desire to see Musgraves become that artist that can deliver a more traditional sound and intelligent scope to country, desire doesn’t always match execution. Criticism for Musgraves as a “boring” live performer is pretty common. And similar to Same Trailer, Different Park, the roll out of the new album so far has been less than smooth. You start to wonder if Mercury Nashville can figure out what to do with her. Though Pageant Material wasn’t officially announced until May 12th, the info about the release had slowly leaked out of weeks prior, sort of ruining the surprise.
Then there was the release of the first single “Biscuits,” which was pretty underwhelming both critically and commercially. Sent to radio on March 16th, the song stalled outside of the Top 25 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, and couldn’t even crack the Top 40 in radio, despite a sizable push from the label. From an artist with such critical acclaim and award hardware, Musgraves still has yet to have a hit aside from “Merry ‘Go Round,” which couldn’t even crack the Top 10 itself.
READ: Song Review “Biscuits” by Kacey Musgraves
The other criticism of “Biscuits” was that it sounded too similar to other Musgraves songs, specifically “Follow Your Arrow.” In a new behind-the-scenes video just released (see below), we not only hear that “Biscuits” was inspired during the “Follow Your Arrow” writing session, we actually see video of the moment. No wonder so many people said they “heard it before” when “Biscuits” was released, and it subsequently didn’t resonate beyond Musgraves’ fan base. And why are we seeing a promotional video for “Biscuits” now after it has already stalled?
Unmistakably, Kacey Musgraves could offer a lot of great hope in country music from the female perspective. But the continued missteps, miscalculations, struggling singles, and general lack of commercial acceptance could continue to limit of impact of what many hope to be one of the country saviors of the current era.
May 21, 2015 @ 9:55 am
It’s not that she’s a boring performer live, it’s that her songs and voice are better suited to smaller venues full of attentive listeners. It doesn’t carry over well to rowdy drunks who just wanna party. When I saw her last month she wasn’t doing anything that would be out of place at any other singer-songwriters show, it’s that mainstream crowds don’t want to listen, they hate stories, think camp is dumb and want to be explicitly told what to do and when to do it so they can have all their concert expectations met (she literally told everyone “this is where you put your cellphones in the air” because God forbid people let shit happen organically based on an emotional reaction.)
Her show really isn’t all that different from what k.d. lang was doing back in the 80’s, only she doesn’t have the same commanding voice to knock people over with. Kacey is unfortunately stuck between two worlds and searching for a smarter room to play in.
May 21, 2015 @ 10:21 am
Interesting point I’ve been to small venues where some performers have to struggle to get the audience excited and moving because people assume a small venue means you have to be attentive and sit in your seat. Yet the acts would never fill an arena or a bigger sized venue. Maurice Tani comes to mind and I was at a show when African group Orchestra Baobab scolded the audience for not dancing.
But yeah I can trying to seel here as a Miranda Lambert type is the wrong angle unless of course she wants t hat, in which case she needs to amp up the jumping around and working the stage,
May 21, 2015 @ 10:51 am
Interesting perspective Seth. Yes, opening for Kenny Chesney or playing Stagecoach is probably not going to be the best venue for her music.
May 21, 2015 @ 11:12 am
I’ve been to Stagecoach twice (2012 and 2013). They usually do a good job filling the bill with outside the box performers (non-FGL, Aldean, etc. type of artists) on the ‘side’ stages who are well received.
May 21, 2015 @ 11:38 am
Yes I agree, and I’m a big supporter of their format that seems to promote cross pollination of mainstream and independent fans. But maybe a festival atmosphere is not the best for her music since most people are there to party and may not be the most receptive to her music according to Seth’s observations.
May 21, 2015 @ 12:00 pm
I’ll be interested to see how she’s received at Willie’s Picnic.
Maybe she should just work the coffee houses like Phoebe from Friends.
May 21, 2015 @ 10:53 am
I’m not ever going to see her live, so I’m not really disputing your claims, but the fact that I find her boring is very much my problem with Kacey Musgraves. To me, she’s a dull performer with a plain jane voice, plain jane looks, a cold personality and very little to catch the eye or the ear. When I first heard “Merry Go ‘Round” I LITERALLY thought it was a Taylor Swift song because of how milquetoast her vocals were. And our lovable Triggerman calls Jamey Johnson boring. Sheesh, at least he has something interesting to say and a somewhat distinctive voice. Contrast that with Kacey, who can’t seem to move past the pot songs or small town/conservative values bashers. I’m not saying there isn’t a place for either of those elements, but her ineffectual persona and sound coupled with the same trends that modern pop music employs to try and seem “edgy” or “socially progressive” really just makes her even less appealing because none of those elements comes across as genuine. Sort of like a destitute man’s Hozier (I would say “poor man’s” but he already has that one covered for himself as far as I’m concerned).
May 21, 2015 @ 12:31 pm
Just because she’s a woman she has to have a warm personality? That’s a shitty double standard that gets trotted out a lot in reference to Kacey Musgraves. What do her looks have to do with anything? Would you judge a Lucinda Williams record by how much you wanna have sex with her?
May 21, 2015 @ 3:18 pm
Pardon me, but who the hell said anything about her “having” to have a warm personality? Much less anything to do with her gender? I was saying I didn’t like it and it only added to her blandness. I never said that she “had” to have anything and I sure as hell didn’t equivocate it to her being a woman. And my bringing up her looks was meant to illustrate that I quite literally find nothing interesting about her, down to the fact that she’s not even pleasing to the eyes. But let’s be sure and assume my intent is the lowest common denominator.
You ought to make a career out of putting words in people’s mouths as you seem quite adept at it.
May 21, 2015 @ 4:47 pm
You oughta make a habit of thinking before you speak. Why comment on her looks at all if they have no impact on her singing? Why comment on her personality if you don’t interact with her.
May 21, 2015 @ 5:12 pm
I DID think about it, hence why I tried to be specific about what I don’t like about her. The reason I brought up her personality is because she reminds me of a few people I know. I brought up her looks because I feel like many males give passes to women like her just because they think she’s “hot” (Megan Fox, anyone?), and I was illustrating that even the most basic of masculine desires had no sway on me in terms of Kacey Musgraves. That was my attempt at sounding unbiased. I apologize if I offended you, and I begrudge no one their right to like and enjoy whomever’s art that they wish. I like plenty of artists that would make elitist stomachs turn, so don’t think of me as coming at her from a high horse. I really just don’t like her music or her personality, and I’m entitled to that right. Sexism doesn’t have a thing to do with it, but I admit my bias and stand by it. I haven’t met her and for all I know she might be the sweetest girl I’ve ever known. But from where I’m standing, I’m not impressed by either facet of the Kacey Musgraves experience.
May 21, 2015 @ 6:52 pm
“I don’t find Kacey Musgraves to be a compelling performer or artist.” See how you say that without reducing her to a sex object? Imagine she was your wife, mom or sister. You know, act like she’s an actual human being instead of some girl you’re judging based on her desirability as a partner.
May 22, 2015 @ 9:26 am
Seth, I can appreciate that you feel as though I was being disrespectful, but all I said in my original response was that she had “plain jane looks” in an effort to express that I don’t find her interesting under any circumstances. I’m sorry if that came across as sexist or otherwise disrespectful, I was just expressing my opinion. As I said before, the only reason I mentioned her looks was because so many others love to comment on them. If this were Taylor Swift we were debating I wouldn’t have said anything about them because with her they’re rarely an issue. I don’t think bringing up Kacey’s looks when others have done it before me in an attempt to stave off such comments in the face of my analysis of her art to be “judging her desirability as a partner.”
But if it makes you feel better I’ll reformat my statement: I find Kacey Musgraves to be a boring artist and performer from what I’ve experienced of her material.
And just so we’re clear, I was attempting to flame you or otherwise troll your original comment with my response. I was really just expressing my opinion given that you brought up the complaint of Kacey coming across as boring. I’m not saying I always keep my cool, but I think I tend to be a fairly rational poster around here. Sometimes I lose my cool because certain things hit my buttons (as this issue has yours), but you’re treating me like I’m a sexist pig that pairs everything down to knowing someone biblically. I’m not saying I always am the most rational of posters but I don’t think I deserve such treatment. I made a largely vanilla comment that you’re treating like an insult, which is not how it was phrased nor how it was intended.
May 22, 2015 @ 9:39 am
Whoops, I mean’t “WASN’T attempting to flame you.”
May 22, 2015 @ 11:23 am
Also, Kacey Musgraves is pretty fucking stunning (although she is pretty much my exact type, so I may just be biased).
May 22, 2015 @ 6:18 pm
What, is your type the kind that wants to smoke weed with John Prine? 😉
May 23, 2015 @ 12:31 pm
My type is slim brunettes who want to smoke weed with John Prine, haha.
May 21, 2015 @ 12:43 pm
I agree with allot of what you said, but her looks are anything but plain Jane.
May 21, 2015 @ 3:19 pm
If you say so. Perhaps it’s her body language that bothers me more than anything. She has a very “I’m too good for you” vibe to me.
May 21, 2015 @ 9:32 pm
Usually, bashers of small town/conservative values give off that vibe. They think they are morally superior to the cavemen living beside a dirt road. They are “progressive.”
May 23, 2015 @ 8:22 am
AD,
I couldn’t agree more about the “I”™m too good for you” vibe. She really does present herself that way.
And any attempts I’ve made to convince myself to appreciate her semi-traditional sound, are always overridden by my hatred of secular-regressive viewpoints in Country songs. If I wanted to hear that crap, I’d go buy some Buffalo Springfield albums.
May 21, 2015 @ 11:16 am
I agree. She’s more of a folk-style singer who does not appeal to the Ford F-150 crowd of rednecks where I live in Alabama who prefer a steady dose of Aldean, Hank Jr., FGL and ACDC.
May 21, 2015 @ 12:10 pm
What do you mean by great hope in country music from a female perspective? Maybe I’m not giving enough credit to her generation, but I don’t expect a 26 year-old to produce a lot of depth with 2 or 3 albums over a 4 year period.
May 21, 2015 @ 4:35 pm
I don’t buy the age argument. Dylan had changed the course of popular music before he was 25, and a lot of artists record their most important work in their 20s.
May 22, 2015 @ 5:52 am
Clint Black’s “killin time” also immediately comes to mind. I think he was only mid to late 20s, if I remember right, and those songs/lyrics are absolutely incredible
May 21, 2015 @ 3:38 pm
Seth, much of what you say could be said of Leeann Womack. I saw her twice in years past at Jamboree in the Hills. It was not an appropriate venue for her incredible talents. Does one need to play big venues to be an A list country star? That just doesn’t seem right.
May 21, 2015 @ 5:04 pm
And really, country is traditionally meant for smaller venues like bars and dancehalls. Nothin’ wrong with that!
May 21, 2015 @ 6:52 pm
I agree so much that she’s not an amphitheater act. I saw her open for Little Antebellum in San Diego and she has a great voice live but her mellow songs didn’t catch the attention of all the people coming in late. I am excited to see her open for Little Big Town at the Greek this summer but I bet it’s going to be the same problem again. I see her in a smaller theatre- not these open venues.
May 22, 2015 @ 5:23 am
I think that makes a lot of sense, based on my (admittedly tiny) experience of singing at open mics and similar events. I’ve been learning that I’ve got to be thoughtful about tailoring my song choices to the audience and venue. (Yes, seems obvious, but sometimes I’ve got to overcome my own desires: “…damn, I really wanted to do THAT song!”) Thoughtful emotional songs that played really well in some places go over like a fart in a spacesuit when I’m in a rowdy bar.
May 21, 2015 @ 10:03 am
I agree it’s formulaic and a carbon copy of her previous work. But not the worst sound out there in women’s country. Her second album doesn’t appear that it will show any range for Kacey as an artist or songwriter. She seems to be a one trick pony and Mercury is going to ride it as long as they can.
I’ll never buy it, but I can see where this album could go big out of the gates and then drop fast.
May 27, 2015 @ 10:55 am
Have you even heard the entire album? You call her formulaic and a carbon copy but admit you won’t buy the record. And if you streamed it on Spotify, you’d likely come to these conclusions because you prejudged the project before hearing it.
It’s an evolutionary take on her first record.
May 21, 2015 @ 10:14 am
What I can’t decide is it a case of her being mismanaged or are they doing the best they can with what she is giving them?
Continuing to collaborate almost exclusively with the same people doesn’t seem like a good formula for growth either.
A big part of me thinks that the hype she has received is largely based on the subject matter of her songs and that if everything were the same stylistically but the subject matter was a little less ‘edgy’ then a hell of a lot less people would be championing her.
A very interesting phenomenon to follow though.
May 21, 2015 @ 10:44 am
What I”™ve been most concerned about, and have been stating as far back as when critics deified “Same Trailer, Different Park” and her as a next savior in country music as much as two years ago”¦”¦”¦”¦”¦..is that inevitably she”™s going to have an absurdly high bar the heights of Mount Kilimanjaro to size up with whenever its follow-up inevitably dropped.
Like it or not, every action has a reaction. Just as (in my opinion) critics and the press inflated and exaggerated how great and game-changing the album was, all that will ultimately do is result in inflated feelings of disappointment among the exact same subjects if “Pageant Material” doesn”™t size up to the lofty standards they”™ve set for her and, thus, mediocre reviews and feelings of being betrayed somehow because of those inflated expectations.
As much as I stand 110% behind my opinion that “Same Trailer, Different Park” was a good, but certainly not great, album that I wouldn”™t rate any higher than a light 7/10, and am bothered by this herdlike groupthink mentality surrounding much of Kacey Musgraves”™ fanbase (seriously, I”™ve visited message boards where so many act like Musgraves is entitled to mass airplay all because her previous album and a couple of singles have sold more than most bro-country entertainers and that “Biscuits” should already be twenty places higher on the airplay chart band the only reason it”™s not is because she”™s a woman, even though “Biscuits” is at a respectable but underwhelming #46 on the iTunes digital chart presently)”¦”¦”¦”¦”¦”¦I would be equally as upset if some of her fans turned against her with equal fervor because she couldn”™t attain the absurdly high expectations they demanded from her and accost her just for that.
*
Anyway, call me a cynic, but here”™s another reason why I”™m not all that enthused as I”™d want to be about this album.
Dallas Davidson, Chris DeStefano and Ashley Gorley just had the opportunity to, again, prove us wrong that relying on the same songwriting teams doesn”™t have to be equated to a dearth of creativity and recycling of tropes, bells and whistles. We knew for months in advance that “Kick The Dust Up” was tipped to be the lead single to Luke Bryan”™s forthcoming album and that the song”™s writers were revealed to be this trifecta, but some still tried to cling onto any iota of hope they would be pleasantly surprised a la “Dirt”. But”¦”¦”¦”¦”¦”¦.they got exactly what they feared: another heaping load of bro-country clichés.
Kacey Musgraves, meanwhile, is relying on the exact same songwriting team for the most part as she did on “Same Trailer, Different Park”, while Luke Lard and Shane McAnally are yet again the producers. (Seriously: glance over the credits for both albums and they are practically identical.) And though we must take the cliché “Never judge a book by its cover!” to heart”¦”¦”¦”¦”¦.well, “Biscuits” presented just what I had feared: a song that is more a shadow of a preceding single than anything and which recycles an assortment of ideas already featured in her earlier output.
Now I can understand entertainers regularly reconnecting with a handful of trusty songwriters on a small handful of songs from album to album across the course of a recording career. With George Strait, Dean Dillon is that name. With Brad Paisley, it”™s Kelley Lovelace and Chris DuBois. Both my sometimes produce stale output as a result, but as both also prove, they”™re still capable of providing something fresh as well. But when your entire album relies on that formula”¦”¦”¦”¦”¦”¦.sure, you might get props for consistency and cohesion, but that would come at the expense of originality and freshness.
*
Again, call me biased all you want, but I”™m just not that excited about “Pageant Material”. Don”™t get me wrong: I”™d still prefer hearing her than the solid majority of what”™s presently being played on the country airplay chart. But all the same, she”™s not entitled to airplay”¦”¦”¦”¦and it can”™t help but look like more of the same. And while on the surface that can only be construed as a good thing considering the lavish critical praise “Same Trailer, Different Park” garnered”¦”¦”¦”¦”¦..the analogy of laundry comes to mind. When you first buy a garment of clothing, it fits great and looks top-notch. But with repeated laundry cycles, the garment gradually dulls in color as well as shrinks in size and weakens in durability.
Granted “Pageant Material” will only resemble the result following a first full laundry cycle. But while the style will still look sharp to plenty of eyes, it”™s going to fit tighter, that”™s for sure.
May 21, 2015 @ 11:01 am
HITS Daily Double didn’t help matters in the expectation department by calling the new album “One for the ages” …unless it’s truly one for the ages. I certainly haven’t made up my mind yet on an album I haven’t even heard, but like you said, the similarity in the credits and the first single really make you feel like this will be same song, second verse….though “Same Trailer, Different Park” wasn’t a bad album by any stretch.
May 21, 2015 @ 11:19 am
I find it prudent that we all remember that Kacey Musgraves isn’t even 2 years older than Taylor Swift. She’s an ’88 model going on 27 in August and really has a lot of life to go before I think she even has a chance to write her transcendent album. She can certainly write and record decent music for the time being, though. I also find her to be underwhelming when compared to the critical praise she’s garnered, and I think we can apply that to a general lacking in great material. She has potential, but much like the aforementioned Swift–her best music will likely come when her age starts with a 3 or higher.
Don’t expect greatness in the traditional sense. Expect to see it in her potential more so than her current material.
May 21, 2015 @ 11:42 am
Good point. When an artist isn’t a hitmaker, a more long-term perspective may be in order.
May 21, 2015 @ 11:25 am
Am I the only one with a vain hope that Luke Bryan’s song would somehow be a slightly retitled cover of John Michael Montgomery’s song “Kick It Up” from 1994? Anyone? I must be losing my mind.
Not to sound like Clint when he starts ranting about Sturgill Simpson, but I guarantee you that this is the primary reason why Kacey got so much press. It’s easy to seem progressive and intelligent when the rest of the mainstream country music community is anything but. If we were to rewind back even as comparatively short a time ago as 2006 (comparative to the “golden” eras of the genre), she wouldn’t stand out at all because the music was uniformly better back then. Think about it: even the supposed “worst” of the mainstream by traditional standards was putting out quality product, at least every now and then if not necessarily constantly. Big & Rich were about to release their fantastic war anthem “8th of November” to the radio and Rascal Flatts was coming off of “What Hurts the Most,” among others like Toby Keith with “As Good As I Once Was.” ANYTHING is better than bro-country at this point, save for perhaps Urbanpolitan, but at least that little subset is less an insult to the intelligence as it is an insult to the format (whereas bro-country is twangy enough to fool the ignorant listener and make the rest of our genre look bad, Urbanpolitan is “hip” enough to refrain so far). If Kacey had appeared in 2005 or 2006 I sincerely doubt anyone would be talking about her today.
May 21, 2015 @ 4:57 pm
While the quality of music may have been better 9 to 10 years ago, I think the subject matter Kacey tackles would still have been against the tide. For several years – especially since 2000 – mainstream country has shied away from controversial subject matter. It had a Leave It To Beaver outlook with songs like “Mr. Mom”, “Watching You”, “Lucky Man” – all happy happy joy joy. Same as today but now it’s all about Party Down South. Less family, more drinkin’, but still not a full scope of true life. At least Kacey dented the mainstream milquetoast congnecenti with a little bit of lyrical depth and the full scope of small town life. She’s no Chris Knight or Todd Snider – or even Brandy Clark of course – but it’s at least better than hearing about more tan bare feet on a dashboard.
May 21, 2015 @ 6:23 pm
Touche. However, as my original statement read, I think she picks and chooses “progressive” material and does a less than optimal job of covering it, similar to pop songs. But I readily admit that that’s just my personal opinion. Obviously I’m in the minority on this one. After all, she DID sweep the Grammys.
May 21, 2015 @ 9:38 pm
You don’t sound like Clint because you’re actually correct about Kacey Musgraves. He couldn’t be more wrong about Sturgill. He is “a tomato is a suspension bridge” wrong.
May 22, 2015 @ 9:32 am
Well, in point of fact I agree with Clint that I don’t personally find Sturgill to be all that “amazing,” but I casually LIKE his music. More what I was saying is that I don’t want to come across as someone that absolutely has to haunt every article about Kacey because I don’t like her all that much (Clint seems to ALWAYS have something to say about Sutrgill). And I really should have left that little comment off, as it was in bad taste. He and I have actually had some good conversations lately and more what I was implying was that I don’t HATE Kacey, not that Clint is somehow wrong or otherwise a cancer of the comments section.
May 21, 2015 @ 7:14 pm
““Biscuits” should already be twenty places higher on the airplay chart band the only reason it”™s not is because she”™s a woman, even though “Biscuits” is at a respectable but underwhelming #46 on the iTunes digital chart presently)”
I count 14 songs country radio plays more than Biscuits and has in the top 30-40 yet they are lower on the itunes chart. Also one of the problems caused by radio blocking women out of the top 20 after scoring a hit is it kills their sales momentum, which took years of work to build. I’m not saying Biscuits should be 20 spots higher yet but their are equally good and worse songs higher on the chart, even past 20 spots higher, and Biscuits deserves to peak in the top 20 at least. Unless it happens to bomb on callouts, which seems unlikely.
I do like when artists change up songwriters as long as they are picking the best songs. On the other hand, I wonder what songs they’d have if they stuck with the writers of their best previous songs.
May 21, 2015 @ 11:00 am
Her last album had a few good songs but overall I was bored of it. I’m hoping the new one will be a little better.
May 21, 2015 @ 11:07 am
I’ll take Biscuits over pretty much anything in the Top 40 right now. I’ll see Musgraves live for the first time at Willie’s Picnic in Austin in July 4th.
May 21, 2015 @ 11:23 am
Her desire to shock and push boundaries (however silly this goal is, because other genres were pushing these boundaries 40 years ago,) is only exceeded by her own opinion of herself. I’m a woman hear me roar.
May 21, 2015 @ 11:26 am
Everything in music is cyclical.
May 21, 2015 @ 9:39 pm
Are you talking about Kacey or Miranda?
May 21, 2015 @ 9:48 pm
You could say both.
“Little Red Wagon” was an entire song about how great the narrator was and how no one stands a chance with her.
May 22, 2015 @ 6:01 am
Yet another Gunpowder and Lead re-hash. She really needs to drop these faux-sassy bullshit songs. Nobody believes you when you try so hard, Miranda.
May 22, 2015 @ 10:01 am
“Gunpowder and Lead” at least provides a reason for her sass. “Little Red Wagon” solely exists as the anthem of prima-donnas.
May 21, 2015 @ 11:45 am
The millennial reincarnation of Tanya Tucker.
May 21, 2015 @ 12:20 pm
I prefer Sunny Sweeney or Lindi Ortega. But that’s just me.
May 21, 2015 @ 12:30 pm
I heard a rumor that her and Swift were getting a Nickelodeon show together. Any truth to that? …
Seriously, they both seem aimed to 12 year olds to me. Sure, Musgraves talks about trailers and shit. And she can probably roll a better joint than Swift, but it all just has a real juvenile vibe to me.
I must be missing something…I usually am…
May 21, 2015 @ 9:35 pm
Pot is to Kacey Musgraves as beer is to bro-country.
May 22, 2015 @ 11:37 am
I’d say pot is to Kacey as pot is to Willie Nelson and that’s probably pushing it. It’s more like Eric Church or in-between him and Willie.
May 22, 2015 @ 10:09 am
To add to your point of 12 year olds, I see Kacey Musgraves and “Follow Your Arrow” as a natural progression from Taylor Swift and her “haters gonna hate” theme. First, they listen to “Shake It Off” and then they graduate to Musgraves’ “complex” outlook on small life.
May 22, 2015 @ 10:54 am
I personally don’t see any similarity or even overlap in the Taylor Swift and Kacey Musgraves fan bases or appeal, whatsoever. I think they are polar opposities, and I don’t see any evidence of Taylor Swift fans converting to Kacey Musgraves fans, or vice versa. Maybe there’s some Katy Perry fans because of their mutual admiration of reach other, but even that appears to be a stretch.
May 22, 2015 @ 11:31 am
Eh, I really like both Taylor and Kacey for what they are, and both’s best efforts are filled with witty, keenly observed lyrics…but I could say the same for TVZ and Nas, and I don’t think they overlap at all, haha.
May 21, 2015 @ 1:22 pm
I don’t think Kacey Musgraves is well rounded enough. You can’t be one dimensional in her style if she wants to be successful in the big leagues. But maybe she doesn’t care to be. Kelsea Ballerini is the female star people are going to be looking to for a new standard on a commercial level. I think shes gonna fill Taylor Swift’s several year old void.
May 21, 2015 @ 1:24 pm
I must say, I never hopped on the Kacey train (not that she isn’t talented), but as a songwriter, I can’t help but feel frustrated to see/hear “Follow Your Arrow,” “The Trailer Song,” and now “Biscuits.” I’m also verrrrry weary of writing “teams.” Like someone above mentioned, I’d rather hear her on the radio than what seems to currently dominate, but let’s not get overzealous with this “female savior of country music” talk.
May 21, 2015 @ 4:34 pm
Interesting Kathryn . I’m a longtime songwriter / performer / teacher and from the first time I heard Merry Go Round I was hooked . I was sooo frustrated by the lack of mature and worthwhile lyric -writing on country radio that I almost had to stop the car …it was such an emotional reaction . I swear …I was overwhelmed with hope that radio actually was ‘getting it ‘ ….they were playing a real song by a Songwriter with a capital ” S ” for the first time in a long time . I absolutely LOVED the whole record and have played it to death . As a songwriter I couldn’t be happier for Kacey coming along .
May 21, 2015 @ 1:31 pm
Kacey needs to listen to Miranda Lambert records. Lambert takes chances, some work (Gunpower and Lead), some don’t (Something Bad, Just Prettier). Kacey needs to stop trying to strike gold again with the sequel to “Merry Go Round” and record some songs like “Mother’s Broken Heart” which she wrote BTW.
May 21, 2015 @ 1:46 pm
I agree with you 100% Derek on her taking risks and not trying to write a sequel to her first record. But I’m not sure that Kacey Musgraves can put the delivery on a song like Mama’s Broken Heart that Miranda does in order for it to be the same.
May 21, 2015 @ 1:55 pm
Taking chances would be a good idea for Kacey, maybe she does in her new album idk we’ll all just have to see how it is overall. As for her needing to listen to Miranda Lambert, that could be debated, maybe her early work but kacey’s songs are way better than Miranda’s are right now IMO.
May 21, 2015 @ 3:35 pm
Go back to Miranda’s first 2 albums – much of which Miranda wrote solo. Listen to the different sounds, temps, lyrics and now listen to Kacey. Lambert’s music much much better in my opinion. Let’s Musgrave’s a few more albums before we try to make her “the savior” of the genre. Thanks
May 21, 2015 @ 1:54 pm
I just can’t seem to get excited about Kacey Musgraves. I completely loathed “Merry Go Round” – found it totally depressing and no fun at all. Maybe she is too focused on making some sort of statement instead of music? Perhaps that will change with age. I have to believe there is a great untapped source of female country talent out there. People like Elizabeth Cook get me excited, but Kacey, not so much. No problem with the pot shots at rural life or glorifying smoking weed, but if that is your only claim to fame, I’m not sure that’s a good thing. Maybe she thinks she’s edgy, but if so, she’s a bit on the naive side I’d say.
May 21, 2015 @ 3:06 pm
My fear is that Kacey thinks that the throwback sound and the left of center themes are what people like.
“Merry Go Round” had a really deep, resonant message. It was so good that it caused the rest of the record to be slightly overrated.
I thought “Biscuits” sounded like a Cracker Barrel commercial. And songs about weed are novelties just as well. I just hope she has something on this record that hits an inner chord like MGR or “Keep It To Yourself”, which, despite being a great song, never had a chance on radio because of pure sonics.
May 21, 2015 @ 3:15 pm
I feel that Kacey has been dubbed the greatest thing w/ one album b/c we were so in need of music. She has talent for sure but don’t get all the appraise. So many of her songs sound so similar in subject matter or actual music tune. Saw her in Texas and she was ok but not a ton of variety in song speeds. Why do people thing she is such a great writer? Does she have any solo writes on her album? She is surrounded by at least 2 great writers on them. One good side note was Brandy Clark got more attention b/c she wrote w/ Kacey. Luv Brandy!!
I also really wish Ashley Monroe would get the push that Musgraves continues to get. Her voice is just angelic and pure and strong. She is also awesome songwriter. I want Ashley’s cd NOW!!!
May 21, 2015 @ 4:39 pm
“I also really wish Ashley Monroe would get the push that Musgraves continues to get. Her voice is just angelic and pure and strong.”
Interesting comment because personally I feel Ashley has an unremarkable voice …..no character, a little on the weak side . I like it ok , but I think her voice may be what’s keeping her from being much more popular . She’d be well-suited to a more acoustic-y folky even bluegrass-y sound with that voice .
May 21, 2015 @ 7:45 pm
Take a listen to hanks Cadillac from Ashley off her first album. There’s a live Opry performance up on YouTube. Her new single “on to something good” is an excellent push for her to showcase herself to mainstream, but it’s basically gone nowhere in the few months since its release.
Isn’t much from Ashley that I don’t love. That’s me though.
May 21, 2015 @ 10:09 pm
That’s a solid performance . I DO love that she can sing on pitch . I know that sounds like hollow praise but I only say that because it seems so many CAN’T when they perform live and THAT is a treat . When Ashley sings , I’m reminded of Womack …and that’s a compliment ….but Lee Ann is just so much more polished and stronger vocally , IMO .
May 23, 2015 @ 11:24 pm
I really like Ashley Monroe’s music and I think she has a strong, unique voice, but I will say that I was a bit underwhelmed with her new single. While it’s certainly not a bad song, it just sounded a bit too polished for my liking.
May 21, 2015 @ 3:43 pm
Trigger, I realize that you did not call her a boring performer but referenced a common criticism. I don’t understand that criticism at all. I saw her as a headliner in a 800 seat theatre this February and she was pretty compelling. If she adds more “show” to her show then she will get pounded on for not being country enough or adding too many rock elements. I saw Brad Paisley last summer and it was not boring but it also often was not country. He gets hated on all of the time on this site by commenters and sometimes by you. Dwight Yoakam is true country (to me) and puts on a great show but not sure how many country artists can pull that off and again, folks on this site have bashed him for his recent work. Back to Kacey, I say those that call her boring should wait until they see her at a smaller venue as was hinted at in earlier comments.
May 21, 2015 @ 3:57 pm
My only live Kacey Musgraves experience was watching a stream of her Austin City Limits taping, so I really can’t speak on how entertaining she is live. I’ll be seeing her at Willie Nelson’s picnic in about 6 weeks or so, and I’ll give her an honest assessment. I’m not saying she’s a boring performer, only that I’ve seen that assessment from numerous people on numerous occasions, include multiple people’s assessment of her Stagecoach set. In the end though, it’s all anecdotal.
May 22, 2015 @ 3:37 pm
When Kacey first started doing small shows, she had very little on stage, just her and her band. Which was fine for theatre shows. But then she started going on the road and opening for big names and playing for more people each night than she use to in a week and her small show just doesn’t translate to the arena. She started to add a few elements to spice up her shows but I don’t think it works in a larger setting, which is why many people may have found her boring. She is also generally shy as well, which doesn’t help when a lot of people expect performers to be super outgoing. I saw her twice from the front row in a theatre setting and met her after one of those shows at the merch booth. I did not leave disappointed either time.
May 21, 2015 @ 3:47 pm
I don’t agree with what is being said about her because I saw her live and she was really good and funny and got the crowd involved. I haven’t heard the album but from what I have heard it gets better with every listen. Plus there is a song on there called Good ole boys club where she sings about the guys running country music as well as making fun of herself on another song. The best bit though is at the end of the last song there is a duet with Willie Nelson.
May 21, 2015 @ 4:21 pm
Musgraves music is just too smart , too real , too melodic , too timeless and too honest to garner attention from a young ‘ country ‘ radio audience who thinks Aldean , the Kruise Kids , Hunt or Luke Bryan are God’s gifts to the genre.
I hope she never gives in to whatever pressure a label may put on her to release some stupid dumbed-down half-written crappy moon/june piece of shit lyric with the radio-requisite pseudo-hand-clapping drum machine, chant-riddled ,same-four-chord bullshit every other talentless son-of-a-bitch has had to record to pander to a bunch of teenage girls .
Kacey and Brandy Clark are two of the brightest hopes in ANY genre today . Real songs about stuff ….what a concept !!!
May 21, 2015 @ 4:26 pm
People do not have the brain capacity to sit/ stand and enjoy a song without cellphoning something or having 8 second flashes of light and noise rammed down their throats. That’s why Florida Georgia Line is so popular: lights, noise, explosions, movement. It’s a distraction from talent (or lack of talent). Nothing is more irritating to me than someone moving too much on stage. Jamey Johnson and David Gilmour are the PERFECT stagemen to me because they let their talents do the entertaining.
May 21, 2015 @ 4:41 pm
Amen …
May 21, 2015 @ 5:36 pm
I liked her first album a lot. I think it has become overrated but I still enjoy it and think it deserved the awards it won.
To me, Musgraves shows that radio does not want to get better. She came out with so much buzz and great sales numbers but radio didn’t jump on board. Instead, that year they gave FGL 4 straight number ones with their first 4 singles. They then took songs by no-name, new artists like Thomas Rhett, Brett Eldredge, Tyler Farr, Cole Swindell and Frankie Ballard to the top of the charts despite those artists not being able to sell albums.
If radio wanted to improve itself, Musgraves was an easy excuse to put good music into rotation. They decided not to. They then decided not to get behind Garth’s comeback even though his ticket sales and album sales are competitive with anybody else in music.
To me, Musgraves revealed what I had always thought: radio isn’t about music anymore.
May 21, 2015 @ 5:39 pm
I can’t stand reviews that speak of a “desire” for artists to return to a more “traditional country sound.” That’s exactly what we don’t need, and hopefully Musgraves doesn’t fall prey to such a backward way of thinking. Let’s face it. Country music has been dead for 25 years, if not longer. This is a good thing, as country ran its course and morphed into something else. The type of music played on country radio for the past quarter century is not country. But the solution is not to have a more traditional (aka old-fashioned) style of music. It’s for country radio and the country music industry to go away completely, and make room for all the better music that’s out there. Nobody tried to “save” the blues, rock ‘n’ roll, and soul music when those genres died. So why would anyone want to save country music? It is the 21st Century, so out with the old and in with the new. People like Jason Isbell, Chris Stapleton, and Kasey Musgraves are fantastic. But while there is a country influence in each of their sounds, none of them are country, per se (Thank God). It’s just roots music that is influenced by several older genres but that clearly has an eye on the future. Stop living in the past, folks, and let these artists chart their own course. We don’t need another Hank Williams or Johnny Cash or Dolly Parton. We need new artists that are willing to push the music forward and create something new.
May 21, 2015 @ 7:21 pm
Some good observations here Jim . And I will beat my tired old drum here once again in response . IT’S ALL ABOUT THE SONGS . The artists you’ve cited ( Isbell , musgraves , Stapleton ) are songwriters and damned good ones . Paul Simon , Bob Dylan , James Taylor , Jimmy Webb , Don Schlitz and countless other GREAT writers fell out of favor with radio a long time back . They continued to have amazing careers and created some incredible songs…but radio wanted younger and younger , less ‘experienced’ listeners and the music followed . Yes …old time country may have died in popularity way back …but the spirit of it lived on in the honest , emotional, narrative-driven , thoughtful and diverse themed country music that followed . Today’s country has veered so far from that highway it is unrecognizable in those contexts . THE SONGS ARE NOT THERE.No one is writing mature , timeless ..even potential ‘standards’ anymore cuz its all about a younger and younger ‘ in the now ‘ listener who’s been conditioned otherwise. They have no point of reference now . Business-wise , perhaps this makes sense …in the short term. But NO ONE is gonna want to listen to the Kruise Kids 10 years down the line because there is NO heart in any of it ….nothing to connect it with generation after generation . ITS ALL ABOUT THE SONGS . I don’t think anyone is suggesting the sound of country music should go back to the 40’3 or 50’s . I think what most fans would like to see is an genuine connection with the spirit of that music that respects those traditions in great song and traditional instrumentation .
May 21, 2015 @ 7:40 pm
A strange location for this comment.
As I always say, country music will never be saved. And if by chance it happened to be, it would immediately start reverting back to the old mistakes, because that’s the destiny of mankind. It’s the effort that’s important. It’s like alchemy.
Also, I disagree that blues, rock, and soul are dead. Or that Chris Stapleton and Musgraves aren’t country. I’ll give you Isbell, but like you say, it’s good music, so let’s push it forward. Otherwise, I think you’re trying to say something far ranging about genres that seems more philosophical and idealist than the actual order of things in American music. But it is an interesting take.
May 22, 2015 @ 7:21 am
On the soapbox again, I see.
Interesting that you didn’t list Sturgill Simpson among your roots artists of the future. The traditional country element in his music is undeniable, and I would say dominant. And yet he was arguably the biggest story in the independent roots music world in 2014. I was a little surprised to see him finish #1 in the No Depression 2014 Favorite Albums reader’s poll, with fine albums by heavy hitters Lucinda Williams and Rosanne Cash finishing #2 and #3, respectively. He won the AMA Emerging Artist award last year and is nominated in each of the three major categories (album, artist and song) this year. I would be surprised if he didn’t win at least one. In February, I saw him play a sold out show at DC’s 9:30 club (sold out two months in advance). The crowd sing-alongs were something to behold, but I think they were most intense on his more traditional songs. And this wasn’t an old crowd. So I think there is still a hunger for new songs done in the traditional country style out there.
I imagine if I listed the new releases I have bought in the last couple of years, a lot of them would meet with your “progessive roots fan” approval. But I also enjoy a lot of more traditional artists like James Hand, Dale Watson (yes, Dale Watson), Pokey LaFarge, Daniel Romano and Whitey Morgan. And there is room for them in the roots music world.
May 21, 2015 @ 6:16 pm
I just find it odd that she’ll encourage people to “follow their arrow” in one song, conceivably in whatever direction that arrow points for each person. And in the next song she’ll bash people whose arrows don’t have the same flight pattern as her’s does.
May 22, 2015 @ 10:04 am
You just discovered the hypocrisy of the progressive crowd. Anything goes until you and I don’t see eye to eye.
May 22, 2015 @ 11:39 am
Ah, as opposed to the people who want the government out of boardrooms and into bedrooms?
Anyway, Karl Popper addresses the paradox of tolerance the best: Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them… We should therefore claim, in the name of tolerance, the right not to tolerate the intolerant.
May 4, 2017 @ 10:00 am
Who said anything about tolerance?
And stop implying that any disagreement with “progressive” viewpoints equals intolerance.
May 22, 2015 @ 3:40 pm
Which song is that?
May 22, 2015 @ 5:47 pm
It seems like your projecting your views on progressives onto her unfairly. The reason I like Kacey so much is because what you’re claiming happens really doesn’t happen. She does not have one song where she complains about conservatives. Her music doesn’t even praise those who are left of center–it just points out that everyone is equally as unimportant.
May 21, 2015 @ 6:25 pm
I hope no one is blaming Kacey or this (1 1/4 of 2 guns up) song for radio not playing her because it’s bad enough that radio does that (blames women and their music for not playing them), which is bs as they play many equal, weaker and terrible (2 guns way down) songs from men. Look at the current chart and count the number of weaker songs they played past Biscuits. If Kacey gets a sex change, giant tattoos, ballcap, shakes her moneymaker and Dallas Davidson to write some nonsense crap then maybe radio will play her. If I want to hear songs that sound the same I’ll listen to FGL and other bro-country albums. If a new male act released Merry ”˜Go Round is there any doubt radio would have made it #1? Biscuits is a great song and easily worthy of at least top 20, so it sucks that radio is killing it outside the top 40 to keep her out of the top 20 like they do to almost all women to keep unlimited room for men.
Kacey and Kellie Pickler are by far the best and most proven artists radio isn’t currently playing with major efforts to gain airplay. They are half of the top 4 best-selling solo females. And they are better and sold more music than many men radio hands #1s on a silver platter. Kellie sold over 1.5 million and Kacey 500,000 and that’s just albums, not including singles. Yet sexist country radio keeps playing mediocre songs from lower selling, mostly newer male acts past their and most women’s better songs. We rarely if ever see radio play singles from a new female past older, better singles from male artists. Radio treated Miranda the same way and didn’t let the lead singles from her first 3 albums in the top 20-50. I’m guessing they would have treated Carrie the same way if she didn’t arrive at radio with a bigger TV fan base. Radio stop playing (mostly new) males with weaker material past females with better songs, higher sales and acclaim and the “female problem” is solved.
Kacey did change her sound by adding more country instrumentation, and Kellie got criticized a little when she didn’t make the same sounding more traditional album all over again. “You’re damned if you do and you’re damned if you don’t so you might as well just do whatever you want.” Kacey and Kellie sing and sound better than many men radio plays. As for boring live performer, people used to say the same thing about Carrie all the time. Country music is better and more “boring” than pop. Most of the best country artists basically just stand and sometimes sit and sing. Some run around the stage, dance and stomp sometimes when radio plays them enough so they can have big tours with big stages. I’ll take standing and singing over crappy music and fake fire (is that supposed to be exciting?) any day.
The only problem is country radio not playing great artists because they are sexist and play as few women as possible. I wonder if this article would be different if Kacey were #1 on radio, which would likely increase her sales by at least 2 or 3 fold. People nitpicking and being overly critical of everything some of the best female artists do and release isn’t helping the female struggle at radio.
May 21, 2015 @ 7:32 pm
I’m certainly not blaming Kacey for radio not playing “Biscuits.” I would prefer they play it over many of the songs in the Top 40. However, for a song to be successful, it takes a lot of things coming together. Those things came together for “Merry Go ‘Round.” For “Biscuits” they haven’t, including Kacey writing an iconic song. That is her fault. It’s also the label’s fault for not crafting a better strategy to get the song more notice, including not releasing a lot of the promo for it until radio has basically rejected it. Yes, it’s a shame that women can’t do better on radio, but that’s the reason women have to release even better songs, be even more synced up with their radio strategies, and do they best they can by their female artists under the current climate.
May 22, 2015 @ 9:13 am
You know, I still like Kacey and think she has potential, though I’m not the target demographic of her first album. My local station has been playing “Biscuits”, and while it is not the best song she has released it is a better than average song for the genre. And in spite of the repetition in her lyrics, she does have a point. From my perspective, minding our own biscuits beats being famous in a small town.
I think Kacey’s career is at a crossroads. Taylor leaving the country genre has created a big opportunity for her. Kacey is much more talented than the likes of Raelynn and Kelsea Ballerini (honestly, most of those Taylor wannabes make me flip the station faster than a Luke Bryan party song). But the big question is whether she can look beyond the NPR types who like to dislike country music fans, and record some iconic songs that connect more broadly with the country audience.
There is also a big question for Nashville, not specific to Kacey: Can the genre produce a successful mainstream female artist who is a serious songwriter, who isn’t “country’s sweetheart”?
May 22, 2015 @ 11:41 am
“God Made Girls” makes me so viscerally angry that I want to vomit.
May 22, 2015 @ 1:49 pm
As another commenter mentioned some time back, the largest barrier that Kacey faces is the lack of storytelling in her lyrics. Themes can quickly get repetitive, unless they are backed up by varied stories.
This is also why I like a song like “Famous in a Small Town” more than “Biscuits”. The former tells a number of interesting tales that help the listener picture himself or herself in a small town. In particular, I laugh every time I hear the ditty about about the guy cheating on his girlfriend with her mother!
May 21, 2015 @ 6:43 pm
Maybe she’s more of an Americana cross over…or maybe her new songs should have really pushed towards the edge
May 21, 2015 @ 6:46 pm
I prefer artists singing or singing and playing instrument live. Even the majority of my favorite pop performers sing and play instruments like Agnes Obel. Ethereal singer who is wonderful piano player. That’s the type of performing I prefer in general.
I’m not saying she is untalented. She is talented. I don’t think Kacey is anything special. Tami Neilson, Lindi Ortega, Rachel Brooks, Sara Jarosz, Angaleena Presley, Valerie June, Holly Williams, Ashley Monroe and others are better all around quality for me. There songs are very good. They are very talented entertainers.
May 21, 2015 @ 7:59 pm
One thing I’ll definitely add is how shortsighted radio is. Can’t forget how much fanfare the song biscuits received from program directors, and folks in attendance at crs not even a few months ago. I’ve probably seen her live at a festival but it isn’t coming to me. I did watch her stagecoach set on stream. Her band dresses the way Marty’s fabulous superlatives dress. Only thing I wished she would’ve mentioned on that stagecoach set is when she was at Joshua tree national park for a few days, perhaps something about gram parsons. It’s only natural.
Folks bashing country radio for not playing women don’t know the full story. Read “finding her voice” by Robert k oermann and will see the average participation of women over time on country radio is 12-15%. Even at the best of times it was only 1/3. It isn’t too much off. That’s besides the point though.
If this single/album falters and the direction of her career seems to be headed the same way as Ashton shephard. So much critical acclaim and the next coming of a traditional women in country music. Then all of the sudden just falls out of favor at radio, label, and fans for whatever reason.
What I truly miss about country music nowadays is the passion for the song. What I seen in Garth again and brought me back. Every word of every song he gets the most of. Can truly see the passion and feeling in everything he does. He doesn’t take even a single song off. I don’t see it at all in most mainstream performers, and not in Kacey much really.
May 21, 2015 @ 8:27 pm
Now only about 10% of airplay is female voices and 5% solo females. It’s always 10-30 men in a row then 1 woman and we can listen for 1-3 hours and not hear a single female voice or song. I’d say that’s way off from the peak of 1/3 or 30% in the 1990s and it needs to get back to that at least. It’s terrible that country radio treats and drops some of the most talented artists like trash after they hit top 10 and outperform many men in every possible way. They don’t even keep 1 top 10 slot filled with female songs and should keep at least 2 or 3 up there at all times plus more in the top 20 and 30 instead of keeping most of the top 30 reserved for men.
May 22, 2015 @ 7:36 pm
“What I truly miss about country music nowadays is the passion for the song. What I seen in Garth again and brought me back. Every word of every song he gets the most of. Can truly see the passion and feeling in everything he does. He doesn”™t take even a single song off. I don”™t see it at all in most mainstream performers, and not in Kacey much really.”
That’s what has always stopped me from getting too excited over Kacey. I did buy her album, but the more I listen to it and watch her live performances, I start to find her pretty dull. A lot of people have been mentioning on this thread that they find Kacey to be a boring performer and then others will respond saying that to be a great performer shouldn’t mean that someone has to run around on stage and scream out their vocals (cough* Carrie Underwood). The reason that I find her dull and I think others do as well, is the lack of emotion in her voice.
It terms of vocal range look at Emmylou Harris. I’m not saying that she has never belted out a song here and there(Feelin’ Single, Seein’ Double, You Never Can Tell, Jambalaya), but for the most part she has performed more ballads and laid back songs( Boulder to Birmingham, Till I Can Gain Control Again, Love Hurts, One of These Days). Having said that, to me Emmylou Harris sings with much more emotion that Kacey does. Whenever I listen to George Jones, Merle Haggard, Emmylou Harris or Gram Parsons I always believe them. I can hear the pain and heartache in their voice(without them having to be loud or shout).
Kacey on the other hand: I have a hard time believing her. When she sings I Miss You, Keep it to Yourself or Dandelion, I do not believe her. She even sounds bored herself. I really think she needs to work on her delivery. Because these “love everybody”, “be who you what” and “some pot” songs are already getting old to me and starting to feel like a marketing ploy. I guess I just do not find Kacey authentic.
May 22, 2015 @ 7:43 pm
*smoke pot (Sorry 😉
May 21, 2015 @ 9:26 pm
The song isn’t that great and my opinion of the song is mixed bags.
May 21, 2015 @ 9:45 pm
I’m just tired of her mainstream support solely stemming from her progressive views. It is the only way that country music is acknowledged (or rewarded) by the media.
Secondly, the pot songs have gotten old. We get it, you support the smoking of Mary Jane.
Thirdly, I understand now that small towns can be restricting. Too bad, the country genre cannot follow suit.
Finally, enough songs about judging others. I fully understand that I should condone all actions.
May 21, 2015 @ 10:22 pm
Lyrically, I find her music refreshing. But musically it does get stale. I really can’t wait for the new album though. If it’s even slightly better than ‘Same Trailer, Different Park’, I’ll be satisfied.
May 22, 2015 @ 12:49 am
I’ve seen Kacey live twice in small venues, she was amazing, I’m 36 and from England, her fans over here love her and support her. Kacey is really a breath of fresh air. She tells it like it is and is a genuinely lovely person. Give me Kacey anyday to the likes of Brantley Gilbert and Jason Aldwyn.
May 22, 2015 @ 10:36 am
Imagine sitting in a room with two professional songwriters – sober – congratulating yourselves on what a ‘great’ line “mind your own biscuits” is. And it being filmed.
May 22, 2015 @ 10:51 am
Yes.
May 22, 2015 @ 3:41 pm
Who said they were sober?
May 22, 2015 @ 5:06 pm
I think Kacey Musgraves is extremely overrated, even on this site. There’s nothing very special about her music. She gets good musicians to play for her but her style is rather boring and often the songs sound too similar. Her voice is nothing very special. Lyrically her songs are “edgy” I guess, but they seem very immature to me (and I’m only 23). Sure her music might be a little better than most mainstream country but there are so many other women out there that make much better music than her. I think Lindi Ortega, Ashley Monroe, Lillie Mae Rischie, Alison Moorer, and Jamie Wilson are a just few examples of whom Kacey Musgraves can’t even compare to. I even find Maddie and Tae to have more potential than her. Speaking of Jamie Wilson, her new album is amazing and 100x better than anything Kacey Musgraves has ever done or probably ever will do. I’d love to see a review of that album on this site. I think everyone would benefit from really outstanding artists being highlighted rather than so much time being spent discussing mediocre artists. All that being said, I’m looking forward to hearing her new album. I’m not getting my hopes up but I’ll certainly be listening to it when it comes out.
May 22, 2015 @ 5:56 pm
Hey Jonathan,
I have already highlighted Jamie Lin Wilson’s new album on the site (https://savingcountrymusic.com/listen-to-the-trishas-jamie-lin-wilsons-here-tonight-ahead-of-new-album), and haven’t ruled out further coverage including an album review soon. Believe it or not, people we’re complaining that I was ignoring Kacey Musgraves on Facebook just the other day, so no matter what I do, I’m not going to keep everyone happy. Obviously this is a topic of interest and I felt inclined to cover it. I do the best I can to cover as many artists and topics as I can without sacrificing quality. Overall there’s always more positive than negative.
May 22, 2015 @ 6:38 pm
I totally get it, there’s way too much music to possibly discuss it all on one site. I’m constantly discovering new bands that are amazing and wonder how I hadn’t heard of them before. The reason I made that part of my comment was because it seemed like more posts on here are focused on more mainstream acts who, while better than most, are often mediocre at best compared to many lesser known acts. I guess I was just feeling that the lesser known bands need as much help as they can get to become known. The music industry sure doesn’t do anything to promote them. I was in no way trying to put you down or the site. Saving Country Music is an awesome site and I love reading it. That’s surprising some people think you don’t talk about Kacey Musgraves enough. I guess much of why I thought she was mentioned a lot was from the comments where others seem to praise her too much, but of course it’s just my opinion. Thanks again and keep up the good work.
May 22, 2015 @ 8:09 pm
Okay, so here’s the deal. I love the website, first off. “First time commenter, long time reader” right here. To the level people are obsessed with One Direction or Luke Bryan, I am obsessed with Kacey Musgraves. Some may call it a sickness, I call it “IDGAF”.
Last year, she opened for the two nights Zac Brown Band performed in Tampa, so I saw both shows. Both shows were around my graduation weekend, so both shows I experienced them with high schoolers (Tailgating and Country concerts in Tampa is oddly a HUGE deal). I may have shed a tear when she started the first set, but after each said, I really asked everyone “Did you like her? Would you listen to more music? What did you think about the performance?” They were all glowing. Many liked the original stuff, along with the covers (her TLC’s “No Scrubs” cover is wonderful). I know about 5 people who bought her album while still sitting on the lawn. I don’t know if the “boring performer” stigma comes from adults, but teenagers and college kids seem to resonate with her.
Speaking of resonating, on my Twitter feed, once every few weeks I’ll see someone tweet out some Kacey Musgraves song quotes and be on their way especially “Follow Your Arrow”. A lot of people love that song, but the no radio airplay thing didn’t hurt it in the respect that a large group of country loving teens grabbed hold of it and love it.
Mercury’s biggest issue is they tend to release singles, then the video follows months later. You HAVE to release a single, then a week later (AT MOST) release the video. The video really does help sales, and the fact that they will be releasing the video “soon” is the dumbest thing in the world.
I can’t wait for the new album and am anxious to see if Mercury will step up their game, and if Warner does the same stupid things with Brandy Clark.
May 22, 2015 @ 8:24 pm
TIMING IS EVERYTHING when it comes to releasing music, and at nearly every turn, the timing and decisions surrounding Kacey’s albums and single releases have been curious at best, and devastating at worst. Aside from what people may feel about her music, as you point out, the videos are released after the single has already failed, “Same Trailer, Different Park” was released after the momentum of “Merry Go ‘Round” had already died off, and with this new album and single, we’re seeing this same type of systematic bad timing. I’ve been saying it for years: Kacey Musgraves needs some serious scene control. It feels like a rudderless ship that somehow still succeeds, but just barely.
May 23, 2015 @ 9:16 am
Kacey is suffering from overexposure and impossibly high expectations, but I’m still on board with her. I just pre-ordered TWO copies of the new album since it’s releasing the same week as my father’s birthday, and he’s the one who turned me onto her in the first place.
Also, I think it’s worth pointing out that Kacey isn’t THAT progressive. Sure, “Follow Your Arrow” makes fleeting references to marijuana and girls kissing girls, but it doesn’t take a hard position on the legalization/same sex marriage debates. It’s not nearly as forward about these kinds of topics as Garth’s “We Shall Be Free,” for example, which appeared in 1992 and was a hit.
Since it was first recorded, country music has spoken to “outsiders,” whether they were rural migrants living in big cities, veterans returning home after fighting an unpopular war, or singer-songwriters who were tired with the Nashville machine, and in that respect I think Kacey’s songs about being yourself whether it’s what other people want or not is what makes her both “country” and worth listening to. It doesn’t make her Joan Baez.
May 23, 2015 @ 2:49 pm
Considering that most of the exposure and bigger sales for mainstream artists comes from radio airplay, how is country radio totally robbing multiple singles overexposure? Kacey, Kellie, and other women country radio hasn’t allowed to hit #1 or played nearly as much Carrie, Taylor, Miranda and the men are suffering from underexposure. If anyone is “suffering” from overexposure it’s acts like FGL and other men that are among the most overplayed on country radio. That’s why bro-country is taking such a massive beating in the media. I’ve also seen Taylor and Carrie fans say they are concerned about overexposure, and they have far more exposure everywhere (radio, TV, magazines, movies, etc.) than Kacey, Kellie and others radio is keeping out of the top 10-20. I don’t see how overexposure is a problem when the music is great and playlists are more balanced. Playing 90% male and 10% female songs is terrible.
I agree that like Eric Church, Kacey isn”™t too progressive. Are some people not hearing “or don’t” after “roll up a joint”?
May 23, 2015 @ 3:31 pm
“Roll up a joint or don’t” is a very progressive statement. The whole idea of cultural progressivism is the concept of personal freedom.
May 24, 2015 @ 10:43 am
If anyone thinks Kacey’s lyrics are a problem they need to look at the lyrics in bro-country songs radio plays to death.
May 23, 2015 @ 3:34 pm
Kacey’s problem besides writing the same sounding sound over and over is that her attitude has always been “She is too cool for school”. I really like Shane and Brandy her usual cowriters but maybe she should try to write doing in her point if view. If she wrote a doing by herself I would be shocked. Also the “country cowgirl outfits sort trying to hard.
May 23, 2015 @ 4:30 pm
Whether or not her songs are climbing the charts, she’s won buckets of industry awards and has gone from being “nobody” to a household name in a matter of a couple of years. My point about her being overexposed is that she’s constantly being promoted as “the” new voice in country music, which turns some people off.
May 24, 2015 @ 10:52 am
I wouldn’t worry about those people. Some people bitch about the smallest things and can’t stand to see artists they don’t like or that aren’t their favorites doing well. If no one is bitching or hating, an artist isn’t doing much. Looking at the big picture, she’s underexposed vs. artists with far more airplay, all the men radio handed multiple #1s like Thomas Rhett, FGL, Sam Hunt, Brett Eldredge, Cole Swindell, and Frankie Ballard. And none of them have any iconic songs unless you think Cruise is. Every artist will turn many people off but since Kacey sold more albums than many men with more airplay, she must be doing something right.
May 23, 2015 @ 3:35 pm
Garth’s song focuses largely on economics and racial equality, with only one line devoted to being “free to love anyone we choose”. I would say that it is less controversy-inducing among country fans than “Follow Your Arrow”, which explicitly states “kiss lots of girls if that’s what you’re into” to a female audience and also features the line “roll up a joint, or don’t”.
May 23, 2015 @ 4:39 pm
Well, it’s all relative, and from our 2015 vantage point it is hard to remember what was controversial in 1992. Brad Paisley’s songs about racism and racial equality (I’m thinking “Welcome to the Future” as well as “Accidental Racist”) stirred controversy just a few years ago. Anyway, I would put Kacey’s lines about pot and kissing girls in the same territory as “Girl Crush” and Sam Hunt’s “Take Your Time” video. They touch on topics of current social controversy in order to turn heads. Also, it’s hard to generalize about the values of country fans. Cultural tides are shifting.
May 23, 2015 @ 5:40 pm
Yeah, exactly. Being anti-racism and economic discrimination (pretending, for a moment, that they’re separate issues) was far more radical 20+ years ago than being cool with homosexuality is now, because only idiots and assholes have a problem with it (although living in the single most Catholic country in the western world might color that remark, since we just ratified gay marriage by a 26% landslide).
May 23, 2015 @ 7:14 pm
Being economically populist has never been radical in country music (though 1992, being in the wake of the Reagan era, might have been an exceptional time). Country music has always represented the poor and the blue-collar, and so it is not hard to imagine that much of the audience would support the ideas of everyone having food and shelter, along with money playing less of a role in politics.
May 24, 2015 @ 12:01 pm
I liked “Follow Your Arrow”. And the message of the song can mean different things to different people.
But I think Kacey is facing a big marketing problem. The problem has to do with first impressions. If this song had been released by an established country artist who was not perceived as liberal, such as Reba or Lee Ann Womack, I don’t think it would have been received negatively. Considering that Kacey’s breakout single, “Merry Go Around”, was already very critical of small town life, it would have been wise to release a few songs that most traditional country fans can relate to, before releasing a song about smoking pot and girls kissing girls. To some listeners, she just seemed too eager to talk about pot and gays, as if were a fashion statement (and as a California resident, I know many liberals who do wear this on their sleeve as a fashion statement).
To be fair, Kacey is not the only artist in the genre who has ever mentioned these subjects, and there is nothing wrong with talking about them. But by being too glib about these subjects too early in her career, I think she has effectively segmented herself out of the mainstream of the country genre. Here is an interesting article:
http://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/318-66/26843-is-kacey-musgraves-the-new-wendy-davis
May 25, 2015 @ 11:49 am
I find this article annoying, for reasons beyond the author’s viewpoint.
Matt Lewis unfortunately continues a trend of getting bro-country’s start date utterly wrong. He claims that bro-country took hold right after the Dixie Chicks were drummed out of the genre. However, The Dixie Chicks were drummed out of country in 2003, and bro-country did not gain popularity until at least 8 years afterward. This reminds me of another article that I read in Salon discussing Ted Cruz and country music, in which the claim was made that bro-country became dominant right after 9/11.
Even his argument that country music featured a large number of issue songs in the pre-bro era is just incorrect. The only times when controversial songs were highly represented in the genre were during the Vietnam War/counterculture era, as well as in the immediate aftermath of 9/11. Of course, one could argue that songs depicting the lifestyles of blue-collar people constitute issue songs in and of themselves, but that is a significant stretch.
These types of major historical errors show that the authors either do not listen to country radio at all or have not listened to it for well over a decade, and furthermore that they did not bother to do even the rudimentary research of checking the Billboard top hits of years past.
May 25, 2015 @ 12:35 pm
This should be in the back of everybody’s mind when consuming any media.
http://paul.kedrosky.com/archives/2011/07/the-gell-mann-amnesia-effect.html
Just because someone sounds confident and authoritative doesn’t mean they know what they are talking about.
May 29, 2015 @ 10:12 pm
Here’s an interesting article about Kacey:
http://www.inquisitr.com/2128548/kacey-musgraves-slams-taylor-swift-and-carrie-underwood-in-fader-interview/
It sounds like she is more message driven and less business minded. She has not taken the path of least resistance, which would have been to try to fill the vacuum in the young female pop country segment left by Taylor Swift’s departure. Instead of trying to be “the country version of Taylor Swift” she wants to be the un-Taylor. I like the line “Another gear in a big machine doesn”™t sound like fun to me”. At least she’s not as fake as most of what passes for mainstream “country” these days.
May 29, 2015 @ 10:30 pm
Misleading title. Kacey does not explicitly mention Carrie or Taylor even once in the interview. The author adds a thick layer of interpretation to Kacey’s words.
Nonetheless, she does come off as somewhat bitter, which is never a good way to gain converts to your music.
May 29, 2015 @ 10:36 pm
I’m with Eric on this one. I have a lot of respect for Duncan Cooper, the writer of the original piece in The Fader. But so much was made of that article, so much promotion and histrionics including press releases being sent out, that it was really a turnoff. I read the quotes, and I’m the first to post quotes if I feel like someone is speaking out about the direction of country music, but I found Kacey’s comments rather innocuous. Though if twisted, anything can come across as “shade.” Basically Kacey was saying she doesn’t want to be super-famous and she wants to be herself. So good for her.
May 30, 2015 @ 10:58 pm
Kacey is one of the least business savvy artists in the genre. Which is refreshing in a way, though unfortunately it limits how far she can go as a mainstream artist.
I’d guess that most record label suits would be screaming at her to reach out to any young female Taylor Swift fans who are still listening to country radio, while she wants to march to the beat of her own drummer. Her messaging doesn’t make much sense, either for an artist who wants to win over Taylor fans, or for one who wants to be the un-Taylor.
The country fans who don’t like Taylor are not likely to be interested in lyrics about pot and gays. A populist message might resonate more with that audience, e.g. “I’m a small town Texas girl, I represent the COUNTRY side of country music, and I will never ever move to New York”.