On Deeper Well, Kacey Musgraves seems to be turning a new leaf by embracing more traditional folk, psychedelia, and pop. This tip-toeing in between styles isn't turning heads, but rather resulting in a so-so folk pop record that's mildly forgettable.
Kacey Musgraves, the now iconic country and pop singer, songwriter from Texas has exploded over the past five years and has frankly made a movement thanks to Golden Hour, her third studio album. It crossed the line on what is country, what is pop, and what is in between. Not only is the production and mixing immaculate but the songs themselves are picturesque and beautifully put together with her personality and charm. Not to say her previous records were huge splashes too within the country music scene but with Golden Hour, she was catapulted to the upper levels of mainstream stardom that very few country artists have done. Now playing at arenas and winning Grammys, she has a lot of eyes and ears on what she would do next. Her then follow up Star-Crossed was going to be extremely hyped no matter how it would've turned out and it became a mostly enjoyable endeavor that further pushed her country-tinged pop aesthetic with more gloss, sheen, and psychedelia involved. Though not as cohesive or strong as the predecessor, it felt like a rehash or retread with a few new ideas baked in. Also time has not been too keen on Star-Crossed, for me that is. It's not a record I ever returned to since its initial 2021 release and when I have returned to certain songs they don't have the charm or punch that Golden Hour perfectly has. As fantastic and timeless as Golden Hour is, it unfortunately has drawbacks for the artist including having the thought of never creating anything as great or greater than it loom over her shoulder.
It's unfortunate that this is the case but that's what happens when you breakout with a modern day country pop classic. Thankfully on Deeper Well, her new fifth studio album, she seems to be turning a new leaf by embracing more traditional folk, psychedelia, and pop. Like her previous album, I wouldn't even categorize this as country. It's really a folk pop record with a bit of psychedelia sprinkled on top. When listening to Deeper Well, there's clearly a nod to the folk pop greats a la Joni Mitchell. There's guitars reminiscent of the 60's and 70's like the opener "Cardinal," which is a solid start to the record and has memorable harmonies. The lead single and title track, "Deeper Well," is the album's strongest and most memorable track that features light, shimmering psych embellishments over a straightforward acoustic tune. Lyrically it's also one of the stronger moments, confessing to her shift to focus on supporting her mental health. "To Good to Be True" is a another straightforward acoustic tune that is charming with her simplified lyrics but doesn't bring too much to the table in terms of originality.
On "Moving Out," Kacey goes full blown Joni Mitchell with the instrumentation, reminiscent of records like Court and Spark or my personal favorite, The Hissing of Summer Lawns. It's an album favorite and one of the better tracks where she incorporates subtle twanging guitar with her appreciation of older folk pop. Although "Giver/Taker" is not mixed well and is a little messy with how she places her psych sounds, I think her vocal performance is one of the better moments here. I appreciate the harmonies and guitar on "Jade Green" while the strings makes this a nice change up in the track list. I like the lyrical questioning on the creation of nature and the world itself by asking to speak to the "architect" on "The Architect." It's one of the more playful moments that shows off her great songwriting. On the other hand, "Lonely Millionaire" sticks out like a sore thumb with its shimmering pop and R&B like instrumentation and singing and it comes off as awkward on this album. What else comes off as awkward is the horrendous "Anime Eyes." Instrumentally this track is fine but her lyrics on looking through "anime eyes" is pretty eyeroll inducing. I'd make my eyerolls through my own, normal eyes though. Like what she previously did on "Cherry Blossom," her heart is in the right place but "Anime Eyes" just comes off as awkward, clunky Japanese appropriation. Her lyrical overtly descriptive tone in the latter half of the song is certainly something I wish could've remained in a 2013 Tumblr post.
Deeper Well has its bright moments and it is more consistent in tone than Star-Crossed. I appreciate much of the lyrical moments and the overall traditional folk soundscapes are respectable and pleasant to hear. As pleasant as these songs sound, they just aren't strong enough or unique enough to hold my interest. There isn't as much personality nor is it as strong as records like Golden Hour. My other problem with Deeper Well goes back to Kacey not pushing the psychedelic pop enough. Much of it is so light that you barely notice and when you don't notice, many of the songs are simply fine singer songwriter folk pop tunes. Sure, it's not as messy as Star-Crossed, but she needs to decide whether to go all-in on psychedelic pop or not. In regards with the psychedelia, I would've liked to hear more of a splash on Deeper Well rather than a light sprinkling. This tip-toeing in between styles isn't turning heads, but rather resulting in a so-so folk pop record that's mildly forgettable.
My Rating: 6 / 10
Favorite Songs: "Deeper Well," "Cardinal," "Moving Out," "The Architect"
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