Star-Crossed is a breakup album that playfully guides Kacey Musgraves towards the direction of lightly psychedelic pop. For the most part it goes over nicely but it needs to be pushed even further (and cleanlier) on future projects in order to be as memorable and cohesive as her previous material.
Texas native and singer-songwriter Kacey Musgraves blew up in the country scene with her solid knack for speaking her truths on records like Same Trailer Different Park and Pageant Material this past decade. Tracks like "Biscuits" or "Follow Your Arrow" were captivating and cheeky country tunes that would please fans and critics alike. Musgraves always had a pop aesthetic in her songwriting and this would be clear as day on Golden Hour. Her third album back in 2018 (believe it or not) was a massive success and a huge pop crossover for many newcomers like myself. Typically skeptical of popular country myself, Kacey flipped the switch for many with the gorgeously shimmering instrumentals and production over her traditional songs backed with acoustic guitars and lightly glistening synths and piano. But also nontraditional songs too with the Daft Punk like the dance grooves of "High Horse" or the light indie-flare of the title track, both of which are personal favorites of mine. I respectfully think Golden Hour is not only one of the better pop records in recent years but one of the most well produced and mixed ones too. Kacey Musgraves has proved herself to not just be an influence for country but for pop too.
The major success of Golden Hour resulted in major hype for whatever Musgraves would venture to next. Over three years after Golden Hour has resulted in a new album titled Star-Crossed. Would we get a more varied pop continuation or a throwback to her country roots? Star-Crossed definitely continues down the path of pop with even more effects and bells and whistles. Sure, there are still elements of country on this record but it is more of a departure towards the style this time. More notably though is the general theme: it describes the tumultuous divorce between Kacey and her husband. Yep... it's another breakup album from a popular artist! It's not necessarily a loud or aggressive response from Kacey rather a chilled relaxed one. Sure there are moments when I'm like, "shots fired!" but they're light and playful responses for the most part. It's a much sadder record that documents her breakup while also appreciating the good times she used to have. The overall instrumentals are even more kaleidoscopic and colorful while adding more of a variety of different styles than on her last album. I would describe it as more "experimental" for her... not like super out there but kinda out there when it comes to today's popular music.
The results carry many sounds and effects from Golden Hour only to be pushed further. The grooves on "Good Wife" are quite strong and I enjoy the psychedelic synthesizers and louder guitars. They add a punch to the track although I don't think the autotune vocal manipulations work out as much as I would've liked. "Cherry Blossom" is one of my favorites using some semi-Asian influenced styled keys and lyrical themes to add some kind of nuance even if it's lightly sprinkled on top. "Simple Times" has Kacey wanting to go back to hanging out with her friends back in the day with the shimmering acoustics very reminiscent of her more recent music. It's very reminiscent of "Lonely Weekend." "Breadwinner" has the shiny nocturnal pop instrumental of an Ariana Grande song and is definitely one of the more enjoyable songs even if the groove is super light and airy. "Camera Roll" is a millennial ballad of going through the camera roll on your smartphone and seeing photos of your ex. It's a nice track that's sweetly sung in a traditional pop manner although I find the references to be a little too on the nose towards the younger crowd. The chorus of "Easier Said" is one of my favorites on the album; it echoes confidence and her strong singing voice.
There are the nice stylistic change ups I was mentioning earlier but truly they are few and far between across this album. When they do show up it can be a toss up from actually working fully or just semi-working. "There Is a Light" is her grooviest track on the record with a wild flute solo all over the track. I enjoy it but am kind of confused with this being on the album. "Gracias a la Vida" closes the album with a Spanish acoustic ballad that is extremely grainy and lo-fi, almost like a demo. Although I think it's cool to see her go this route, it definitely seems completely random and out of place in the track listing (almost tacked on). Aside from a few change ups, the majority of the album does seem to result in the typical acoustic pop and light country sound that was heavily fluent on Golden Hour. Only this time I don't think all the songs flourish from these instrumentals as well. Rather than the production being clear and flowing within each track, the production on here sounds a bit more muddied, flat, and congested to my liking. The mixing could've been worked on more too. Not to say this album isn't an overall enjoyable listen because it is. Star-Crossed is a breakup album that playfully guides Kacey Musgraves towards the direction of lightly psychedelic pop. For the most part it goes over nicely but it needs to be pushed even further (and cleanlier) on future projects in order to be as memorable and cohesive as her previous material.
My Rating: 7 / 10
Favorite Songs: "Good Wife," "Breadwinner," "Cherry Blossom," "Simple Times," "If This Was a Movie..."
Comments