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Kacey Musgraves has stopped using marijuana. The popular country singer reveals on the title track of her sixth album that she used to start her day with smoking, singing “Everything I did seemed better when I was high, I don’t know why.” Fans of the 35-year-old won’t be surprised by her previous use of weed, as she admitted in 2018 that her album Golden Hour was partially inspired by LSD and her latest album Star-Crossed was influenced by a psilocybin mushroom trip. In Deeper Well, an album filled with a 60s folk style and a sense of nature-loving wonder, Musgraves still gives off the impression of being under the influence. However, this time, her drug of choice seems to be love – new, genuine, and self-discovery.
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As you may know, Musgraves is not your typical country musician and has been forging her unique path for some time. She is one of few artists rooted in Nashville to gain recognition on both sides of the Atlantic, rising to stardom in the 2010s with her bold depictions of small-town life and vocal support for the LGBTQ+ community. In her album Golden Hour, she showcased a blend of electropop and disco, earning her a Grammy for Album of the Year. Following her divorce, she released Star-Crossed, a more subdued and possibly underwhelming sequel, but it solidified her position as a popular artist who can transcend traditional country music while still incorporating its signature sounds – a similar trajectory to pop sensation Taylor Swift.
Different from the style of Swift, Musgraves is more focused on creating a certain energy rather than achieving commercial success. On the track Deeper Well, she appears to have let go of various burdens – such as pressure to produce another hit after Golden Hour, conforming to the conventions of country music, and dwelling on her past breakup – and is now indulging in a sense of renewal and connection with nature, enhanced by a noticeable element of self-care (referring to things like Saturn returns and jade crystals). This mindset is reflected in the album’s fresh and airy sound, a blend of new-wave Americana and Simon and Garfunkel-style acoustic guitar that moves with a sense of gentle ease. The opening song, Cardinal, a sparkling and instantly captivating reflection on loss, hope, and universal love, could easily be mistaken for a lost gem from Fleetwood Mac’s repertoire.
Kacey Musgraves’s album, “Deeper Well”, has incredibly high points. Two of the tracks stand out as satisfyingly beautiful and among the best of the year. However, in other songs, Musgraves’s attempts at conveying genuine simplicity fail to impress, as she relies on overly literal and cliched lyrics. For example, on “The Architect”, she sentimentally praises the beauty of an apple, which comes across as irritatingly cutesy. On “Dinner With Friends”, she unintentionally becomes comedic with her basic lyrics, including a mundane tribute to her home state of Texas. (Although, she does redeem herself somewhat with a rare moment of progressive commentary in the line, “but none of their laws”.)
Upon listening to the album, it becomes evident that instead of boldly claiming independence, the artist is partly drawn by an exciting new romance (which has since ended). This could explain why Musgraves seems so deeply infatuated with the world around her. By the halfway point of the song “Dinner With Friends,” her vague enthusiasm shifts towards the beauty of her partner – a recurring theme throughout the album that produces mixed results. The track “Anime Eyes” is charming in its use of Japanese cultural references, but other songs come across as contrived and cliched, as if posing for a fake affectionate couple’s photo. One example of this is the lackluster lyrics in “Too Good to Be True” – “Made some breakfast, made some love, this is what dreams are made of.” While Musgraves’ smooth vocals and polished compositions add some appeal, the folksy country sound can at times feel generic (although “Lonely Millionaire” stands out with its seductive 90s neo-soul vibes).
It’s not often that we come across an album that reaches such heights in songwriting, starting with the impressive combination of Cardinal and Deeper Well, only to then fall back into unremarkable mediocrity. This album shows us that there is a fine line between powerful simplicity and dull emptiness.
Source: theguardian.com
