Album Review: Kacey Musgraves — ‘Golden Hour’

The world’s leading country rebel is back with her third regular studio album Golden Hour. The record’s title references both Kacey’s hometown of Golden, Texas, which as always inspired her work, and the new-found happiness that personal growth and marriage have brought into her life.

Golden Hour thus balances between familiar and new territory, sonically as well as lyrically. There are the witty lines about unusual topics we’ve come to expect from Kacey, but there are also more traditional love songs and, brace yourself, vocoders.

Let’s take a closer look at what might just be the bravest country album of the year.

1. “Slow Burn” (10/10)

In true Kacey Musgraves fashion, Golden Hour starts with a slow jam. One of the most honest biographical songs of Kacey’s career, “Slow Burn” catches your attention with the brilliantly written opening lines, “born in a hurry, always late, haven’t been early since ‘88”. Using the reference to her birth as a starting point, Kacey masterfully captures her outlook on life, gently stressing the importance of taking it slow and finding beauty in the little things.

Lyrically, “Slow Burn” is up there with the best of Kacey’s songs (“Somebody To Love”, “Merry Go Round”). Most importantly, perhaps, the celebrated singer-songwriter inspires you to rethink your priorities in life without ever coming across as patronizing.

2. “Lonely Weekend” (9/10)

Golden Hour continues in the same mid-tempo territory Kacey has always felt right at home in. The relatable verses of “Lonely Weekend” (“I got a million things to do, but I haven’t done a single one”) build up to a slightly repetitive chorus that is awesome in its timeless simplicity and picks up the relaxing atmosphere “Slow Burn” introduced. Country radio, which has traditionally been reluctant to play Kacey’s “rebellious” catalogue, should really not sleep on this one.

3. “Butterflies” (7/10)

It says a lot about Kacey’s individual songwriting style that “Butterflies” is her first traditional love song about being (metaphorically) rescued and changed for the better by your significant other.

You can still find a few nice turns of phrase (“you’re stealing my heart instead of stealing my crown”) and the hooks are certainly catchy, but compared to other Kacey Musgraves songs this one feels a little too … ordinary. The bar has been set so high that even a particularly well-written love song is a rather subpar addition to Kacey’s discography that may bore a few of her fans.

4. “Oh, What A World” (9/10)

Here they come: the vocoders every hardcore country fan dreads. With “Oh, What A World”, the first song written for Golden Hour, the singer-songwriter leaves the traditional country sound of her previous record Pageant Material behind. She mixes country and folk elements with more poppy features, to create a hybrid that sounds …

… absolutely fantastic! The soundscape fits the lyrics perfectly, as Kacey marvels at the magical planet we call home. “Thank god it’s not too good to be true,” she concludes at the end of the chorus (and then introduces her love interest into the narrative, but let’s just pretend that didn’t happen).

5. “Mother” (8/10)

1:18. This song is exactly one minute and eighteen seconds long. Yet, it’s a complete song — if an unusual one — instead of an interlude.

Kacey freely admits that she wrote “Mother” while on a mild LSD trip. The cute little track is a love letter to her mom that says all there needs to be said in only a few poignant hooks. The final bit is a nice nod to the relationship between Kacey’s mother and grandmother, proving that Kacey doesn’t need long and complex narratives to work up to a powerful and very country-esque twist.

6. “Love Is A Wild Thing” (8/10)

The title of this track is probably the worst in Kacey’s discography and promises a slightly boring “Butterflies Pt. II” kind of tune. In fact, “Love Is A Wild Thing” is better than its title suggests, describing the ways in which love hits you at unexpected times in smooth hooks that are made for roadtrips on hot summer days.

In a way, this is the more nuanced country version of the Pet Shop Boys’ old hit “Love Comes Quickly”. And that makes it one of the best cheesy songs about love you’ll likely ever hear.

7. “Space Cowboy” (9/10)

This tune was released as one of Golden Hour’s two lead singles, the other being “Butterflies”. In contrast to that comparatively bland love song, the mid-tempo breakup anthem “Space Cowboy” was co-written by Kacey’s old songwriting partners Shane McAnally and Luke Laird.

Thus, its sound is reminiscent of earlier Kacey Musgraves favourites. The same is true for the witty lyrics, which brilliantly play with the worn-out ‘space cowboy’ image and put the phrase into a completely new context. If you’re looking for a breakup song that somehow manages to sound upbeat and dreamy, this is the track for you.

8. “Happy & Sad” (10/10)

“It’s not you,” Kacey opens the song over a decidedly poppy beat. “It’s the glow of the party, the way that you’ve got me lit up inside.” Two things come to mind at this point:

A) This is a follow-up to Pageant Material’s standout track “Late To The Party”, featuring the two protagonists at said party.

B) This is another happy-go-lucky “I’m-so-in-love” song.

While A) may be true, B) fortunately isn’t. Instead of falling into cheesy Ed Sheeran territoy, “Happy & Sad” details Kacey caught between euphoria and melancholy. “Is there a word for the way that I’m feeling tonight?” she asks in the chorus, then wonders, “is there a way to stop all this thinking?” in the laid-back second verse. Overthinkers all over the world can certainly relate to this intriguing, yet catchy, look into the human psyche.

9. “Velvet Elvis” (9/10)

Kacey continues to break down country music borders with the funky “Velvet Elvis”, a short and fun love song that comes across as far less cheesy than “Butterflies”.

The flowing melodies are paired with Kacey’s characteristically soft vocals to create a true summer bop with a distinct vintage touch. Back when Pageant Material was released, you probably didn’t expect Kacey Musgraves to ever sound like this.

But she does. And it’s what we didn’t know we needed.

10. “Wonder Woman” (8/10)

Another mid-tempo song with pop influences, “Wonder Woman” has a straightforward sing-along chorus that doesn’t take long to burn itself into your brain.

That being said, the lyrics are not on the same level as those of other Musgraves gems. The “I’m only human” phrase is a little too worn-out for Kacey to use it in a serious manner. The hooks and the fact that the ‘superman’ metaphor is balanced out with the more innovative title image save this one from getting a 7/10 rating.

Don’t get me wrong, this is a good song. It’s a very good song, even. But very good is still below Kacey’s standard.

11. “High Horse” (10/10)

This is Dolly Parton meets ABBA. And it’s better than you could ever imagine. Blending country with disco-pop is a risk, but Kacey has pulled it off masterfully and created one of the best songs of her career, as well as a crossover hit that has already alerted many LGBTQ people to the Texas singer-songwriter’s talent.

“I bet you think you’re John Wayne, showing up shooting down everybody,” Kacey sings in the opening lines, introducing the addressee of her song as someone who’s “classic in the wrong way” and “thinks they’re cooler than everybody else.”

The fabulously shady chorus puts into words what all of us have been thinking at least once in our lives, turning “High Horse” into one of the nicest f*ck-you songs ever released. The fact that it could be about literally anybody, but also specifically about a certain US president, makes it even sweeter.

Can you give a song an 11/10 rating? If you could, this one would deserve it.

12. “Golden Hour” (6/10)

The title track of the album is a bit of a let down — at least for those who love Kacey for her compelling stories and witty lines. “Golden Hour” could be a Carrie Underwood song. Or even an Adele song. Its laid-back sound and gentle melodies fit perfectly onto the record, but the lyrics are even more cheesy than those of “Butterflies”. From a songwriting perspective, Kacey has completely given up her unique lyrical style on this one.

13. “Rainbow” (8/10)

Is this songtitle a nod to Kacey’s evergrowing LGBTQ fanbase? Probably not, but it’s a nice thought nonetheless.

“Rainbow” uses well-known weather metaphors to convey a positive it-gets-better message at the close of the album. While Kacey doesn’t let her songwriting talent shine through brightly enough on “Golden Hour”, she does so on “Rainbow”, putting her own spin on the imagery and placing the old metaphors within beautiful lines.

“When it rains, it pours,” she sings, “but you didn’t even notice.” Then she continues, “if you could see what I see, you’d be blinded by the colours,” pointing out how we often get so caught up in our worries that we simply fail to notice the bright future ahead. What a beautiful — if not entirely original — message to end an album with.

Overall: 8.5/10

In the largely conservative world of country music, Kacey Musgraves is brave enough to branch out into new spheres, while still honouring her roots. Golden Hour continues her run of impressive long players, cementing her reputation as one of Nashville’s brightest stars.

Kacey’s venture into more poppy territory may bring a few comparatively simple love songs with it (“Butterflies”, “Golden Hour”), but also introduces us to some of the best music we’ll hear all year. “Slow Burn” and “Happy & Sad” are the standouts, while “High Horse” floats above everything else as the shining beacon of crossover country.

Golden Hour will certainly broaden Kacey’s fanbase and give country music another strong push on its way to international acceptance.

Buy Golden Hour wherever music is sold and follow Kacey Musgraves on Instagram. Also, give her first two records Same Trailer, Different Park and Pageant Material a listen to discover many more brilliantly written songs.