Magic in the Moments: Kacey Musgraves “Golden Hour” is an Instant Classic

Kacey Musgraves makes a return to the spotlight on March 30th with the release of her excellent new album, aptly titled, Golden Hour. And oh, what a spotlight that will be.

Previously, Kacey Musgraves was almost retrofitting her voice into a traditional country aesthetic, whereas here, on Golden Hour, the production follows the lead of the voice. But make no mistake: her voice is the star of the show. The vibes are smooth and airy, and Kacey’s laid-back-yet-precise vocal style couldn’t fit more perfect among the atmosphere. The young, yet accomplished Nashville producers Daniel Tashian and Ian Fitchuk took the reigns in the studio, co-writing the songs and adding much of the instrumentation themselves, with co-producing credit going to Kacey herself. And Kacey’s mellow, self-proclaimed pot-head disposition really comes through on the sound of the record.

The obvious comparison comes on the album’s final track, “Rainbow”, which brings back melodies from Dolly Parton’s 1974 album Jolene. The title track sounds like it could have been something on Neil Young’s Harvest Moon-era country album, but perhaps, the less likely comparison is that of Ray Lamontagne. The singers’ voices couldn’t be any different, but many times on this record I was reminded of Ray’s underrated album with the Pariah Dogs — God Willin’ and the Creek Don’t Rise — mixed with the sounds of an album that came six years later, Ouroboros. The comparison may seem unlikely, yet the songs are written with a precision that Ray prides himself on, and the production mixes traditional country instruments (such as pedal steel guitar and banjo) with synthesizers and vocoder melodies. Having the album described as ‘country’ may be a stretch to some: it’s reverbs and breezy vibes make it more like spaced-out pop, something that definitely propels Kacey’s voice.

More than comparisons, though, this album has moments. Many times during my initial listening, I was stopped in my tracks by moments that define the album as a soaring achievement for Ms. Musgraves. Something as simple as the two-minute wait for the drums on the album’s opening track, finally bringing it to the groove we were anticipating, or her “these are real things” line in “Oh What A World”, even something more complex like the turnaround static melody and echo of “’cause baby I ain’t Wonder Woman” over the major seventh chord heading into a second verse is a small, yet significant, bit that hooks the listener and creates small “earworm” instances that stick with you. “Mother” (which was written while Kacey was on LSD) is a tune that is somehow a deeply profound look at a woman’s relationship with her mother through many generations, yet runs for only a minute and eighteen seconds. One of the lead singles, “Butterflies”, is perhaps the best representation of what the album can do at it’s best; it is stocked with great melodies and toes the line brilliantly between country and pop.

The bottom line here is Kacey, a Texas native, made an album of great songs, bolstered by production that matches the aesthetic of her voice and, fittingly, the album’s title. What we get as a result is one of the year’s best albums so far, delivered by a pop-star destined for brighter lights during the album’s cycle and beyond. Hopefully, the rest of Nashville’s pop engineers will take the hint from this album and produce more thoughtful and focused albums in its wake.

Kacey Musgraves’ new album Golden Hour comes out March 30th via MCA Nashville.