Kacey Musgraves is proof that hard work does eventually pay-off. Despite only being 24-years-old, Kacey have been releasing music since 2002 starting with her debut release Movinā On through CDBaby. Since then sheās released two more albums Wanted: One Good Cowboy in 2003 and the self-titled Kacey Musgraves in 2007. Having been on the independent trail for years, Kacey inked a deal with Mercury Nashville in the US for her major label debut Same Trailer Different Park.
In the US Same Trailer Different Park debuted at the top of the country album chart and landed at number 2 in the Billboard 200. Kacey has seen her profile rise rapidly thanks to contributing one of her songs to the hit ABC series Nashville. Undermine, recorded by Hayden Panettiere and Charles Esten on the show, has been one of the highlights of the show to date. Now it seems Kacey is getting success in her own right and sheās ready to bring her album to the UK.
Whilst country music doesnāt set the charts on fire this side of the pond, thereās something so undeniably charming about Kacey Musgraves that you canāt help but be drawn into her sound. Over the course of Same Trailer Different Park, Kacey draws on a variety of styles including folk-country, rockabilly and blues-rock. The albumās lead single Merry Go āRound finds Kacey singing over a banjo riff as she observes modern life in rural America. Taking a nursery rhyme sensibility (and name checking a few along the way) Kacey injects some humour into her quite serious observations as she sings, āMommaās hooked n Mary Kay, brotherās hooked on Mary Jane, and daddyās hooked on Mary two doors downā.
Her lyrics are part of her appeal and sheās certainly a gifted lyricist. The rockier Sheryl Crow-esque Blowinā Smoke highlights our nature to hope for more whilst never intending to do a great deal to change our situation. As Kacey sings āwe all say that weāll quit someday, when our ship comes in, weāll just sail away, but weāre just blowinā smokeā we can count the amount of times weāve found ourselves doing just that. Society has adopted the attitude that life will come to them rather than having to go out and make things happen. On the feisty Step Off Kacey sticks it to someone who will do anything to drag others down as they desperately try to get to the top (āJust keep climbing that mountain of dirty tricks, when you finally get to the top, step offā).
Kacey has a knack for telling it how she sees it too. On album highlight Follow Your Arrow she advises you to do whatever you want because whatever you do thereāll always be someone to criticise you. The songās lyrics will inspire a generation and couldnāt be more timely when gay marriage is constantly in the headlines. Kacey sings ākiss lots of boys, or kiss lots of girls, if thatās something youāre intoā in such a carefree way that you canāt help feeling sheās got wisdom way beyond her years.
Elsewhere on the album Kacey muses the acceptance of a casual fling on album closer It Is What It Is, the virtues of living in a trailer on My House, and is determined to find the good in a situation on opener Silver Lining. Our favourite moment comes on Keep it To Yourself where Kacey tells a former lover that she has no interest in hearing how heās feeling expressing desire to just move on and get on with her life.
Quite honestly we could name check every song on the record and explain why itās so brilliant. Weāre not going to do that as we suggest you get yourself a copy of the album and find out for yourself. Kacey is the voice of a new generation and she simply has to be heard. Her lyrical wisdom is inspiring and refreshing, and sheās certainly an exciting new voice in country music. Same Trailer Different Park has the potential to define a generation in the way that Alanis Morissette did with Jagged Little Pill. Letās all hail Kacey Musgraves for her straight-talking wisdom, fantastic songs and undeniable talent.