Kacey Musgraves- Middle of Nowhere
Label: Lost Highway
Producers: Kacey Musgraves, Daniel Tashian, Ian Fitchuk
When Kacey Musgraves broke through to country music stardom with her 2013 debut, Same Trailer, Different Park, she immediately emerged as a critical darling and a creative force that was desperately needed during the bro-country drought that was crippling the genre with its worst artistic identity crisis in its history. There were many reasons that Musgraves earned this status, chief among them being her gift as a songwriter. Her style of lyrical storytelling was rich in the classic country and folk traditions, and boasted a raw blend of honesty, introspection, social commentary and humor that recalled greats like John Prine, Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Guy Clark, and Loretta Lynn. Combining this impressive quality with a fresh take on unapologetically retro country & western sonic stylings made Same Trailer and its 2015 follow-up, Pageant Material (as well as her fantastic 2016 holiday record) modern day classics in the opinion of both a young country audience as well as traditionalist gatekeepers, even as the Nashville system clearly had no idea what to do with her, and they rarely do with a contemporary artist of Musgraves’ caliber.
While Musgraves’ songwriting magic not only stayed consistent, but inarguably elevated itself as her recording catalog unfolded, her disregard for systemic rules made it no surprise when she branched out and incorporated heavier pop, dance, and folk influences into her straight-forward country sound. This direction certainly wasn’t disappointing artistically, especially as it related to 2018’s Golden Hour, which became an instant classic across the entire popular music pantheon. Nevertheless, there was always a lingering anticipation for Musgraves to make her eventual return to the more core country sounds of her first two LPs. Enter Middle of Nowhere, her first release since re-signing with the Outlaw country-inspired Lost Highway Records.
Right out of the gate, the loping Western sounds of the title track and the raunchy tonk of lead single “Dry Spell”, along with the fabulously generous helpings of steel guitar and banjo arrangements that they provide confirm the artist’s return to her origins, both sonically and narratively. Still, never one to rest on previous laurels, Musgraves finds new textures and influences to meld into her brand of contemporary country, including bluegrass, Western Swing, and most notably the gorgeous mariachi-tinged Mexican soundscapes that tie back to her childhood on the Texas border. As with her early standouts, these sounds do indeed prove to most vibrantly showcase Kacey’s conversational observations and witty turns of phrase, and the songs themselves collected here are undoubtedly on par with the standards of her very best releases.
Tracks like the aforementioned “Dry Spell”, as well as “Back on the Wagon” and “Abilene” feel like they could be continuations of the stories and characters presented in early singles like “Merry Go Round”, “Blowin’ Smoke”, and “Biscuits”. High-water moments like “Coyote” and “I Believe In Ghosts” immediately rank among both her most haunting and utterly infectious moments on record to date, while “Rhinestoned”, “Mexico Honey”, and “Loneliest Girl” feel like the plum-perfect blend of her affinity for combining country wordplay and pop hooks. “Hell On Me” meanwhile reminds us of her voice’s masterful way of conveying melancholy heartbreak.
And for all the artistic navigating that she’s endeavored over the past eight years, it’s incredibly satisfying that the stylistic and topical intersections that this collection of songs represents feels like the most cohesive portrait of all the varied qualities that define Kacey Musgraves’ overall discography. This should be attributed to the wide collaborative scope, both old and new, that she pursued for the creation of Middle of Nowhere. Her co-producers continue to be Daniel Tashian and Ian Fitchuk, who have helped helm every album of hers since Golden Hour. Additionally, we see prominent returns to the writing credits from the likes of Shane McAnally, Luke Laird and Josh Osborne, who were all major contributors to her first two records, as either co-writers, co-producers, or both.
Finally, the album also offers a bevy of buzz-worthy and enticing artist collabs that further deepen the quality and intrigue of Nowhere. Bluegrass virtuoso Billy Strings provides his sensational picking skills on “Everybody Wants To Be A Cowboy”, while indie veteran Gregory Alan Isakov’s harmonies elevate the chill-factor on “Coyote”. Willie Nelson makes his third appearance on a Musgraves album during the witty “Uncertain, TX”, and finally Miranda Lambert takes the buzziest guest spot on the cheeky “Horses and Divorces”, which flat-out confirms her and Musgraves’ long-rumored feud surrounding the latter’s Kacey-co-written 2013 single, “Mama’s Broken Heart”. Genre mainstays like Nelson and Lambert obviously further up the country-factor of the album, but their songs also cleverly prove to be two of the most vibrant Mexican-infused moments of the album as well.
Yes, Middle of Nowhere provides a full-circle country moment for Kacey Musgraves that was not only highly in demand, but also feels most natural and timely at this juncture in her career. But also, like every other album she’s delivered to date, the record continues to add vibrant new sonic textures and diversity into her expansive recorded library. It’s not a mere retread, but rather a continued evolution, and it’s a record that wouldn’t have had the same impact and satisfaction if it had followed immediately after Pageant Material. It’s all the better for the other musical explorations Musgraves has made in the interim. And while she’s yet to deliver a poor record (justice for Star-Crossed, y’all!), this truly ranks within the upper-echelon of her lexicon, right along with the initial albums featuring the sounds she calls back to here, and likewise pushes forward. She remains one of the most vital and entertaining artists in today’s music world, bar none.
Track Listing:
- “Middle of Nowhere” (Kacey Musgraves, Daniel Tashian, Ian Fitchuk)
- “Dry Spell” (Musgraves, Luke Laird, Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne)
- “Back on the Wagon” (Musgraves, Tashian, Fitchuk)
- “I Believe In Ghosts” (Musgraves, Laird, McAnally)
- “Abilene” (Musgraves, Laird, McAnally)
- “Coyote” (featuring Gregory Alan Isakov) (Musgraves, Tashian, Fitchuk, Rick Nowels)
- “Loneliest Girl” (Musgraves, Laird, McAnally, Osborne)
- “Everbody Wants to Be A Cowboy” (featuring Billy Strings) (Musgraves, Tashian, Fitchuk)
- “Horses and Divorces” (featuring Miranda Lambert) (Musgraves, McAnally, Miranda Lambert)
- “Uncertain, TX” (featuring Willie Nelson) (Musgraves, Tashian)
- “Rhinestoned” (Musgraves, Tashian, Fitchuk, Scotty Emerick)
- “Mexico Honey” (Musgraves, Laird, Steph Jones)
- “Hell On Me” (Musgraves, McAnally, Laird, Jones)
The 706 
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