The beautiful part about being an artist, in whatever form that might take, is that everything -- culture, presence, music -- is always changing. Country music, however, in a lot of ways, is not a synonymous with change. The genre of country music is one that generally sees a rather steadfast flow within its artists as well as its core representations from generation to generation. However, when talking about the artists who have truly left their mark on those to follow in their footsteps, we often look to the artists who so readily tested the boundaries in which they were trying to reach.

 

Some of the most iconic country artists in history, from Hank Williams to Loretta Lynn, have been the ones to test the very rigid boundaries laid down by the largest consuming audiences of country music. These are the artists who have stuck with their sound and their vision from the beginning and never looked back.

 

One artist that has continuously challenged the norms while undergoing a delicate and tasteful metamorphosis stylistically is none other than the 90’s-baby, rhinestoned cowgirl, Kacey Musgraves. Musgraves recently released her third studio album, “Golden Hour”, to a sea of fans graciously awaiting for this fresh, new sound.

 

As compared to her past two albums, Musgraves took a different approach when crafting this work as she is in a completely different spot in her life than she was when she released “Same Trailer Different Park”, or “Pageant Material”. In an interview with The Fader, the 29-year-old Texas native explained how she is in an extremely happy part of her life as she just got married to her straight-laced, songwriting husband, Ruston Kelly. She was very inspired to write about the love that is shared between both newlyweds, but she explained that there were a lot of things that she didn’t get to touch on since she last released a full work; she didn’t get to touch on the sad and the hard parts of existence. Musgraves said that she finds inspiration by sadness and that “there’s beauty in [that] for sure”.

 

Musgraves’ feel on this new album is one of slow, but trippy and drippy vibes that make you feel like you’re hearing the color pink. “Slow Burn” is the first track on the album that makes you feel as though life’s been slowed down for a moment and that this slowness is okay. With this song as the first thing to grace a listener’s ears, it sends such a poignant message to follow throughout the entire experience: “Born in a hurry // Always late // Haven’t been early since ‘88 // Texas is hot, I can be cold // Grandma cried when I pierced my nose”.

 

“Mother” is a track that Musgraves wrote about none other than her own giver-of-life. On Instagram, Musgraves wrote that it is the “shortest song on the album and maybe the most meaningful”. This song came from the flood of thoughts Musgraves received after getting a text from her mother while floating amongst the “waves of LSD”. While living in Tennessee and thinking of her sweet mom, Karen, she couldn’t help but think of her in Texas missing her own mother who had passed a few years ago. This song reflects the unabashed feelings for her mother that are so authentically “Kacey” as sung through her sweet vocals and piano play.

 

The next to last song on the album, which is titled after the album as a whole -- “Golden Hour” -- portrays Musgraves’ truth while the sound revels in the twangy yet bewitching stringed flow of guitar and the low-energy, synthy type beat as she croons: “Baby don't you know? That you're my golden hour // The color of my sky // You've set my world on fire”

 

This album as a whole is a carefully constructed yet equally as raw sound that the country music community needs. For Musgraves to reach out and aim for an entirely different sound that stays authentically true to her character is as pleasurable as it is courageous. What is to come from this strappy songstress can only be left up to her alluring imagination full of everything that is needed in the world of country music.