Kacey Musgraves is “Back On The Wagon” and serving up a fresh set of songs just as great as her past discography.
The eight-time Grammy winner released her sixth studio album, “Middle of Nowhere,” on Friday. The 13-track, 44-minute LP arrives two years after the folk-leaning “Deeper Well” and pushes Musgraves’ soundscape back toward the traditional country production of 2013’s “Same Trailer Different Park” and 2015’s “Pageant Material.” While “Middle of Nowhere” is not measurably better than Musgraves’ previous records, the album continues to deliver the high-quality tunes she is known for alongside elevated lyricism and an exciting array of all-star country collaborations.
Unlike prior title tracks from Musgraves that have always been album highlights, “Middle of Nowhere” begins on a rare misstep with its lackluster title track. Thankfully, the momentum of the record quickly corrects itself with the second track and lead single “Dry Spell,” one of the most playful songs of Musgraves’ career. The song has become Musgraves’ highest-charting solo hit, which is not a surprise given the supreme catchiness of its cheeky, innuendo-filled lyrics. Listeners can almost hear Musgraves chuckle to herself as she sings, “I’m so lonely / Lonely with a capital ‘H’ / If you know what I mean.”
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Loneliness is a recurring theme across the album, but the more sexual energy of “Dry Spell” is contrasted by romantic longing on other tracks. “Loneliest Girl” best encapsulates this tonal juxtaposition as Musgraves softly sings, “I ain’t even mad at all the people in love / I can pour whatever I want in my cup.” The singer-songwriter has long excelled at palpably capturing a melancholy feeling – as evidenced by the majority of 2021’s underrated “star-crossed” – but the impact of this solemnity carries extra weight with the added maturity in Musgraves’ voice.
More than any other Musgraves album, “Middle of Nowhere” is packed with lively collaborations. Before this record, the only duet featured on a standard edition of her first five albums was a cover of “Are You Sure” with country legend Willie Nelson in 2015. Naturally, Musgraves reunites with Nelson again for the standout tune “Uncertain, TX.” Over warm, cozy production enhanced by an accordion, Musgraves and Nelson riff together with lines such as, “Did you ever love me, baby? / I thought you did from time to time.” The chemistry between 37-year-old Musgraves and 93-year-old Nelson is just as electric as when they collaborated 11 years ago, bringing a satisfying harmony to this pensive number.
Another stellar collaboration is with Miranda Lambert on the jovial, cowbell-fueled “Horses and Divorces.” The song carries an anthemic, unifying vibe as Musgraves and Lambert bond over their similarities: “We’ve got a few things in common / Like horses and divorces and we both like to drink / Maybe we’re more alike than we think.” Although Musgraves has written for Lambert before on the Grammy-nominated “Mama’s Broken Heart,” hearing the pair on the same track is a legitimately fun moment between two of the country genre’s most important contemporary artists.
But it is the closing track, “Hell On Me,” that is the greatest song on the entire LP, with some of the most devastating, honest lyrics Musgraves has ever recorded. It is difficult not to become teary-eyed hearing Musgraves utter, “And I don’t wanna blame you but honestly / I tried to be your angel but you made it hell on me.” While the song’s inspiration is unknown, its lyrical callback to the 2021 tune “angel” suggests it might be referencing Musgraves’ divorce from Ruston Kelly in 2020. Knowing the arc of Musgraves’ music over the past decade – including the blissful marital romance captured on her best album, 2018’s ethereal “Golden Hour” – such candor and heartache on “Hell On Me” feel simultaneously relatable and startlingly intimate.
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Although not every track is tugs on listeners’ heartstrings as intensely, there are no bum notes to be found on the track list aside from the underwhelming title track. “I Believe In Ghosts” and “Mexico Honey” both float by without making much of an impression, but each track contains a pleasant atmosphere that is sure to reveal greater character with more listens. The sweet “Rhinestoned” and the sprightly Billy Strings team-up “Everybody Wants To Be A Cowboy” both could have used more enthusiastic production to really stand out, but they are sure to sound more dynamic when Musgraves performs live on her “Middle of Nowhere Tour” that kicks off in August before visiting Los Angeles in October.
Altogether, “Middle of Nowhere” ought to satisfy the majority of Musgraves’ fanbase. The collaborations do not sacrifice Musgraves’ storytelling strengths, and, after dabbling in dream pop and folk on her past few records, she is back in the sonic palette of her first two albums. Best of all, the consistent production of “Middle of Nowhere” allows Musgraves to touch upon a wide range of topics – stretching from the silliness of “Dry Spell” to the soul-baring “Hell On Me” – to entertain any listener looking for companionship or catharsis.
Musgraves might think she is in the “Middle of Nowhere,” but her songwriting abilities are right where they’re meant to be.
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