Kacey Musgraves has a new album on the way May 1st called Middle of Nowhere, and it stands to be at least a partial return to her country roots, even if that’s not exactly reflected in the album’s lead single, the hot and bothered “Dry Spell.”
Musgraves signed with the recently relaunched Lost Highway Records in May of last year, and released a version of the Hank Williams classic the label is named after. This was the first indication that Musgraves might be going more country again.
The promotional blurb Musgraves released to coincide with the album announcement and single release states,
“The bulk of this record was made during the longest single period of my life. I found that for the first time, it actually felt incredible being alone and existing in a space not defined by anyone else. I became fascinated with the concept of liminal space, both geographical and emotional. We don’t linger in these transitional, empty spaces long enough and rush to define where or whatever is next. I became so at ease with being in the ‘middle of nowhere’ in many senses and sitting in the un-comfort of the undefined.”
Just like all of her albums since 2018’s Golden Hour, Middle of Nowhere will be produced by Daniel Tashian and Ian Fitchuk. However, in the songwriting department, it will see the return of Kacey’s more country collaborators like Shane McAnally, Luke Laird, Josh Osbourne, Brandy Clark and Natalie Hemby.
Middle of Nowhere also features guest appearances by Willie Nelson, Billy Strings, and Miranda Lambert, speaking again to the more country-leaning nature of the effort. Gregory Alan Isakov also collaborates on a track.
But just how “country” can we expect Middle of Nowhere to be? Will it be a return to early Kacey Musgraves with clever turns of phrases and kiss offs backed by sensible country roots with mainstream impact? An in-depth interview Musgraves agreed to with Jewly Hight of NPR clears up a lot of this.
“I love traditional country music,” Musgraves says. “It might sound cliche, but when I am in a period of sadness or heartbreak, I really do turn to old school country music, the traditional side of the genre. It’s so comforting because it’s all depressing songs about being heartbroken. So you feel very seen … I grew up singing Western swing, yodeling — very traditional country music. Those sounds are baked into what feels like home to me. And so exploring them doesn’t feel like I’m trying on a hat that doesn’t fit. It just feels like part of me.”
Okay, but will we hear this on Middle of Nowhere?
“It’s always there to some degree, but it felt good this time to really lean into it,” Musgraves says. “For me it’s always about finding the balance. If a lyric is going in that direction really hard, maybe the track isn’t, so it’s never too on the nose … I think it’s gonna be really tempting for a lot of people to say that it’s a return for me. I agree with some of that. I’ve never taken some stand saying I’m leaving country. It’s a huge part of me. I don’t think I could shake it if I even wanted to.”
Musgraves also says,
“For me, sonically, it’s always about exploring the borders of country music. I think this album has a lot to do with borders, and honestly, [so does] every album of mine, because country shares fence lines with so many other styles. I’m really interested in [looking] where those two meet and then making something new. I love bluegrass and there’s a little bit of that breezy ’70s, ’80s, ’90s country that I love so much and then there’s also a lane where country meets traditional Mexican music, norteno and even zydeco down in Louisiana. So in a way, I don’t think the record is any different than anything else I’ve done, but it does lean a little harder into the country palette.”
She also says of the writing process, “I was just like, ‘Hey, would you guys want to get together and write some like super country s***? Even just for fun, just see what we can get.’”
With the album’s debut single “Dry Spell,” we definitely get the strong return of Kacey’s kitschy, campy, racy, clever, tongue-in-cheek type of approach that’s willing to get near borders, but doesn’t cross them, instead relying on innuendo, and what’s not said directly—all seductive lyrical mechanisms that can work very well in country music. This is also all well-illustrated in the video for the single.
However, the song itself just doesn’t come with any of the musical country bonafides you were wishing or hoping for, especially with all the rhetoric from Musgraves. Maybe there’s a little bit of a Western favor with it. But overall the sound is just, dry. Granted, it’s just an opening single, meant to stir attention and conversation (which it certainly has), and not necessarily serve red meat to the traditional country constituency.
But “Dry Spell” does serve up something that’s been mostly missing from the country music diet ever since Musgraves went in a more demure, indie rock direction. Middle of Nowhere is not going to be a traditional country record. But don’t be surprised if we hear some straight traditional country songs on it, similar to the new record from Megan Moroney.
This is a more country moment for country music. Artists who are smart and don’t worry about the radio like Musgraves, this is the moment to pivot back to their roots, and what they do best. Hopefully Middle of Nowhere brings Kacey Musgraves back where she’s excels the best: somewhere in country.
Middle of Nowhere is now available for pre-save/pre-order.
TRACK LIST:
01 “Middle Of Nowhere”
02 “Dry Spell”
03 “Back On The Wagon”
04 “I Believe In Ghosts”
05 “Abilene”
06 “Coyote” (Feat. Gregory Alan Isakov)
07 “Loneliest Girl”
08 “Everybody Wants To Be A Cowboy” (Feat. Billy Strings)
09 “Horses And Divorces” (Feat. Miranda Lambert)
10 “Uncertain, Texas” (Feat. Willie Nelson)
11 “Rhinestoned”
12 “Mexico Honey”
13 “Hell On Me”
Source link