Kacey Musgraves Continues to Tell it Like it is

Few country artists have made an initial impact on the overall genre in such a dramatic manner as Kacey Musgraves, a Texas songwriter who came to Nashville assured of the arrows she wished to follow – and charming a league of critics, fans, and Grammy voters along the way.

Musgraves released her eagerly awaited major-label sophomore set, Pageant Material, at the end of June; taking a route exploring classic country vibes as well as the ins and outs of small-town life.

As she explains, the pressure to deliver yet another sweeping critical success had zero effect on her approach to creating the new set. Her method was simple: Just write as she always has written; drawing from personal experience. “I didn’t have any expectations or concepts, really, going into this record,” she says calmly. “I just wanted to write a bunch of really good songs. I have to just remind people and myself this is what country music is supposed to be – It’s supposed to reflect on real scenarios, real things and real life.”

Indeed, Musgraves notes that the recording process was a welcome respite from a long season of touring. “Honestly, going into this record I was just super stoked to get back in the studio and get off the road for a second, and be creative and write,” she says. “That’s where I’m happiest. So I didn’t feel a ton of pressure. I just thought the first [album] worked and I got to be myself, and I just got to what I wanted to do so – I’m gonna do it again.”

Musgraves’s frank approach to her subject matter undeniably won her considerable attention with her last release, and true to her word, she’s continuing to be the same brand of storyteller on her latest. Pageant Material guides listeners through equally sweet and salty observations on family, romantic relationships, and unrealistic expectations of women; all delivered with the singer’s wry and honest twist.

Ironically, it was this very personal approach that caused some country fans to either misunderstand or over-emphasize certain subjects Musgraves chose to focus on, a fact that seems to mildly irritate her but doesn’t appear to be stopping her whatsoever. “Sometimes I do get a little frustrated um, you know with how sensationalistic people can be about certain things,” she says. “When you hear my records I think they portray a lot of different facets of life, and these couple of certain things just happen to be up in the mix [and] getting a lot of attention.

"I understand why – there’s not a lot of people right now in country music right now that are popular singing about these things,” she admits, but points out: “But its kind of been there all along.”

Musgraves, of course, is entirely correct: Nashville’s history is filled with artists who’ve “followed their arrows” through the decades and ahead of their times, from the iconic outlaws to feminist anthems by Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette. “To me its kind of funny that some of the things I’m singing about these days are being considered progressive,” shrugs Musgraves. I like to make people think, and just write songs that are truthful to me.

“So, what you hear on the record is my perspective; its my point of view as a 26-year-old girl that grew up in a small town in Texas, has gotten to see a lot of the world and is influenced by a million different kinds of music.”

Musgraves isn’t kidding when she mentions her love of different genres. She says she’d love to attempt a reggae or surf-rock album, and while visiting the Ram studios delivered a spot-on performance of Nancy Sinatra’s pop classic “These Boots are Made for Walkin’” (in her signature light-up cowboy boots, of course). It’s easy to see this artist in the vein of a shape-shifter as well as a game changer.

“I just want to be free to create music no matter what it is,” she asserts. “I happen to be making super-country records right now, but I really love playing different kinds of music, [and] I have a lot of ideas kind of sitting in my head right I’d love to explore sometime whenever I have the time.

"But really I just want to make good music, no matter the box.”