REVIEW: Kacey Musgraves – Pageant Material

Country sensation Kacey Musgraves has just released her 5th studio album: Pageant Material, and just like her first major label album Same Trailer, Different Park she has wowed everyone yet again.

Released on the 23rd of June, Pageant Material has received a lot of well-deserved praise. It was recorded in Nashville’s notable RC Studio A which in turn added to the ‘concise feeling’ that Kacey and her band wanted throughout the recording process. It was later on in the process that they added a 10-piece string section.

The title Pageant Material derived from Kacey’s outlook on not being judged for being who she is. This is a clear message carried through her previous album as well as this one and evident in songs such as Dime Store Cowgirl and Cup of Tea. These messages are very important within modern country music, and with that in mind, the praise for Musgraves’ aptitude at working them into her songs is more than fitting.

Similar to her last album, Kacey has maintained her ‘family-band sound’, yet managed to create a an entirely new vibe to frame it. Internet music guidance website AllMusic stated that the sound created was intended to evoke memories of a high school dance (or something along those lines) and this can be heard clearly in songs such as Late to the Party and High Time. Personally, I felt like the Southern aesthetic was much clearer and evident than it is in a great deal of other modern country, setting it apart further still.

Listening to the album song by song also adds to the ‘lazy high school dance’ atmosphere, and with each song you hear how precise and well-placed each instrument, beat and vocal is. The first track on the album High Time is the ideal opener. It moves through the note changes and builds in vocal strength similarly the last track, Are You Sure (feat. Willie Nelson which in turn finishes the album very well with a calm, almost Hawaiian sound. Musgraves and Willie Nelson’s harmonies are outstandingly beautiful, particularly due to Kacey’s ability to control the strength of her vocals within certain points in the song, adding to the texture and sound of Nelson’s voice.

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