Kacey Musgraves - 2013 Anticipation

that you guys can't pick up on how it sounds noticeably different is pretty weird to me

It does sound better; I noticed it a little while ago when I replayed the Willie portion of "Fine" and the strings of his guitar had real snap. The songs aren't better though.

just got through it for the second time and while it's well crafted it feels safe and maybe a little boring? there's some standouts but it's tamer than, say, Eric Church or Angaleena Presley by a damn sight. I'll try it a few more times.

i do think it *sounds* different from stdp. it's not necessarily 'better' in that regard (maybe some parts of certain tracks are), since stdp was also quite gorgeous, but it certainly stands out more than the songwriting this time around.

it's not BAD exactly but there's a spark of life and personality that was all over same trailer that feels lacking here... it's like listening to Kacey Musgraves: The Musical

i don't think it sounds radically different, but definitely smoother and more polished across the board. Just faultlessly even-keeled to a ... fault. Like I said earlier, I think the production is what hurts the songs. Many of the tracks on this album would have been better served with different arrangements and different sounds.

So after about five or six listens, I can stand behind "This Town" and "Miserable" and to a lesser degree "Biscuits" , "High Time" and "Fine/whatever the willie duet is called". The rest feels sing-songy and formulaic to me and not especially worth returning to. Spectacular production, as noted above, but so glossy that it often slips out of my hands.

A quick peek at the song credits suggest that what i like best about this album is where brandy clark put hands on, so maybe i just need to wait for her follow up album.

m@tt was otm

playing in the boston common for free-99 tomorrow evening

i'll hell of be there

I think I will as well depending on work

this is a strange crowd

she covered no scrubs, I'm dead

this kind of sounds like a record for people who are on vacation

Love this album. Production is beautiful and I find her presence endlessly likeable and reassuring. Agree with those who say the Follow Your Arrow-a-like homilies are the weak spots.

I finally listened to this yesterday. It does sound great, and I love the steel guitar playing in particular. The album pushes the boundaries of what I think Hawaiian country music would sound like, like Elvis on "Beyond the Reef".

I do not like the homilies, though, and that's most of the songs, no? So many songs written in the second person (or is it imperative tense?): but addressed to "you"---though I guess "Keep It To Yourself" is written that way too, and that's my favorite on the debut. This album has almost no love songs, really just "Late to the Party", and very little intimate writing: nothing like "It Is What It Is", "Back On The Map", "Keep It To Yourself". I like "Die Fun" and "Fine". But I hope she'll turn her songwriting a bit more inward on the next album, since she's shown us already how keen her voice is when aimed there.

"Late to the Party" is one of the better cuts, although it has a little of that bland NPR pop-folkiness that hurts some of this latest effort. She also climbs up the scales vocally a bit on that track in a pretty manner, while on many others is stuck in a similiar intonation/perky pop-folk narrow range.

"Late to the Party" sounded great live earlier tonight. "Die Fun" was nice. The 2nd album cuts sounded better live. The steel guitar and Hawaiian guitar touches from the band worked well too. She also did "No Scrubs," "These Boots Are made for Walkin'" (while wearing light-up go-go boots backed by her band in suits with flashing lights on them

I enjoyed the show. They closed with an a cappella "Happy Trails". She urged the fans to call country radio to get her airtime. She also proclaimed her joy that she was in DC the day the Supreme Court issued its gay marriage ruling.

i didn't even know what singles she's released since "Biscuits"...looks like she made a video for the Willie Nelson duet but is working the one w/ the Willie Nelson namedrop to radio.

I heard "Dimestore Cowgirl" in somewhere that was playing a Country station recently.

I think that was the song she wanted people to request. Wiki lists it as the second single.

just got her first album, digging it - the songwriting is really strong. her voice is kinda generic and not all that interesting.

And also it's very coherent, it's like a room you can enter. Which is to say it works well as an album, good feel, atmosphere.

it's v consistent, yeah. if she can maintain the quality of the material I can overlook the plainness of her voice

^^^ why I didn't embrace the album in 2013.

I'm going to the apollo show tomorrow, curious to see how she plays in that room as it reminds me of the ryman in many ways
i am hoping for that no scrubs cover

xxp people who criticize someone for having a "plain voice" get the Adam Duritz they deserve

duritz rules get it straight.

a very popular opinion there spottie

me n u bro, we can change the world.

just u 2 stumbling through the barrio

just u 2 strumming a banjo

"C'mon Edge, play the Bluegrass!"

the preview of "Sunday Bloody Sunday" in Pickin' on U2 2 beat autre ne veut to the punch

title also beat scott aukerman to a different punch

http://www.pride.com/music/2016/3/28/16-reasons-why-kacey-musgraves-every-gay-mans-spirit-animal

ugh no more "spirit animal" please

^^Her next album title?

wouldn't surprise me :\

16 reasons why i refuse to click that link

pls no more humans being spirit animals

Christmas album is nice!

ok, having listened to the whole thing there's a fair amount of silliness on there. "Present Without a Bow" is lovely though.

saw her open for Willie Nelson on Saturday. Her band is great, most of the material was great, and then there were a couple groaners (wtf is that "mind Your Own Biscuits/and live will be gravy" song ugh). She did "Rhinestone Cowboy" as a tribute to Glenn, which was cool. Also laughed when she said where she was from, a bunch of people hooted/clapped, and then she responded "I dunno what you're clapping for, that place sucks shit"

cover of CEe-Lo/Dangermouse's "Crazy" was really uncalled for

(wtf is that "mind Your Own Biscuits/and live will be gravy" song ugh).

The lead single from her last regular album.

it wasn't a good album

yeah I didn't hear a lot of new stuff that grabbed me, apart from this one that had a fairly extended spacey instrumental intro. Pedal steel guitarist really does a lot of heavy lifting melodically, at least live.

IIRC, I read somewhere that outside of a few numbers she didn't really get to sit and write much new stuff for Pageant Material, so many of the songs on it were unrecorded ST,DP leftovers.