This post is coming extremely late, because I'll admit, I was not as excited about reviewing this album as I hoped I would be. Kacey Musgraves proved herself as the country artist who is critical of country with her first Grammy-winning album Same Trailer Different Park, but despite the themes of the title track of Pageant Material, her sophomore album sees her reinventing herself as someone who more grudgingly accepts family and small towns as a part of her life than a country rebel, but still holding on to her cynicism. There are some standout tracks, as well as some tracks that are thematically, similar to her old music, but overall the album appears to be a transitional one, and is weighed down with ballads that are nowhere near as emotionally evocative as those on Same Trailer Different Park.
Track-by-track review:
Album Rating: 8/10
- High Time - The opening track sets the tone for the album, Musgraves returning to her old self and her roots. It's one of the better ballads on the album thanks to the production, and seems like more of a traditional country/folk song than her previous songs. 8/10
- Dime Store Cowgirl - "Maybe for a moment I got too big for my britches" Musgraves sings in the latest single from Pageant Material. It seems that she wants to acknowledge her shortcomings on her debut album, and possibly win over listeners who were turned off by the critical themes of Same Trailer Different Park. Of the tracks where Musgraves tries to redeem herself in the ears of traditionalists, it's one of the better choices for a single. 9/10
- Late to the Party - It takes a lot to make a country love song unique, and sadly this track doesn't measure up against even recent male country releases such as "Mean to Me" by Brett Eldredge or "God Gave Me You" by Blake Shelton. Technically, there's nothing really wrong with it, but it seems like Musgraves is trying to tackle themes that just aren't her expertise. 7/10
- Pageant Material - The title track of the album really plays up to Musgraves' strengths — her songwriting and cynical take on the world — and it ends up with her coming out with another amazing track that sounds, for the first time on this album, like where she really belongs. 10/10
- This Town - The intro of this song immediately transports listeners to Blowin' Smoke, and although This Town is more affectionate towards small towns, it still contains an undercurrent of sarcasm considering her previous releases and even the previous track on the record. The ending feels a bit abrupt, but it's another solid track. 8/10
- Biscuits - As almost every reviewer who's reviewed this track has noted, it's similar thematically to Follow Your Arrow — but still just fine. I have to say, the similarity to Follow Your Arrow did make me think the album as a whole would keep Musgraves' old themes, but apparently not. 8/10
- Somebody to Love - I didn't initially enjoy this song very much, dismissing it as one of the many non-distinguishable ballads on Pageant Material, but I ended up appreciating it a lot. There are many well-written, universally applicable lyrics, and the strings in the background complement the lyrics quite well. 9/10
- Miserable - Miserable is very reminiscent of I Miss You off Musgraves' debut, and although it's a decent enough track, it doesn't have much for it to stand out, as it's too similar to other tracks on the album. 7/10
- Die Fun - Possibly the placement of Die Fun causes me to be less interested in it (right after two other slow tracks with similar lyrical themes). Based on the lyrics, I think that it would be better as an upbeat track. 6/10
- Family is Family - This Town was the love song to small towns — Family Is Family is the love song to big families. Unlike This Town, however, the lyrics of Family Is Family are overly clichéd and don't add anything to the album. The track is catchy, but that itself is annoying as it's not particularly substantive. 6/10
- Good Ol' Boys Club - One of Musgraves' songwriting specialties seems to be breakup songs (demonstrated multiple times by Mama's Broken Heart, Get Outta My Yard, That's What I Call Crazy and Gonna Get Even from the Nashville soundtrack) and although there aren't any breakup songs directed at people on this album, Good Ol' Boys Club seems like a breakup song directed at the bro-country part of Nashville/country music in general. It comes at the perfect time considering "Tomato Gate" and other reveals of sexism in country music. Natalie Hemby's cowriting of this track certainly helps make it great. 10/10
- Cup of Tea - This track is one of many uplifting tracks that Musgraves has written, and certainly fits in with the theme of Same Trailer Different Park (although I can't really tell what the theme of Pageant Material is.) Cup of Tea is one of my favorites on the album, and it also has broad appeal as the whole concept is that no one is everyone's cup of tea. 10/10
- Fine - There are some very nice lyrics in this song, such as "I've stopped counting sheep/Now I just count the days" and although I think Cup of Tea would've been a better, more conclusive closing track for the album, I still like it a lot more than some of the ballads. 8/10
- Are You Sure (feat. Willie Nelson) - Musgraves included a hidden track on this album on the C.D. (and Spotify) version of Pageant Material, and it's an excellent cover of Willie Nelson that actually features Willie Nelson. Their voices complement each other nicely, and it's a good track to establish Musgraves as a country artist, not just a rebel. 8/10
Album Rating: 8/10
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