In 2018, life couldn’t have been going any better for East Texas singer-songwriter Kacey Musgraves. The 33-year-old had just dropped her third album, “Golden Hour,” a magnetic mash-up of pop, country and disco, which was awarded Album of the Year and Best Country Album at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards. Musgraves tied the knot with boyfriend Ruston Kelly the same year and the couple’s fairytale romance captured the hearts of millions of fans globally. She seemed to be on top of the world, in both the music industry and her love life. But as her fame grew, her marriage declined.
In the summer of 2020, after nearly three years of marriage, Musgraves and Kelly announced their split. In a statement to E! News, they agreed the decision to separate was mutual. The couple’s separation shocked and devastated both singers’ fans, but as heartbreaking as it was, it paved the way for Musgraves’ most recent musical masterpiece: her fourth album, “star-crossed.”
Made up of 15 tracks, “star-crossed” explores the blissful highs and bitter lows of a relationship, creating a beautiful emotional rollercoaster. The album is accompanied by a film of the same title, now streaming exclusively on Paramount+. Fans will also be able to experience the album live when Musgraves tours in 2022.
Compared to the bright, romantic songs on “Golden Hour,” “star-crossed” tells a much more somber story. All of the songs portray to listeners Musgraves’ sorrow, grief, hope and remorse.
The album opens with “star-crossed,” a genre-bending ballad that sounds like something straight out of a Shakespearean tragedy, with dreamy vocals and ethereal harmonies. It’s the album’s title track, and deservingly so. Soft, haunting and ominous, the song is reminiscent of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.” Musgraves illuminates the hopelessness and despair two lovers feel as they watch their relationship crumble apart with her chilling lyrics: “What have we done? Did we fly too high just to get burned by the sun?” The song perfectly sets the mood for the rest of the album.
“All of the songs portray to listeners Musgraves’ sorrow, grief, hope and remorse”
In “good wife,” Musgraves grapples with the pain of sacrificing her own happiness to preserve her marriage. In the chorus, Musgraves’ voice is warped with a small dose of autotune, which emphasizes her sadness and desperation as she struggles to be enough for her husband. While Musgraves’ vocals are the star of the song, her singing is strengthened by playful guitar, honoring her country roots.
A couple tracks later is “breadwinner,” which has a catchy chorus and empowering lyrics that warn listeners to never let anyone make them feel small in a relationship. “He wants your shimmer to make him feel bigger until he starts feeling insecure,” Musgraves sings. The track’s funky, ’90s pop beat complements Musgraves’ vocals perfectly, making it a highlight of the album.
If there’s any song on “star-crossed” that requires tissues while listening, it’s “camera roll.” The lyrics breathtakingly encapsulate the devastation of a breakup, raw with grief, regret, heartbreak and a hint of nostalgia as Musgraves looks back on the beautiful memories she made with her ex-husband. Musgraves pours her entire heart out in this song, making it one of the most stunning, emotional pieces she has ever written.
Things begin to slow down during the second half of the album. While all beautiful tracks, “hookup scene,” “keep lookin’ up” and “what doesn’t kill me” are so similar in style, mood and tone that they blur together, making the final stretch of the album less emotionally impactful than many of the earlier songs.
“Soft, haunting and ominous, the song is very reminiscent of Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’”
However, “there is a light,” the second to last track, is a powerful bounce back. The song is a colorful, electric explosion of disco and pop, surprising listeners with a refreshing flute solo that is easily one of the greatest moments in the entire album.
The album closes with “gracias a la vida,” written by Chilean composer Violeta Parra. Sung completely in Spanish, the song travels through time with different filters and instrumental accompaniments. Starting as a crackling vinyl record, it slowly evolves into different musical styles, eventually ending in an electronic, futuristic medium. Musgraves’ ambitious interpretation of Parra’s work breathes new life into the piece, and it is, without a doubt, the perfect song to close the album.
With “star-crossed,” Kacey Musgraves takes her music to new heights. The vulnerability, heartbreak and self discovery presented in the album make it some of her most powerful work yet. “star-crossed,” to put it simply, is art in its truest form. “star-crossed” undoubtedly deserves four and a half stars.
