Album Review: Star Crossed by Kacey Musgraves

Since announcing her divorce from fellow musician, Ruston Kelly, fans have been highly anticipating the album that not only follows her divorce, but her first Grammy winning album, Golden Hour. Kacey’s fifth full-length album, Star Crossed, was released on September 10th along with a 50-minute film. And while many people are looking at this album through the lens of Star Crossed being the “Wario to Golden Hour’s Mario” i.e. an opposite of her previous album, I am actually choosing to review this album in regards to all of Kacey’s past work. I actually have been listening to Kacey since she was featured in a Josh Abbott song, if you know you know, so it has really been a pleasure to see her success and growth as an artist. I also want to clarify that all opinions are my own and I understand that not everyone will agree with me. That just proves that music can be interpreted in so many different ways and we all go through experiences that determine what types of music speak to us. That being said, let’s get into the review!

Since I do have somewhat of a mixed review regarding this album, I figure the best way to go about it is to discuss the things I didn’t necessarily like or live for, and then round it out with my positive thoughts.

For starters, I think my biggest issue or disappointment with this album is the lack of witty, yet charming lyricism that Kacey has pretty much perfected in her previous albums. I mentioned in my previous blog post that her sophomore album, Pageant Material, is one of the albums I consider to have no skips. That is mainly due to her ability to touch on so many tiny details in a way that shows she truly understands people but puts it in a simple, yet humorous way. I am not saying that this album doesn’t have good lyrics, however, I think this one isn’t as strong in the lyrics department as her previous work has been and came off a bit lackluster.

Another thing that left me somewhat wanting more was the lack of at least one or two gut-wrenching heartache type of songs. I understand that sounds a bit emo of me to say, but after seeing what a masterpiece Kacey was capable of while falling in love, I assumed that she would really lean into those negative feelings a bit more and give those of us that are suckers for a sad song a little taste of her writing style in that direction. I do understand that this album wasn’t meant to be some Bon Iver-like sad collection of songs, and I will elaborate on that further down, but I do think we could have seen a little more raw side to the heartbreak.

The last thing that keeps me from listing this album as high as some of her other work is that a few of the songs come off a bit corny to be honest. I don’t expect every song to be perfection whatsoever, but there are some on this record that I just don’t like at all. For example, I think the songs “Angel”, “Cherry Blossom”, “If This Was a Movie”, and “Keep Looking Up” come off as a bit surface level when it comes to love and loss, as well as having pretty basic lyrics compared to what we know Kacey is capable of. All of that to be said, I have quite a bit more positive opinions about this album, so enough negative feedback and on to the positives.

I think my biggest compliment to Kacey with this album is how much I appreciate her ability and willingness to try new styles and get creative. I know I compared this record to her previous work saying it isn’t as good, but that doesn’t mean I never wanted her to evolve as an artist. I guess my initial point was more of wanting her to evolve but keeping the aspects that made so many people fall in love with her music. However, I love how she chose to take inspiration from Greek tragedies, Shakespeare, and Romeo & Juliet to frame this collection of songs as a tragedy in three acts. I also appreciate how she incorporates tiny tidbits of different genres, giving herself room to not be boxed in to any one genre or style. Her vocals have also just gotten better with time and sound so smooth and crisp throughout this whole album.

The second positive I have regarding this album is that although I feel there could have been a bit more raw heartbreak type of songs, I do really appreciate how she made this album for pretty much everyone. She could have easily created a full-on sad and angry divorce album but instead, those of us who aren’t going through heartbreak or relationship problems can still enjoy this record and take away something from it. It also shows that she was classy enough to not completely drag Ruston, as well as even acknowledge her own contributions to the relationship not working, and still touched on some of the beautiful aspects of love and marriage, like in the song “Hookup Scene.” I found that to be very mature and respectful to her ex-husband and the relationship they shared.

Since I listed the songs that I didn’t necessarily care for, I also want to point out the highlights and personal favorites of mine. My number one favorite song from this album, and the one I think perfectly encompasses Kacey’s musical style is “Justified.” I find that this song wonderfully portrays the back and forth emotions that come with accepting and reasoning with any difficult situation at hand. The lyrics “If I cry just a little, and then laugh in the middle, if I hate you then, I love you, then I change my mind” show the inner workings of the mind when grappling with a relationship ending. I also really love the lyric “healing doesn’t happen in a straight line” because that is not only so true, but can go for so many other life situations besides relationships and heartbreak. Some other favorites of mine are “Good Wife” and “Breadwinner.” “Breadwinner” is one that gives a better example of the witty lyricism I feel was lacking throughout the rest of the album. I also immediately was thinking “spill the tea, girl!” while listening to it, as well as bopping my head to the fun beat. “Good Wife” is another that I love because it represents an honest look at her initial hopes and intentions for her marriage. As someone who also is somewhat recently married, I could really resonate with her honest feelings of wanting to be a good partner to her new spouse. I also wanted to point out that although it isn’t one of my favorite songs on the record, I really delight in the fact that she included the lyric “golden hour faded black” in the song “What Doesn’t Kill Me.” I love the reference to her previous album and how she recognizes that these two records are about the same person, while summing up how drastic situations can change during the time between the two albums. While it may be small and simple, that lyric is probably one of my favorite lyrics throughout this whole album. Lastly, I wanted to acknowledge how exciting it was that she included a song in Spanish because I remember seeing her perform “Como La Flor” by Selena at the Houston Rodeo in 2019 and I remember thinking that was so cool of her to do that. Her ending the album with a song in Spanish was also a nice touch due to the artistry around this album having a bit of a dreamy, yet gothic-Spanish vibe to it.

All in all, I didn’t absolutely love this album from Kacey but I didn’t hate it either. I appreciate that she was willing to share her experience with divorce and life changes through the lens of maturity and understanding, while also experimenting with different sounds, styles and genres. And while I think lyrically and emotionally this album may have been lacking, I am balanced out by the unique sound and genre-bending risks she chose to take. If I had to rate this album, I would probably give it a 6.5/10.

Let me know what you thought about Star Crossed in the comments!