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15. Kacey Musgraves – Same Trailer, Different Park






Taylor Swift get a lot of credit for writing her own songs, and she should. But be real: her songs are about some bullshit. Formulaic relationship songs lacking in self-awareness. Much better to heap awards and laurel wreathes on a young country performer who writes her own GOOD songs. Kacey Musgraves is that artist. This is the most refreshing country album I’ve heard in years. Listen to “Follow Your Arrow”, a song whose chorus breaks rhythm intentionally, supporting the song’s message to just do you, no matter who or what you are (“Make lots of noise/kiss lots of boys/kiss lots of girls if that’s something you’re into/when the straight and narrow gets a little to straight/roll up a joint/or don’t/just follow your arrow wherever it points”). A loose, carefree Nashville that acknowledges recreational drug use as something other than sinful? That is accepting and inviting to the LGBT community? Yes please. Lead us into tomorrow, Kacey. But it’s Kacey’s really depressing songs that most impress me. “Merry Go Round” is the best country song I’ve heard since the 90s, maybe. My Lord, what a masterpiece. You must listen to this. I’ve linked to it below. From the chorus: “ Mama’s hooked on Mary Kay/Brother’s hooked on Mary Jane/Daddy’s hooked on Mary two doors down./Mary, Mary, quite contrary/We get bored, so we get married./Just like dust, we settle in this town.” THAT’S THE CHORUS. Kacey has such an observational eye and an economy of words to capture small town life in an actually real way. This is impressive work.