Kacey Musgraves’s new album, star-crossed, was released on September 10, 2021. The album delves into the singer-songwriter’s divorce through painfully honest lyrics. Golden Hour, Musgraves’ last album, made her a Grammy Album of the Year Winner. The follow-up album is a stark contrast from the light, love-filled Golden Hour as it explores heartbreak in three acts.
Standouts
The title track “star-crossed” is an amazing song to open the album. Musgraves opens the song with the line “Let me set the scene” inviting us to share in her heartbreak. Overall, it is a catchy track that hooks the listener into the story Musgraves’ is about to divulge.
“cherry-blossom” is one of the catchiest tracks on the album. Musgraves uses an extended metaphor to describe herself as a beautiful flower. It is a very relatable song about wanting to be valued.
If you need nostalgia, “simple times” is the perfect song for you. It explores the childhood innocence of being able to “kick it at the mall like there’s nothing wrong”. Musgraves encapsulates the simple desire to be young and worry-free in this relaxed track.
The feminist track, “breadwinner”, is one of the best songs on the record. It is an upbeat, catchy, and honest track describing the insecurities of men when they have lesser success than their partners. It is a very empowering song that will get stuck in your head.
“what doesn’t kill me” describes Musgraves’ relentless attitude towards all the events she has portrayed through her album thus far. She is no longer afraid. She is strong in opposition. It is a powerful, motivational song for listeners. The standout lyric is, “I’ve been to hell and back, Golden Hour faded black”, recognizing the divorce and hardships that she has endured since her last album.
Skips
“if this was a movie” feels repetitive. It describes Musgraves’ wish for her ending relationship to fix itself like a movie. It feels very emotionless and disconnected from the rest of the album.
The slow track, “easier said”, is easy to forget. I had listened to the album about 10 times before writing this and could not remember what the lyrics or music sounded like. It could have been cut from the album and the story still would have been cohesive.
The rest of the songs almost reach the “Standouts” list for me. star-crossed is a great album to listen to all the way through as it guides you through a cohesive story. The main beauty of this album is Kacey Musgraves’ honesty through her lyricism, as it is empowering and real. I rate star-crossed 9/10.