Albums of 2018, Honorable Mention: Kacey Musgraves

My feelings about this album are mixed.  On the one hand, I'm very happy for Musgraves' success, and happy that she is breaking through the male-dominated wall of country music radio that has continued to feature inferior male artists and bands over female artists like Musgraves, Ashley Monroe, Miranda Lambert, Angaleena Presley, Ashley McBryde, Courtney Marie Smith, Amanda Shires, and others (and for the record, I do not include Eric Church, Chris Stapleton or Sturgill Simpson on that list of male artists).  I'm happy that she has done so well in the year-end polls at NPR and Pitchfork.  If there is a Pazz and Jop poll this year (and I don't know that there will be, considering that the Village Voice is no more) "Golden Hour" will no doubt finish very high.  And that's all great.

On the other hand, I'm not hearing a lot of what others are hearing on this album.  I thought that "Same Trailer, Different Park" was a terrific debut, and that "Pageant Material," although suffering slightly from sophomore slump syndrome, was a very solid follow-up.  I was really looking forward to what album #3 might bring.  Musgraves is carving out a path that is mixed equally with roots music and countrypolitan glamour - and from a financial standpoint, that strategy appears to be paying off in spades.  More power to her, and there's no doubting that on songs like "Oh What a World" and the magnificent "Slow Burn" the formula is completely successful.  But too often, to these ears the songs sound like pop pablum - not horrible, but also not justifying the kudos that have followed.

If every song on "Golden Hour" was as good as the two mentioned above, it would be a contender for my Album of the Year.  As it is, it's still worth an honorable mention.