ALBUM REVIEW: Kacey Musgraves Grows and Glows on ‘Deeper Well’
Henry Carrigan
Posted On March 14, 2024
Kacey Musgraves excels at producing cinematic albums that track the vagaries of human existence in kaleidoscopic colors. On Deeper Well, her fifth album and the follow-up to her 2021 chart topper star-crossed (ND review), Musgraves produces another stunning masterpiece that explores every chamber of the human heart.
The ghostly minor chord “Cardinal,” whose airiness resembles British fairy folk, shivers with emotion on its echoing refrain in which the singer asks if the brilliant red bird is “bringing her a message” from someone on the “other side.” Fingerpicked guitar cascades through the title track, a glimmering ode to growth and Musgraves’ decision to move on from relationships that sap her energy: “I’m saying goodbye to the people that I feel are real good at wasting my time.”
The melancholy chamber folk sounds of “Moving Out” mimic the hopefulness of moving in together in a bright season of promise and the ambivalent feelings of anticipation and regret that accompany an autumnal season of moving out and moving on. Jangly acoustic chords flow under spacious vocals on the ethereal waltz “The Architect,” a poignant meditation on the tiny details that reveal the contours of a grander design and that prompt the singer to request an audience with the designer — “Can I speak to the architect?”
Kacey Musgraves (photo by Kelly Christine Sutton)
The sparse musical setting of “Heaven Is” affirms that the grandeur of heaven exists not in the ostentatious illusions of some far-off future place but in the simple joys of the present: “Lying in your arms / So safe and warm / That’s what heaven is.” The shimmering pop melodies of “Dinner with Friends” ripple with warmth and intimacy, while the cantering “Jade Green” glistens with the sheen of a bracelet that reflects the promise of love. Tender, spiraling vocals offer an invitation to take the tentative steps into a new love in “Nothing to Be Scared Of,” the album closer.
Deeper Well illustrates Musgraves’ canny ability to convey human vulnerability with graceful lyricism and evocative instrumentation. Her mellow and soothing vocals draw listeners into the emotional soundscapes she so colorfully paints, inviting them to look deep within their own wells of loneliness, hope, and love.
Kacey Musgraves’ Deeper Well is out March 15 on Interscope/MCA Nashville.
