For Kacey Musgraves, Deeper well it's about enjoying the smaller moments that after reflection — and Deeper well it's nothing if not reflective — become those memories you look back on and enjoy. Whether it's a lover helping you unpack or the unexpected pattern the sun casts on the floor, appreciating small gestures adds up to days full of gratitude.
On her fifth set, out today (March 15) via Interscope/MCA Nashville, Musgraves reunites with producers Ian Fitchuk and Daniel Tashian on this mostly acoustic, mid-tempo album that sets a lovely, upbeat mood from the opening chords guitar in the opener. Cardinal.” From there, the listener floats on pillow-inflating clouds of Musgraves' unadorned, vulnerable vocals.
If her last album, from 2021 crossed starsfound Musgraves working through her divorce and embracing her love again, Deeper wellhis subject is tradition. Whether contemplating Saturn's return (“Deeper Well”), questioning life's bigger picture (“The Architect”) or wondering what happens when we die (“Dinner With Friends”), Musgraves approaches everyone with a certain acceptance that her 35 years and a good amount of soul searching have brought her.
Musically, the album, recorded at New York's historic Electric Lady Studio, leans towards the folk and atmospheric soft pop of the 70s. Like Joni Mitchell, James Taylor and Gordon Lightfoot, Musgraves, who wrote all the songs on the set, has a knack for intimately setting a stage that immediately transports the listener into her world. The songs, some of which are as short as 2:16, flow easily and seamlessly from one to the next. What the music lacks in variety, it makes up for with a pleasant continuity that is welcome and soothing in these troubled times.
A gentleness permeates the album, but don't mistake that for a lack of edge. If Musgraves isn't as perceptive as in the past, she still has plenty to say as she dismisses those who are “really good at wasting my time” on the title track.
Here's how Advertising sign ranks the 14 tracks in Deeper well.
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“Heart of the Woods”
“It's in our nature to look out for each other in the heart of the woods,” Musgraves sings on this light, undulating track, enhanced by Tashian's 12-string guitar playing. It's easy to imagine goblins and nymphs dancing around Musgraves in this idyllic forest he's created. Feel free to even throw in a unicorn or two in this short track clocking in at 2:16.
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“Donor/Donor”
It's sunset and Musgraves and her lover try to figure out the dynamics of their relationship in this low-key ballad. As she asks her love to “wrap me in your arms like I'm made of glass,” her all-powerful happiness has left her in a dreamlike state, declaring, “If I could only take as much as I needed / He'll take all you've got ” in this crazy track.
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“Anime Eyes”
The album's most adventurous track finds Musgraves musically comparing finding new love to looking at the world through anime cartoon eyes. He even manages to reference Japanese anime master Hayao Miyazaki in this fantastic song. “Oh, you're such a beautiful thing,” she exclaims, as the stars burst around her. Musgraves goes on a verbal bridge as her love builds and builds to a crescendo, then cascades into a synthetic landscape. It's a little jarring compared to the rest of the album — or it might just be the transition the listener needs.
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“Dinner with Friends”
Musgraves lists the things she would miss if she were on the “other side,” including dinners with friends in cities where none of them live, her home state of Texas, the shape of her lover's nose, and the way the sun makes the her floor. a pattern of light. It's the attention to detail, the appreciation for the simple joys—not just stating the obvious—that draws the listener in here.
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“Jade Green”
One of the most imagery-filled songs on the album, Musgraves captivates with lyrics like “I wanna bathe in the moonlight until I'm fully charged/ Come to my strength and heal the broken heart I carry” and “Like the bracelet you bought me , I want you in my hand.” Also one of the more interesting songs of the set musically, featuring Musgraves on drums and Matt Combs on cello, viola and violin.
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“Too good to be true”
A new romance brings butterflies, but also fears of getting hurt again, on this swinging track. “Please don't make me regret opening up this part of me,” she sings vulnerably. Musgraves needs her lover to be good to her, but not too good to be true. No wonder she wants to keep the happiness flowing: “Made some breakfast/ Made some love/ That's what dreams are made of/ Please don't wake me up.” If the tune sounds familiar, it's because the track bears some resemblance to Anna Nalick's 2005 adult contemporary hit “Breathe (2am),” with Nalick even receiving a songwriting credit.
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“Move out”
It's the little details that do Deeper well so exciting and so relatable. Whether she's remembering a fallen tree limb that missed the car or a particular dress to work at a party, Musgraves looks back at a house she and her lover leave with loving melancholy in this cinematic story. Tashian's slide guitar adds a slightly bittersweet feel.
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“Heaven is”
This simple acoustic guitar ode to the simple joy of hearing your lover call your name, enhanced by a subtle violin, sounds like Musgraves sitting on a lawn in a Renaissance fair wearing a flower crown as she plays. “If all I have is the light in your eyes, that's heaven,” he purrs.
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“Power”
The low-key, toe-tapping melody serves as the backdrop to this bright paean to finding peace. “Maybe one day I'll learn how to swing/ Like the phoenix in the wind, I won't break, I'll just bend,” sings Musgraves, as Sarah Buxton and Tashian provide a cappella backing vocals that feel as fresh as an island breeze. Following the title track, “Sway” better embodies the album's message of acceptance.
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“Nothing to be afraid of”
This album closer serves as a wonderful blessing. Featuring just Musgraves and Tashian singing, accompanied only by acoustic guitar and keyboards, “Scared” warns against playing it too safe and wrapping your heart in bubbles. As Musgraves reassures that there's nothing to fear when it comes to matters of the heart, she wraps the listener in a warm embrace and the words of wisdom: “If the train's meant for me, it ain't leaving the station.”
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“The Architect”
This banjo-heavy song, co-written with early collaborator Shane McAnally, finds Musgraves talking to the creator—or whoever is responsible for the wonders of the world—and wondering if our existence was a grand plan or more random. “Is it thought out at all or are you just painting on the wall?/ Is there anything you regret?” The macro questions give way to the micro in this intelligent questioning of God.
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“Lonely Millionaire”
A wicked, effortless R&B beat permeates the album's most soulful song, thanks to an interjection of “Kody Blu 31,” a 2022 song by rapper/singer JID. The heady, sultry track finds Musgraves extolling the virtues of those that money can't buy. Between Musgraves' haunting vocals and the laid-back, languid melody, it brings to mind an early Sade.
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“Cardinal”
With its gorgeous acoustic guitar intro, album opener “Cardinal” begins like a cousin to The Mamas & Papas' classic “California Dreamin'” before segueing into a stripped-down Christine McVie-esque tale of a mystical visit from a cardinal. right after Musgraves loses a friend without warning. “Are you bringing me a message from the other side? Are you telling me I'm on someone's mind?' she asks. Towards the end, Musgraves sings in a circle with herself as the drums grow slightly more insistent. It serves as the perfect invitation to embark on the spiritual journey Musgraves takes us on throughout the album.
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“deeper well”
One of the most obviously autobiographical songs on the set and the first single, “Deeper Well” is dedicated to the realization that self-care isn't selfish, it's necessary. On the gentle, acoustic guitar track, Musgraves contemplates giving up weed (no more waking up and smoking), getting rid of people with “dark energy” from her life, and deciding that it's better to “say goodbye to people who are too good at wasting my time.” Her message of self-discovery resonates in a transcendent way.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/lists/kacey-musgraves-deeper-well-all-14-tracks-ranked-best-worst/