Before I started listening to Kacey Musgraves, I never considered myself to be a country music person. Sure, I liked “Before He Cheats,” but doesn’t everyone like that song? When I listened to Golden Hour, I started to like the country genre more, and I realized that there are different subgenres of country music, mainly country pop, that were much more appealing to me than traditional country music. 

I started listening to Musgraves about a year ago, and she has quickly become one of my favorite singers. Of course, I was really excited when Musgraves announced the release of Deeper Well. I hoped it would be more like Golden Hour, and less like star crossed, her most recent album before Deeper Well, which I wasn’t a huge fan of. 

Deeper Well immediately caught my attention with the title track, “Cardinal.” “Cardinal” is one of my favorite–maybe even my favorite–songs on Deeper Well. I love the song lyrically. It’s a song about looking for comfort and answers after something upsetting and unexpected happens. This is one thing I love about Deeper Well as an album. The songs have powerful meanings, and they are represented beautifully through the lyrics. 

While I have high praise for the album, there are songs I despise from the album. This is a harsh word to use, I know, but it encapsulates how I feel. “Anime Eyes” was a really disappointing song. The production was a little all over the place, very disorienting and the lyrics that were intended to be funny fell flat. The lyrics weren’t nearly as impactful as the other songs on Deeper Well either. I also dislike “Sway,” it should have been cut from the album and is way too repetitive. 

Other songs I love from the album are “Jade Green,” “Deeper Well (of course),” “The Architect” and “Heart of the Woods.” 

While I enjoy this album, I do wish Musgrave’s current music was more country than pop. The production in this album was unmemorable. Golden Hour, which is still the best album released by Musgraves, utilized production very well. The production is what made her music country, and not just pop. 

The fact that I’m upset about Musgrave’s music being pop, and not really country, still surprises me. It’s a complete reversal of my former attitudes on country music. I hope Musgrave’s music in the future embraces country themes, rather than letting them be eclipsed by the pop elements in her music. I rate Deeper Well a three out of five stars.