Kacey Musgraves has swapped the glitz of her recent albums for a grittier, grounded sound on her seventh studio album, ‘Middle Of Nowhere’. The Texan artist’s latest release unfolds like an old Western film, taking listeners on a wry journey through love, womanhood, and self-discovery, ultimately returning to Musgraves herself.
Stepping back into the saddle – she arrived at her Coachella set on horseback last month – this version of Musgraves is the closest to her early music in years. The album features the gently snarky ‘Everybody Wants To Be A Cowboy’ and the liminal desert dispatch ‘Coyote’, showcasing the steely, stripped-down, bluegrass-inspired storytelling reminiscent of her debut ‘Same Trailer Different Park’.
A noticeable departure from the psychedelia of ‘Golden Hour’ and the fatalism of ‘Star-Crossed’, ‘Middle of Nowhere’ trades expansiveness for a pared-back sound with steel guitar, mandolin, and a relaxed drawl. Folk musician Gregory Alan Isakov makes a whimsical cameo, while bluegrass star Billy Strings and country legends Willie Nelson and Miranda Lambert also feature. The influences of Nelson and John Prine are undeniable, with songs painted in poeticism and outlaw country.
The album flows with a sense of isolation, its unembellished lyrics and sparser sound evoking standing alone in the desert. A resolute solitude is the central theme – not loneliness but a choiceful, empowered singledom. The title track captures this essence: “It’s just me and me / And that’s all I need”. Standout tracks include the Tejano-infused ‘Back On The Wagon’, ‘Uncertain, TX’, and ‘Mexico Honey’, while ‘Dry Spell’ and the Lambert duet ‘Horses And Divorces’ offer Musgraves’ quintessential comic bite.
Though not flawless – some tracks blur together and lyrical moments fall flat – the album’s integrity and conviction more than compensate. At a time of maximalism in music, this grounded commitment to songs that sway rather than stomp feels quietly radical. Though it’s called ‘The Middle of Nowhere’, Musgraves seems right where she wants to be.
