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For months before the release of her fourth album, Kacey Musgraves made it clear that star-crossed was going to be her big breakup record: a follow-up to both her three-year marriage to singer-songwriter Ruston Kelly and her blissful-in-love album Golden Hour. But this is no vengeful divorcée screed; Musgraves charts all the stages of break-up grief—denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance. Stark opener "star-crossed," helped along by Spanish guitar, sets the scene as one of melodrama by going so far as to draw allusions to Romeo and Juliet. While its lyrics present Musgraves and Kelly's love as one for the storybooks, AutoTune-heavy "good wife" offers a much more pedestrian view. She weighs the struggles of marital conflict (the bargaining lines of "I could be more fun ... I could pack him a bowl") against the idea of giving up ("I could probably make it on my own ... I don't want to be alone"). Musgraves has cited Sade and Daft Punk as influences—along with Weezer, Bill Withers and the Eagles—for the album, and this song is their crossroads. "breadwinner" is one of the few times she dips into the brutally honest territory of the Chicks' Gaslighter, offering a peek into what it was like being married to a (much, much) less successful songwriter: "He wants a breadwinner/ He wants your dinner/ Until he ain't hungry anymore/ He wants your shimmer/ To make him feel bigger." Even as the words sting, it remains sonically cool. As Musgraves moves more toward chilly synths and shimmering dance beats on tracks like "simple times" and "cherry blossom," there are also moments that feel like "old Kacey." You can hear it in the way her voice breaks just a little on the gentle "angel" (which finds her taking responsibility for her own human downfalls—as in, she's no angel). Gorgeous "camera roll," which could be an outtake from one of her early records, is like a modern-day answer to Paul Simon's "Kodachrome" and the slippery trick of photographic nostalgia. Musgraves has always been able to convey bittersweetness better than just about anyone else in her generation, and you really feel it here: "Chronological order ain't nothing but torture/ Scroll too far back, that's what you get/ I don't wanna see 'em, but I can't delete 'em." It all closes out with a dustily spooky, almost David Lynch-ian cover of the stirring ballad "gracias la vida" by late Chilean activist and folk legend Violeta Parra. As heart-wrenching as the song sounds, its translated words offer great empathy and hope: "Thanks to life, which has given me so much/ It gave me laughter and it gave me tears ... The two elements that make up my song/ And your song, as well, which is the same song." © Shelly Ridenour/Qobuz
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John Osborne, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Greg Calbi, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ian Fitchuk, Producer, Keyboards, Percussion, Piano, Drum Programming, Bass, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Craig Alvin, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Steve Fallone, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Daniel Tashian, Producer, Harp, Keyboards, Baritone Guitar, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Kacey Musgraves, Producer, Vocals, Background Vocalist, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Shawn Everett, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Lucie Silvas, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Josh Moore, Additional Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Jacob Bryant, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Leisa Hans, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Todd Lombardo, Acoustic Guitar, Nylon-String Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, 12-String Acoustic Guitar - Fancy Hagood, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - TJ Osborne, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Zack Pancoast, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Kirsten Agresta Copely, Harp, AssociatedPerformer - Ivan Wayman, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Kristen Clark, Production Coordinator, StudioPersonnel - Natalie Osborne, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 2021 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Greg Calbi, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ian Fitchuk, Producer, String Arranger, Drums, Percussion, Synth Bass, Synthesizer, Drum Programming, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Craig Alvin, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Steve Fallone, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Daniel Tashian, Producer, Fender Bass, Rhodes , AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Kacey Musgraves, Producer, Vocals, Background Vocalist, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Shawn Everett, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Josh Moore, Additional Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Todd Lombardo, Acoustic Guitar, Nylon-String Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Matt Combs, Cello, Viola, Violin, AssociatedPerformer - Zack Pancoast, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ivan Wayman, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Kristen Clark, Production Coordinator, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2021 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Greg Calbi, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ian Fitchuk, Producer, Drums, Keyboards, Drum Programming, Bass, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Craig Alvin, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Steve Fallone, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Daniel Tashian, Producer, Electric Guitar, Keyboards, Drum Programming, Programming, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Kacey Musgraves, Producer, Vocals, Background Vocalist, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Shawn Everett, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Josh Moore, Additional Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Todd Lombardo, Acoustic Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Zack Pancoast, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ivan Wayman, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Kristen Clark, Production Coordinator, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2021 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Greg Calbi, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ian Fitchuk, Producer, Drums, Percussion, Synthesizer, Drum Programming, Bass, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Craig Alvin, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Steve Fallone, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Daniel Tashian, Producer, Fender Bass, Drum Programming, Programming, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Kacey Musgraves, Producer, Vocals, Background Vocalist, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Shawn Everett, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Josh Moore, Additional Engineer, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel - Todd Lombardo, Acoustic Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Zack Pancoast, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ivan Wayman, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Kristen Clark, Production Coordinator, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2021 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Greg Calbi, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ian Fitchuk, Producer, Drums, Acoustic Guitar, Keyboards, Drum Programming, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Craig Alvin, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Steve Fallone, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Daniel Tashian, Producer, Keyboards, Synthesizer, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Kacey Musgraves, Producer, Vocals, Background Vocalist, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Shawn Everett, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Josh Moore, Additional Engineer, Drum Programming, Bass, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel - Todd Lombardo, Acoustic Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Zack Pancoast, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ivan Wayman, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Kristen Clark, Production Coordinator, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2021 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Ilsey Juber, ComposerLyricist - Greg Calbi, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ian Fitchuk, Producer, Drums, Acoustic Guitar, Keyboards, Percussion, Drum Programming, Bass, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Craig Alvin, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Steve Fallone, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Daniel Tashian, Producer, Bass, Synthesizer, Steel Guitar, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Kacey Musgraves, Producer, Vocals, Background Vocalist, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Shawn Everett, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Josh Moore, Additional Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Todd Lombardo, Acoustic Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Zack Pancoast, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ivan Wayman, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Brandon Joyner Burton, ComposerLyricist - Kristen Clark, Production Coordinator, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2021 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Greg Calbi, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ian Fitchuk, Producer, String Arranger, Drums, Acoustic Guitar, Synthesizer, Bass, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Craig Alvin, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Steve Fallone, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Daniel Tashian, Producer, Programming, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Kacey Musgraves, Producer, Vocals, Background Vocalist, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Shawn Everett, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Josh Moore, Additional Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Todd Lombardo, Acoustic Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Matt Combs, Cello, Viola, Violin, AssociatedPerformer - Zack Pancoast, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ivan Wayman, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Kristen Clark, Production Coordinator, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2021 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Ilsey Juber, ComposerLyricist - Greg Calbi, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ian Fitchuk, Producer, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Synthesizer, Drum Programming, Bass, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Craig Alvin, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Steve Fallone, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Daniel Tashian, Producer, Synthesizer, AssociatedPerformer - Kacey Musgraves, Producer, Vocals, Background Vocalist, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Shawn Everett, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Josh Moore, Additional Engineer, Drum Programming, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel - Todd Lombardo, Acoustic Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Zack Pancoast, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ivan Wayman, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Brandon Joyner Burton, ComposerLyricist - Kristen Clark, Production Coordinator, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2021 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Greg Calbi, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ian Fitchuk, Producer, Drums, Synthesizer, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Craig Alvin, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Steve Fallone, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Daniel Tashian, Producer, Horn, Synthesizer, Horn Arranger, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Kacey Musgraves, Producer, Vocals, Background Vocalist, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Shawn Everett, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Josh Moore, Additional Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Todd Lombardo, Acoustic Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Zack Pancoast, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ivan Wayman, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Kristen Clark, Production Coordinator, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2021 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Greg Calbi, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ian Fitchuk, Producer, Acoustic Guitar, Percussion, Drum Programming, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Craig Alvin, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Steve Fallone, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Daniel Tashian, Producer, Electric Guitar, Synthesizer, Steel Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Kacey Musgraves, Producer, Vocals, Background Vocalist, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Viktor Krauss, Bass, AssociatedPerformer - Shawn Everett, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Josh Moore, Additional Engineer, Bass, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel - Todd Lombardo, Banjo, Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Zack Pancoast, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ivan Wayman, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Kristen Clark, Production Coordinator, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2021 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Greg Calbi, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ian Fitchuk, Producer, Acoustic Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Craig Alvin, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Steve Fallone, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Daniel Tashian, Producer, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Kacey Musgraves, Producer, Vocals, Background Vocalist, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Shawn Everett, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Josh Moore, Additional Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Todd Lombardo, Acoustic Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Zack Pancoast, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ivan Wayman, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Kristen Clark, Production Coordinator, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2021 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Greg Calbi, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ian Fitchuk, Producer, Drums, Percussion, Bass, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Craig Alvin, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Steve Fallone, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Daniel Tashian, Producer, Timpani, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Kacey Musgraves, Producer, Percussion, Vocals, Background Vocalist, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Shawn Everett, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Josh Moore, Additional Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Todd Lombardo, Acoustic Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Zack Pancoast, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ivan Wayman, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Kristen Clark, Production Coordinator, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2021 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Greg Calbi, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ian Fitchuk, Producer, Drums, Electric Guitar, Guitar Loops, AssociatedPerformer - Craig Alvin, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Steve Fallone, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Dante Jones, ComposerLyricist - Daniel Tashian, Producer, Electric Guitar, Synthesizer, Tibetan Bells, AssociatedPerformer - Kacey Musgraves, Producer, Vocals, Background Vocalist, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Shawn Everett, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Josh Moore, Additional Engineer, Bass, Synthesizer, Drum Programming, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel - Dewain Whitmore, Jr., Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Todd Lombardo, Guitar Loops, AssociatedPerformer - Andrew Neely, ComposerLyricist - Zack Pancoast, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ivan Wayman, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Kristen Clark, Production Coordinator, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2021 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Jim Hoke, Flute, AssociatedPerformer - Greg Calbi, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ian Fitchuk, Producer, Drums, Synthesizer, Drum Programming, Conga, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Craig Alvin, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Steve Fallone, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Daniel Tashian, Producer, Synthesizer, Tibetan Bells, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Kacey Musgraves, Producer, Vocals, Background Vocalist, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Shawn Everett, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Josh Moore, Additional Engineer, Bass, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel - Todd Lombardo, Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Zack Pancoast, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ivan Wayman, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Kristen Clark, Production Coordinator, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2021 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Greg Calbi, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ian Fitchuk, Producer - Craig Alvin, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Steve Fallone, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Violeta Parra, ComposerLyricist - Daniel Tashian, Producer - Kacey Musgraves, Producer, Vocals, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Shawn Everett, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Josh Moore, Additional Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Todd Lombardo, Acoustic Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Zack Pancoast, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ivan Wayman, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Kristen Clark, Production Coordinator, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2021 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Album review
For months before the release of her fourth album, Kacey Musgraves made it clear that star-crossed was going to be her big breakup record: a follow-up to both her three-year marriage to singer-songwriter Ruston Kelly and her blissful-in-love album Golden Hour. But this is no vengeful divorcée screed; Musgraves charts all the stages of break-up grief—denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance. Stark opener "star-crossed," helped along by Spanish guitar, sets the scene as one of melodrama by going so far as to draw allusions to Romeo and Juliet. While its lyrics present Musgraves and Kelly's love as one for the storybooks, AutoTune-heavy "good wife" offers a much more pedestrian view. She weighs the struggles of marital conflict (the bargaining lines of "I could be more fun ... I could pack him a bowl") against the idea of giving up ("I could probably make it on my own ... I don't want to be alone"). Musgraves has cited Sade and Daft Punk as influences—along with Weezer, Bill Withers and the Eagles—for the album, and this song is their crossroads. "breadwinner" is one of the few times she dips into the brutally honest territory of the Chicks' Gaslighter, offering a peek into what it was like being married to a (much, much) less successful songwriter: "He wants a breadwinner/ He wants your dinner/ Until he ain't hungry anymore/ He wants your shimmer/ To make him feel bigger." Even as the words sting, it remains sonically cool. As Musgraves moves more toward chilly synths and shimmering dance beats on tracks like "simple times" and "cherry blossom," there are also moments that feel like "old Kacey." You can hear it in the way her voice breaks just a little on the gentle "angel" (which finds her taking responsibility for her own human downfalls—as in, she's no angel). Gorgeous "camera roll," which could be an outtake from one of her early records, is like a modern-day answer to Paul Simon's "Kodachrome" and the slippery trick of photographic nostalgia. Musgraves has always been able to convey bittersweetness better than just about anyone else in her generation, and you really feel it here: "Chronological order ain't nothing but torture/ Scroll too far back, that's what you get/ I don't wanna see 'em, but I can't delete 'em." It all closes out with a dustily spooky, almost David Lynch-ian cover of the stirring ballad "gracias la vida" by late Chilean activist and folk legend Violeta Parra. As heart-wrenching as the song sounds, its translated words offer great empathy and hope: "Thanks to life, which has given me so much/ It gave me laughter and it gave me tears ... The two elements that make up my song/ And your song, as well, which is the same song." © Shelly Ridenour/Qobuz
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 15 track(s)
- Total length: 00:47:14
- Main artists: Kacey Musgraves
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Kacey Musgraves
- Genre: Country
© 2021 UMG Recordings, Inc. ℗ 2021 UMG Recordings, Inc.
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