After her smash hit, Grammy-winning album of the year “Golden Hour” in 2018, country singer-songwriter Kacey Musgraves could only rise from her monumental success. Following her psychedelic country-pop album “star-crossed” in 2021, Musgraves returns to music with her sixth studio album “Deeper Well.” Released on March 15, 2024, “Deeper Well” is composed of 14 songs and 42 minutes of country-folk pop music, where Musgraves paves her own road to gratitude and self-care.
Musgraves begins the album by distancing herself from the people she wants to grow from and the experiences she wants to learn from. In the track “Deeper Well,” Musgraves’ life takes her on many journeys and crossroads that change her life and allow her to find new love and inspiration in different places.
“So I’m gettin’ rid of the habits that I feel / Are real good at wastin’ my time / No regrets, baby, I just think that maybe / It’s natural when things lose their shine / So other things can glow / I’ve gotten older now, I know / How to take care of myself / I found a deeper well,” Musgraves sings.
As simple instrumentals and calming guitar strums guide the album, Musgraves expresses gratitude for how she was raised in the south of Texas. The lyrics of “Deeper Well” convey her experiences growing up humorously despite not having money or class.
“When I was growing up / We had what we needed, shoes on our feet / But the world was as flat as a plate / And that’s okay,” Musgraves sings.
In “Too Good to be True,” Musgraves opens up to her partner in ways she had not done so before. She craves a mutually open relationship but fears vulnerability because of her past relationships. Moreover, Musgraves’ relatability to audiences stems from her simple yet emotional lyrics about the more complex aspects of the human experience.
“Pleasе don’t make me regret / Openin’ up that part of myself / That I’ve been scared to give again / Be good to me and I’ll be good to you / But please don’t be too good to be true,” Musgraves sings.
Musgraves expresses her pathway to change in “Moving Out,” comparing the end of a relationship to moving out of a house as the seasons change. While she is ready for the next part of her life, she cannot ignore all the wonderful memories with her partner.
“We had good timеs, can’t deny it / And even though I feel еxcited / I’m kinda sad we’re leavin’ / Now that autumn’s movin’ in / And we’re movin’ out,” Musgraves sings.
While Musgraves feels like she gives more than she receives in “Giver / Taker,” she becomes selfless to her partner by giving him anything he wants. Despite their love not being reciprocated, she cannot avoid giving him kind gestures of affection.
“I would give you everything that you wanted / And I would never ask for any of it back / And if I could take only as much as I needed / I would take everything you had,” Musgraves sings.
As Musgraves falls deeper into love, the track “Dinner with Friends” expresses finding a new love that feels liberating and exciting. Reflecting on her partner’s kind gestures and sympathetic nature, she gains hope for the future of her new relationship. Furthermore, her imaginative songwriting creates vibrant images to make listeners feel healed and comforted.
“The shape of his heart / And my shoes by his door / He loves me in all of the ways that I’ve never felt love before,” Musgraves sings.
Consequently, in “The Architect” Musgraves compares the feeling of falling apart to parts of nature. When she used to feel like nothing could stop her, one minor inconvenience destroyed her life and made it difficult to recover.
“One day, you’re on top of the mountain / So high that you’ll never come down / Then the wind at your back carries ember and ash / That it burns your whole house to the ground,” Musgraves sings.
While Musgraves wants to ask an architect why her life is built the way it is, she worries that her past experiences have made her unloveable to someone new. Fortunately, she finds the right person and everything falls into place.
“I thought that I was too broken / And maybe too hard to love / I was in a weird place, then I saw the right face / And the stars and the planets lined up,” Musgraves sings.
In the final track, “Nothing to be Scared of,” Musgraves thinks about everything she has tried to accomplish during her life but finds it difficult to leave where she is and try something new. While she wants to try something new, she finds herself stuck in the same situation that she cannot get out of.
“I madе a list of everything / That I’ve been busy chasin’ / But if a train is mеant for me / It won’t leave the station,” Musgraves sings.
While Musgraves’ previous album “star-crossed” was more experimental with big pop-production psychedelics and drums, her new album “Deeper Well” is the complete antithesis. Relying on her vulnerable songwriting and simple guitar strums alone, she captivates listeners with her comforting voice and newfound happiness.