The vinyl edition of Kacey Musgraves’ 2021 “Star Crossed” album comes complete with a tri-fold cover that forms an appropriate broken heart. Fifteen songs are taken from the 40 she wrote during the pandemic. This is a tragedy in three acts, star-crossed moves through sadness, anger, and, eventually, hopeful redemption after her divorce.
This is Kacey’s 4th studio album, preceded by “Golden Hour” which she mentions in the track “What Doesn’t Kill Me”. She starts it out with the chilling, haunting Latin influenced “Star Crossed”.
Also, like the last LP, this is a Pop album, the only country here is Kacey Musgraves. Most of the songs are written by Kacey, Ian Fitchuk, and Daniel Tashian. The Spanish word last track “Gracias A La Vida” is a cover of a song written by Violeta Parra. The album includes The Simple Times which is a detailed musician credit sheet.
I think that there is always reward in choosing to be the most vulnerable. I have to remind myself that that’s one of the strongest things you can do, is to be witness to being vulnerable. So I’m just trying to lean into that, and all the emotions that come with that. The whole point of it is human connection.
Kacey Musgraves tells Apple Music
This is a dark album with superb storytelling of brutally honest lyrics. She gets away with a ballad-heavy album, something I usually wouldn’t approve of. You feel horrible for her at the start, the anger in the middle, and that she is definitely better for her getting away from this unworthy man.
Musgraves cited Bill Withers, Daft Punk, Sade, Eagles, and Weezer as inspirations as well by William Shakespeare’s popular tragedy Romeo and Juliet for the album. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard Country Album Chart.
Star Crossed also debuted at number 3 on the Billboard 200 Album Chart. Kacey Musgraves (lead vocals, background vocals), Todd Lombardo (guitars and banjo), Daniel Tashian (background vocals, keyboards, Tibetan bells),
Ian Fitchuk (background vocals, keyboards, string arrangements, guitars, conga), Kirsten Agresta Copely (harp), Matt Combs (strings), Josh Moore (keyboards, drum programming), Viktor Krauss (Alison’s brother – bass), Jim Hoke (flute), Fancy Hagood, Natalie Osborne, TJ Osborne, Kirsten Agresta Copley, and Dewain Whitemore Jr. (background vocals). The album was released on September 10, 2021, by MCA Nashville and Interscope Records. The album was recorded in Nashville, early 2021, in three weeks.
The LPs are advertised as 1 of 3 different patterns of colored vinyl. Mine is shown in the photo. I love “Star Crossed” and will give it 4 out of 5 stars. If they had used real drums, instead of computers, I would have probably been closer to that 5.
Side A
1. star-crossed
2. good wife
3. cherry blossom
4. simple times
5. if this was a movie..
6. justified
7. angel
8. breadwinner
Side B
9. camera roll
10. easier said
11. hookup scene
12. keep lookin’ up
13. what doesn’t kill me
14. there is a light
15. gracias a la vida
